The river press., 1885-04-22
THE RIVER.

4
per river are going bravely on. The
boats at Bismarck are in good trim and
it will not be long until the first craft is
on its way to the head of navigation
The Fort Benton Transportation com
pany (the Power line) has purchased
the Coulson steamers and will have five
or six boats on the upper river this sea
son-a fleet sufficient to promptly do the
carrying business of the upper river.
. The Fort Benton Transportation com
pany was organized in 1875, when the
| first boat owned and controlled by Ben
ton citizens-the staunch old ''Benton"
was built at Pittsburg and brought
into the waters of the upper river. The
owners were Il. G. Power & Bro, [. Ct.
G.. Baker & Co., Jos. S. Hill, J. Ell. Me-
Knight and James McGarry. McGarry
was captain and Hill clerk the first sea-
son, and every year since the Benton, /"
staunch and true, has done good work.
years ago started with one boat now
owns the entire upper Missouri fleet,
with Commodore Power still in general
command.
During the past few years the gov
ernment has done much to render navi-
cation on the upper Missouri less diff
cult, SO that boats can now come to the
Coal Banks at the lowest stage of water.
The work Of the engineers this season,
we learn, will be done in the vicinity
of Fort Benton, where it is most needed,
and the present appropriation, if rightly
expended, will secure at the lowest stage
Of water channel Of not less than three
feet from Benton down, making the sea-
son of navigation seven months instead
Of four. This result will be very soon
accomplished, and it will add vastly to
the importance of Fort Benton's position
at the head of navigation and to the
volume of its business and transporta-
ton.
The RIVER PRESS has frequently re-
counted the advantages Of Fort Benton's
position, but the importance of it's loca-
tion at the head of navigation on the
greatest river in the world cannot be too
often noted. It is an impregnable posi-
ton, and if there were not an acre of
arabic land in the vicinity, nor hoot
of stock. nor ton of coal, nor vein of
Fort Benton, in time, would
still be an important commercial point;
but having all Of these resources with
out limit almost, the future is fully as
sured The same laws of situation and
traffic that made the great cities of Pitts
burg, Chicago, St. Paul and Duluth will
make great city of Fort Benton. Moth
ing can prevent it. Its greatness may
not be this year, or next, but it is COM
ing surely and irresistibly. The rail-
roads must build to this point to shut off
business on the river as far as possible,
and with the river flowing by our doors
we are never at the mercy of railroad
pools or combinations, SO that cheap
portation-the foundation of com
mercial supremacy-is sure to be our
portion. Fort Benton is dull now, as
the result of the general depression
the country and the change
about by the advent of the
Northern and Canadian Pacific rail
'oads, but the reaction will soon occur
md our city enter upon period of great
For this certainty of the
uture we are indebted to the river and
he vantage ground we hold at the head
# navigation.
Fort Benton's interests could not be
more rapidly than by further
ng the business of the river. A large |
of river traffic would bring a |
abroad bounding this way, and there
ore it is to the interest of our citizens
0 see to it that the wool of northern
nd eastern Montana is shipped by the
iver; that road is built to Neihart SO
S to increase the import and export |
onnage of the boats-in short to do
possible to add to the busi-
ess Of this great waterway.