The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-02-01
SNAGGING ON THE MISSOURI.
The Appropriation Of S75 600 Con-
sidcred Enough.
From Kansas City Star, eth

From Kansas City Star, eth
The suak boat which will be used Il
clear the channel of the Missouri rivel
for the packet Iiue is tied up at the wharI
al 81 Lonis. The smuggling will be done
under the supervision of the Missouri
river commission, OF which Colonel G.
Il. SuIer il president. The snag boa
IL in good condition and At Colone
SuIer's office il was said Yesterday tina
The boat could be made ready Tor work
in two days.
It Ia believed that Ii VIII be- imprActi.
cable tor The snag boat IN go 10 work
until the first or middle OF March, a.
the river up to that time IL likely tn be
tull OF floating Ice. The snag boat IL 4
pouderous affair with two hulls and n
space between In this space the work
is done. When u snsg is discovered,
huge chains, the links of which Neigh
about 1fly pounds, are attached and Ill
effort made To pull he snag up. II
this fails the big crOss-cut saw is run
out into the water near the bottom OF
the slag and ii is sawed off by machin.
cry. Many snags are 80 large hat de-
spite the great power OF the machinery
breaks are frequent. No Smuggling has
been done on the Missouri river re-
Gently except in special places and il is
thought that there must be many snags
between this point and the mouth of
The river, many stubborn ones, but oil
removable.
When asked for an opinion as to the
n~avigabilily of the Missouri, one of the
men connected with The commission
said:
There is no doubt about the practi-
cal navigation of the Missouri Tar be-
yond Kansas City. The policy of all
improvements made by the government
mas been to narrow the channel, which
of course, deepens il. 1t has been the
talk among the men at work OH the
river that II seemed like throwing
money away to work on the channel,
AS there was no navigation and the
work has m gone forward with that
vigor and thoroughness that would
have characterized il had there been q
regular line Of boats plying between ST.
Louis and Kansas City. The men in the
service have watched with much inter-
est the organization OF the packet line
in Kansas City. IL is The general be-
iief that with this line in operation the
the government will be more liberal in
its appropriations, that all work will be
directed to keeping the river in az mar
row channel az possible, and this will
make il navigable at all times. A sys-
teinatic line of work from the mouth TO
Kansas City would make the river In
lar better shape than il ever was before.
"To Us it seems that the packet line
cannot fail TO be q paying undertaking.
81 believe that II the appropriation
for the snsg boat Is made Colonel Suter
will put two snag boats on the river az
soon as the ice permits. Two snag
boats well II will do a great deal
of work"
1t was stated hat Major Warmers
estimate OF the cost of operating a snag
boat, $500 a day, was double what Il
costs 50 800 Is n liberal estimate for d |
snag boat barring accidents. Ii this is
true $4,000 will keep a snag boat in
operation twenty months, or two OF
them ten mouths. The river once well
of snags, one boat In constant
operation will keep il IN fair navigable
When a boat IL snagging regu.
lumber men usually follow Il up
and take the logs as they are extricated
Or sawed off. When this Is not done |
the logs are sawed mp and fioated down
river or put on the banks. II Is
the case that a gang of Llen
with axe go with u sIIag BOAT aud fel.
on the banks which are likely 10 |
into the stream 1t IL no uncommon |
to have a crew OF forty men on 3
suagger aud then II costs more than |
s3 800 u month.
At the Missouri river commissioners |
office yesterday blue prints OF the chan
mel OF the river with distances Indicated
were mailed TO +. ). Treadway, secre.
tary OF the. packet line.