The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1889-08-03

were estimated at 81, 42l 900 cOmpris-
ing tic bulk Of the commerce Of the
Mississippi and the Territory Of Louisi-
ana. In 1892 her exports had swollen
TO q, i75, 3Gi.
In 1903, when Spain transferred
Louisiana to the United States for a
gross consideration of 5000, 600, the
commerce of the Mississippi fell into
the hands Of Tie Yankee, the Kentuck-
ian and the Southern planters. IN
1911, after the introduction of steam,
tie commerce of the river had in
creased more than four fold (,inca
1909 or up to si6,77l,7 III, New Orleans
remaining the commercial mart for the
entire business.
In 1Si0-i1 the value of the produce
received at the port of New Orleans
was estimated at al9, SD, rs, or more
than one-half as much as the total
value Of the goods passing the $500"
in 1883.
In 1855 the total value of all the
boats engaged III the Mississippi trade
was estimated at SIC, 90, 1926, and the
total business of the river estimated
at 1921 49,, 600 the legitimate growth
of over half a century without. serious
opposition or competition. New Orleans
held almost one third, or $39,9l ,Gi5.
In 1850 St. Louis began her march
to Moscow" and in that year exceeded
New Orleans in the magnitude of her
river traffic. But in 1S59-'6O New
Orleans had rounded st. Louis, and
brought UP the fiscal year with the EN-
orm0uo total traffic of S473, 800, coo of
which sum &12S, sol, f29 was foreign
commerce, and the balance (2N,4SS,-
S72) river trade. This was the height
of the flood in the history of commerce
On the Mississippi although from 1850
up to as late as 1875 st. Louis made
strenuous efforts to swell the import
lance Of the Father of Waters as a
commercial highway.
In 1860 the receipts of freight at
New Orleans by river amounted to
*l85, 2l1 ,234. In 1856 they amounted
to $50, 7lG,781 falling off Of almost
40 Per cent in tWentys;X years
But from 1856 up to 1865 ST. Louis
steadily encr02ched on the trade of the
Mississippi valley, her population run
ming up from a, $50 in 1850, to 2O4, 327
in 1865, and this in the face of four
years Of civil strife at her very doors.
st. Louis profited at the expense of
New Orleans, as result of the war,
but she found herself, in 1865, face to
face with a much more formidable
rival at the head of Lake Michigan.
\ rival without capital, yet projecting
lines Of railroad into Iowa and Mis-
souri, whose construction involved the
expenditure of millions of dollars, and
sending its commercial missionaries
into the very heart of the trade that
St. Louis fondly called her own.
In the early sixties the big river city
glorifed her future by thrasonical
brags which included within her
commercial empire all of the old Lou
isiana territory as far north as the
British line. But within twenty years
her efforts have been confined to hold
ing the trade Or Missouri, Arkansas
and Kansas, much of which has been
cut off by younger and more active
rivals. And the river trade!
In 1888 the total freight tonnage
received and shipped at st. Louis
amounted to 1926, $50 tons, only
] ,23S, 925 tons Of which was river traffic.
In 1888 the new city Of Superior re-
ceived by lake 766, 900 tons OF coal and
shipped Isl, 6i3 tons of grain: and the
500 canal passed freight tonnage
valued at So, I56, 0i3, or over coco, 600
tons. At Chicago the custom house
authorities manifested" and cen
tered" p 800 vessels, with a total
tonnage of $3.50, 665 tons, an increase
OF :, 857, 10 tons in eighteen years. And
this increase was in the face of the
most terrific railroad development and
competition that was ever known. St.
Louis can today boast of barely a
half-million of inhabitants, while
Chicago comes close to LOO, 900 Can
any one doubt that Chicago owes to
her location at the head of Lake Michi-
gan her greatness and prestige?
The deep-water lakes have back of
them all Of the territory of which st.
Louis was formerly prone to boast
The original Northwest Territory, the
old Louisiana Territory as far south
as the Kansas line, and a large por-
ton Of British North American be
long to them. Over 1900, 900 square
miles of territory, capable of maintain
ing population of 500, 900 GOO without
crowding as closely as the German
empire now does, means a commerce
upon these lakes beyond the utmost
conception of the mariner of these
days. 1t means 1000, 900 eople at
Buffalo, perhaps million each at
Cleveland and Detroit, and a couple of
million at Duluth and Superior.
For look at the recent past. The old
Louisiana Territory, with a small
portion Of the Northwest Territory.
has in eighty years built an city of a
million inhabitants, one of over half
a million, four Of more than two han
dred thousand each, two of over one
hundred and fifty thousand each and
over fifty cities of more than twenty
five thousand people each. And the
development has only fairly begun.
Look at the maps! Illinois, Iowa and
Missouri can still hold -, 900; Kan
sas, Nebraska and Colorado as many
more. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Dakota,
Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and the
British Northwest have been merely