The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1894-06-26
gAA DAILY AsgualAN AsguAiAs FuFspAF aORslsp, allNE as 1924

Pottlatn. The R0,b05jO46 tons carried IN
1890 Oh the Mississippi river was car
He'd on three to five feet Of water for
less than two and one-half mills per ton
mile, and much Of It for only O.51 mills
per ton mile. While those depths are
undoubtedly too small, it indicates In
what direction the river and harbor APP
preparations should be made. The ton
mage reaching Hamburg by the Elbe
was on water of six feet down to two
feet. If two transfers were saved by
the proposed lower Columbia ship chan
mel improvement to rs feet depth Gas
would be the case in an Erie ship canaD
the case would be much different; but
a great towage system, such as those
organized on European and Eastern
light draught boats from the upper Col
umbia for less than one and one-half
mills per ton mile. The cheapness of
these towage systems, with lows of
from 8 to 100 boats, in broad rivers,
equals and generally exceeds the
%cheapness of deep draught vessels NOV
ing in restricted channels. On the
Rhine, the Elbe and the Oder, these
lows Tor strings, as they are there
termed) run up to 10000 tons each. On
the Hudson river, a tow contains from
so to so boats, Of about 200 tons each,
and of draught of from five to six feet.
The towage rate from above Albany to
New York, over $40 mile, is $500 per
boat. On the Mississippi river still
larger tows of coal barges are taken
from Pittsburg to New Orleans at very
low rates. From st. Louis to New
Orleans, the Mississippi Valley Trans
p~ortation Company transfers freight at
a very low rate, using eight powerful
tug boats and eighty large barges, hold
ing $4,000 bushels of grain each. The
d~ivisability of these tows enables them
to gather and leave boats at many To-
c~alities, even those having only very
shallow ports; and thus one of the ad-
vantages which enables railways to
compete against ordinary vessels in in
land waters and secure much higher
rates while doing so, is secured by the
lows as against deep draught vessels
on rivers.
In regard to the increased cost BY
deep draught vessels when on con-
inland waters, Col. T.. L. Cor
thell, the associate of Col. Fades on the
Mississippi j%etties, thus writes in a pa
per to the Canadian Society of Civil
Engineers:
mo narrow channel Is to be construct
ed at all adequate for the wants of
commerce. Careful investigation has
made 1t evident that nothing but I'M
restricted channels of the very largest
dimensions for laden vessels of large
tonnage, will at all compare with the
advantages of transportation by rail,
particularly in the United States and
Canada"
In these narrow channels, besides the
necessary reduction Of speed, the YES
10 not steer well whenever d
' hA ~ VI WILL OCCuISg Ill BOlIRl
down stream, the currents affect the
ruader even In straight channels; and
lare is required to avoid the edges of
he channel. 1t has been necessary to
canal 70 S25 feet, and
Baltimore snip en~..-cH ~
rhe advocates of bringing ocean vesseisl
inland are constantly losing sight Of the
important difference between such nav
gatlon and that on the free ocean. By
rec ocean service, the costs at times
get az low as less thar one mill per ton
nile. But such an ocean vessel has
ipent "a hours in going ia miles inland
o Portland; or nearly 20 hours of ac-
towing time. To the increased cost
rom such an altered mode Of naviga-
ion, add so cents per ton for towage,
etc, and it is readily seen why
service is not secured inland, let
he vessels draught be what it may.
Where light draught boats can be taken
Without transfers from the producers to
convenient harbor at the river mouth, I
Improvement for ocean vessels is
waste Of money. One of the leading
hamplons of an inland seaport locationl {
n a paper intended to be in its favor, {
hus admits the increased cost Of inland I
.avigatlon over ocean navigation: ]
THE moving mass that seeks trans
ortatjon reckons distance to be as
othing on the ocean, as compared with I
he cost of movement on land or river! {
He describes the river entrance to-
Philadelphia as IA tedious navigation, +,
head winds in a narrow road a
His argument is a strong plea q
a large percentage of free ocean :,
as compared with inland carl
which all admit t be desirable, =
ut as an argument for going inland upl
It refutes itself.
The cheapness OF tows and their adj
as compared with deep
great on the Pacific Coast.
here the ocean vessels can seldom
lunt on cargoes in both directions, but
lie small craft can avail themselves of
'cal traffic up-river. This fact makes a h,
cast location much better than an in |
nd location for any mart of trade, as J
.stinguished from a mere shipping I
oint. and win serve the whole river.
CTo be Continued Tomorrow.) 1
POLICE COURT.