The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-09-16

treasury of the association thus giving
It working capital. The cOl0nels sug-
geBtlon IL that he start in at Fairmont,
on the Monongahela, and visit success
siVely Brownsville. Pittsburgh. Roches-
ter WeIlsville. Steubenville. East LiV-
erpool, Wheeling and all OF the river
towns to Cairo. and ut each place id
dress the commercial bodies, and ask
their support financially In the carrying
on OF the associations important work.
The speaker said he would canvass the
business interests more than the
steambnatmen; the former are more vi
tally interested In the Improved river
than the steamboatmen themselves.
AN INTERESTING TALK.
Major Rlxby related in an interesting
manner his experiences while In charge
OF the little rivers in the south, and
spoke OF one little stream In North Car
DINA on which there wasn't an ounce
OF commerce before the government
improved the stream; now there is an
annual commerce OF $4,000. Formerly
the stream had n channel depth OF three
feet in places as narrow as ten feet:
Nav the stream Is 400 feet wide, and
Inns an average depth OF five to seven
feet In the fnil winter and spring. The
annual saving to the people OF that Ut
tie valley In freight charges is over
81, 900. Major BSby's talk was listened
20 with great interest and frequently
applauded.
smoke, and said there is just such a
stream in this state, the west fork OF
the MOnongahela. A. preliminary sur
very has been ordered on this stream,
and when the improvement Is complet-
ed n great coal field will be opened up
10 the markets OF the world. Some
npwgpapers have chilled this stream 4
creek" said the speaker; but, he
added, at has the width Of the Suez ca
nal, through which the commerce OF
the world passes Al no distant day
coal will be loaded In barGcs at Clarks-
burg. and sent TO San Francisco. via
the Nicaragua canal, without a change
OF bottom" Enthusiastic app!ause.)
ALL IN A NUTSHELL
CAPTAIN Henderson read an interest
ire article. which tells in a nutshell
the Importance OF the inland system OF
waterways with which the United
states is blessed. Said Captain Hen
derson.
How many Americans appreciate tho
grandeur of our cOuntry's geography
How many know that there II no river
system on earth that even dlstantly COM
pares with that OF the Mississippi anu lis
The census tells us that these rivers. all
flowing through one channel into the GUT
OF Mexico, aggregate more than 100000
miles in length. The Amazon, the Nile,
tho Ganges, md all the rest OF the great
river systems on earth put together
scarcely approach this magnificent snow
Think OF III A steamboat leaving Pitts
burEh can visit twenty-thrce states With
out passing through any artificial chan
mel. II can go up the Allegheny, and Mo-
nongahelA, the Big Sandy, the Kentucky,
the Wabash. the Tennessee and the Cum
Northumberland into Alubnma--befOru
reaching the mouth OF the Ohio.
Below Cairo n can traverse not only the
NTIpslgsIppI but the 81. Francois. the Ar
kanaEr, Tho white, the Red, the Inzoo.
the TRlluhRtchee, the inlObushn,. the
OuhchitA, the great bayouS and all the
tributaries OF these streams,
Above Cairo lie the Upper Mississippi,
the Illinois. the Missouri. the Yellow
stone, the Platte. the Big Horn, and a
score OF tributaries to all thcrc The sup
Positions steamboat can land at 1000
towns and cites on It's way,
These rivers drain an area OF i,6N3,s15
square miles. occupied by population OF
q, SO IN 1890.
THE commerce Of this great river system
was carried on In 1881 by 1863 vessels, with
an aggregate tonnage Of S.GG.Sig. and a
value OF sli.51j.0p5,
And 20 rich is that commerce that IT.
annual gross earnings exceed the total
value OF the craft engaged In II by nearly
a million dollars II carries nearly 1900.
600 passengers and nearly 33.O0l,OQO tons OF
freight per year
And this Is only one Of the great river
systems OF our country ono Of many That
include such mighty EyStemH ~ that Of
the Yukon. that of the Columbia, that Of
the Colorado, and that OF the Alabama at
Tumbgbee
And from one end to the other Of oil
these rivers there Is no custom house to
stop trniIic or 10 levy one cent OF tribute
upon 81
Continuing. Captain Henderson took
occasion to ndd that last year, Accord
Ing To Supervising Inspector General
DumOnAs report. the enormous number
~ GiO.vJO.0 oO passengers were carried on
these Inland waterways. and not n life
was n lost. "There isn't three mile
trolley line IN the country that can
cqunl that record" concluded the
speaker
THESE NOT NUTSHELL MAPS.
Prof. whltesuggestedthat Major Blxby
furnish the association with large maps