St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-09-05
routes where navigation is rendered difficult
and expensive by want of harbor and channel

routes where navigation is rendered difficult
and expensive by want of harbor and channel
improvements.
That these great producing states and ter
ritortes are bounded on the north and east by
nearly one thousand miles of lake coast, in
Guiding the upper peninsula Of Michigan,
from all parts of which the world might be
cached cheaply, and is also penetrated in all
directions by 1000 miles Of navigable water
ways, comprising the upper Mississippi and
Missouri systems and the Red river
of the North, all of which could
be so improved at moderate expense
as to reduce the cost Of transportation to a
minimum, greatly aid in developing our re-
sources, building up our commerce and manu-
featuring interests.
THAT THE WORK
of surveying, examining and estimating the
cost of improving these rivers and harbors
has been thoroughly and exhaustively done
by the engineers of the United States war de-
partment, which estimates show that the
expense is insignificant when compared with
the enormous results to be attained.
That as part Of this system of waterways
improvement there has been devised and the
cost thereof estimated by the same high au-
| thorities, certain canals designed to connect
| the lake system and become a part of them or
to avoid obstacles, which canals, if completed,
would greatly facilitate trade and cheapen
transportation.
That the results already attained by United
States engineers by their work on these sew
eral rivers, harbOrssand canals with the mea-
gre amount heretofore appropriated
ma has been eminently satisfactory at
feasibility and wisdom Of those plans, and we
would most earnestly insiss ON their complete
carrying out, at the earliest moment, by such
liberal appropriations as will enable the en-
gineers to proceed without delay.
That thecost of thewor required to perfect
yyi1 ha 70 1nccf ~ ,oI,,
OF the 35, ,207 acres Of land which congress
donated to railways within our nine North
western states and territories Ito say nothing
OF the subsidies and state grants) upon the
plea of afording cheap transportation, and
IN pursuance OF the national internal i'm
provement policy, while the direct and imme-
date benefit will be many times greater.
HON. E. W. DURANT
of Saltwater, a member of the Minnesota
commission, also had speech prepared
which will be printed in the proceedings.
Following are extracts:
To convey to this convention some idea Of
the quantity Of lumber sent down the Missis-
S1ppi river, to the various distributing points
between the st. Croix and. st. Louis, will
call your attention to a few statistics relative
thereto: There was shipped from the st.
Croix river during the year. 1884 to various
distributing points along the Mississippi river,
25O, 900 feet of lumber II, ,000, 600 of slath
37,O00,O0O of shingles, 2,e9e,000 of pickets;
from the Chippewa river during the same
period, SS8, ,000,0 feet of lumber, 223 zoo, 900
Of shingles, and l02, 000, 600 of lath and pick
cts; from Black river during the same period
was shipped 250, 000, coo feet of lumber, 40
100000 shingles and 81, ,000,0 600 lath and pick
cts, aggregating 1883, 900, 900 feet Of lumber,
3OO.o0O.O00 Of shingles and 176, GOO, 900 oflath.
The tonnage of this product alone foots up
over 5000, 00G tons, which, aside from the
many other important commercial items con-
tributed by the great Northwest to the COM
merce Of the Mississippi river and its tribu-
taries, should in itself be powerful
argument in favor Of the object we seek to
accomplish.
The lumber value Of RATS and cargoes an
nually boated to market on the Mississippi
will not vary far from twenty millions of
dollars. The capital invested in steamboats,,
100 in number, used for two purposes, is one
and a quarter millions of dollars, while the
saw mills, timber plants and other invest
mentS incidental to the prosecution of this
branch of industry will foot up fully five
hundred millions of dollars; while the laborers
and their dependencies engaged in this pur-
suit alone will equal the population Of one of
our largest Western states.
Much has been accomplished by the gov
ernment through the able engineer corps en-
gagged in the improvement of the Western
waterways. Much more can and must be
done. From the national treasury one hum
dred and fifty million dollars has been ap-
propriated for the Improvement Of rivers
and harbors; but q moiety of this has been
appropriated to the upper Mississippi river
and its tributaries
The snneess resulting from the work
already performed gives us O very reason to
believe that the necessary appropriation for
carrying out the plans already referred to
will give US ffve-foot channel between St.
Louis and St. Paul.
Now gentlemen, five-foot channel from
ST. Louis to St, Paul means an enhanced
value to every acre of land in the Missis-
sippi valley, better price for our farm
products and cheaper food to the con-
sumner.