Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-14
THE RIVERS REVIVAL
A Great Incentive to the Work of the
Waterways Convention.
GOOD OF CONTINUED HIGH WATER.
Improvements of Lower Streams of More
Than Local Importance.
ENDORSEMENT OF THE LAKE CANALS

appointed by Governor Pattison to repre-
sent Pennsylvania at the convention to be
held in Evansville, Ind, to-day in the in
terest of the Improvement OF the waterways
of the Mississippi Valley, left the city last
evening in company with B. L. Wood and a
number of State delegates and gentlemen
representing the Pittsburg Chamber of Com
merce and the Coal Exchange.
While the general purpose of the con-
vention has been stated in THE DISPATCH,
Mr.. Roberts detailed some information re-
garding its scope and Importance not gener-
ally understood. He said it was no unusual
thing for the interests concerned in the
navigation of our Western rivers to hold
these conventions, that, in fact, they were
held almost annually in some of the cities
located upon the great Western rivers,
but that this year there was an un-
usual interest taken in the subject
Of river improvements, particularly in the
Ohio Valley, owing to the fact that the
continued high, or rather navigable waters,
Of the Ohio and its branches during the past
few wears had been followed with a great re-
yival in our river commerce. Not only has
the coal trade from Pittsburg prospered be-
yond all precent so far as magnitude is con-
cerned, but there has been witnessed a great
revival in the general freight and passenger
business all along the river, and no city has
been more benefited than Pittsburg.
During all the summer months-until
quite recently, in fact-a daily line of
steamers has piled between this city and
Cincinnati, though at present the water is
TOO low for any but the lightest
boats upon the upper end OF the
river. For many consecutive months some
OF our wide awake merchants and manufac-
turers consigning goods to Kansas, Colo
RADIO and Nebraska have been ir the habit
Of shipping goods via river steamers to
Memphis and other points on the Mississ-
ippi at which places railroad lines not in
the railroad pools which control rates from
this city, carried to them to their destina.
ton.
AN OUTLET FOR SURPLUS COAL.
"In the same way, Mr. Roberts continued,
"oUr rivers are of still larger direct benefit
10 us by afforling us from Madison, Louis
VILE and other points an outlet for the sur
plus of our river coal to reach the markets
Of The lake cities 1t therefore is the fact
that many railroad lines terminating upon
the rivers far to the South and West
of Pittsburg are concerned in the
Improvement of the Ohio river, and
ii Is expected that among those
who Will meet in the convention at Evans
vile viii be representatives of such rail-
road lines" And as Mr.. Roberts says
at would be OF benefit to all the railroad
corporations in the country to understand
that the sooner our Western rivers are
made permanently Davigable, thus tending
to develop mining and manufacturing enter |
prises and the increase of population, the
sooner Will they be called upon to increase
their facilities for general freight and pas
senger business, upon which their dividends |
depend
As to the particular Improvements which
would be urged upon the convention, Mr..
Roberts said he could not speak with au-
thority. There were, he said, about 400 |
rivers, large and small, upon which the
General Government was dividing |
its attention, but in his opin- |
ion il would be wiser if first |
ample means were provided for the radical |
Improvement of the main streams. "Of what |
use, - he asked sis it to improve minor |
branches Of the Big Sandy, Kentucky. or |
Tennessee rivers. so long as only precari- |
GUS EaN lGdilOD ol llS Ildln streams 1DIO |
which they flowed existed?" Even the |
radical improvement of the Ohio itself was |
only fairly begun, and at the rate the Gov |
crnment was doing the work another gener- |
alton would not see it half completed The /
Western people were getting their ewes |
open on this question, and no doubt a differ |
ent state Of affairs would shortly be inauger- |
ated
In Mr.. Roberts opinion the Government |
lad no right 10 claim sole jurisdiction over |
the rivers, unless it undertook TO maintain |
ard improve them for the benefit |
OF commerce. On the 967 miles Of the Ohio |
river the Government since 1S24-a period |
of nearly 20 years-has spent less than Sc, |
00O, O00, while the value of the commerce |
annually borne upon its waters amounted to |
hundreds of millions Pittsburg. alone |
toated more boats upon these rivers than |
the united marine tonnage of anv the |
cities in America, and if Pittsburg was OF |
Il loud speaker in the convention, she hu.- /
self was 10 blame.
LAKE CANALS TO BE INDoRSED.
As TO canals to the lakes, Mr.. Roberts said |
that he entertained no doubt the convention
would indOrSe the resolution adopted bv the |
PENNSYLVANIA Legislature, which requested |
that Congress provide this winter for ex-
and report upon the project |
by the United States engineers. sit so ap- |
pears he continued, ''that no project |
of internal improvement, no matter how |
important, can well be introduced in Con-
gress, upon which official report has not
been made The President will no doubt |
be urged to recommend such action in his |
message to Congress. Enough concerning |
the canal has been demonstrated to show
that besides the Beaver route to the lakes,
none other exists, excepting the Hennepin,
Reaching the lakes at Chicago, upon which
large vessels can pass from the interior
rvers to the great lakes Both these ca
nails should be completed. If they were
completed a grand inland circuit of naviga-
lion would extend from Pittsburg to Lake
Erie, Detroit, etc, to Chicago, from whence
the return voyage could be made
via the Illinois river canal to st.
Louis, Cairo, Louisville and Cincinnati.
GOOD WORK FOR GOOD PURPOSE.
''To refer to these projects as simply dim
schemes for the serious attention
OF the people of the future is not encourage
ing, but such croakings emanate only from
those who persistently shut their eyes to
the facts To suggest that the Government |
make an official investigation of its feast |
bility, cost and commercial Importance, is |
to which no reasonable obiec- |
tion can be urged
"All this seems to be slow work for a
good purpose, but it will not be always
thus with our great schemes for river and |
ship canal improvements. 1t will come
with Us as it did in France and England, |
where it has been discovered at last that
there is a natural limitation to the capa-
bilities Of railroads, and hence the impetus
given ship canal projects.
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