Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-02-27
ENCOURAGING RAILROADS.
A River Man who says steambOating
rs Played OuU--A Gradual Decrease
Predicted

A River Man who says steaInbOatinG
rs Played OuU--A Gradual Decrease
Predicted.
A steamboatman vino is thoroughly
posted upon river matters and who i,
conversant with all subjects appertaininl
to Mississippi navigation has been givine
views to a newspaper reporter and h,
said he had been reading the utterancei
of various steambostmen relative to the
revival of Mississippi river traffic. and
expressions of opinion as to how remun'
erative it would be.
Il believe" be said, THAT the rivel
business between St. Louis and st. Pa u
will never pay. If line of steamers on
the Mississippi is good Investment why
is there not more capital invested IN iii
learn upon good authority that the st.
Louis and st. Paul Packet company il
anxious TO dispose OF its boats. Diamond
10 Reynolds, proprietor of the Diamond
DO line, is anxious to dispose of his river
interests. He has invested large sums
IN mining, In Arkansas enterprise and in
real estate in Chicago aud elsewhere. If
his line of boats were paying handsome
dividend it is not probable that he would
be willing TO sell out and part with the
prestige which il has attained on the
upper Mississippi. II it is a fact that
rip lA pviu -
made valuable property, why does not
some Of the idle capital Of the country
seek investment in such property? It is
a well known tact that no new steamers
have been constructed for the upper river
within six years. A few years ago the
Diamond 10 line had seven steamers and
the st. Louis and St Paul Packet com
pany had six. Now the former has six,
practically only four, and the latter line
three. This is not good evidence of II
revival. believe that daily packets be-
tween Keokuk and st. Louis would pay
handsomely, but in the through trade
there is not sufficient business to be had
to make their operation profitable.
During the tourists season in the suns
mer time the passenger traffic to ST. Paul
combined with the freight business, JUS
titles the running of steamers, but at
other seasons of the year 1t does not. If
some experienced man would place two
or three packets in the Keokuk and 81.
Louis trade, run them on time and with
view TO the accommodation of the pub.
l'c,it would prove a remunerative invest
ment. also sse by the dispatches that
new steel steamer is to be built for the
upper river at Il cost of $50, 1000. | do
not believe it will ever be constructed for
the reason that steel boat is not adapt~
ed to Mississippi navigation. In the first
place steel boat of her dimensions
would draw about four feet of water
and no river packet should draw more
than three.
Then again steel steamer is more
liable to be subject to leakage than
wooden hull vessel. A wooden huh
when it strikes shore or rock rebounds
and does not offer so much resistance as
a steel hull The J. K Graves and
Clyde, which are rafters, have steel huIls
and their owners wish they were wood.
1t will not be many years before Keokuk
will be the actual head of deep water
navigation and small craft only will nav,
igate the river above, The business re-
ceived will not justify the operation Of
large boats to st. Paul. Railways are
too numerous and their competition is
entirely too strong"