Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-11-30

States industrial commission which
had asked him, together with other
railway chiefs, for information relat-
ing to immigration labor, agricultural
and manufacturing. Special attention
was paid to the Mississippi river
which, said Mr.. Fish, drains the whole
of nine states and territories, and parts
of twenty-three other states, not TO
speak of a considerable slice of the do
minion of Canada. Rejecting eight
states, of which but a small portion
lies within the valley, tWenty-tour
states and territories may De fairly
considered as tributary to that river.
It's valley contains 1,240,O39 square
miles, or forty-one per cent OF the
area of the United States, exclusive Of
Alaska and other outlying possessions.
There dwell 35,O0O,0O0 of our people, or
nearly one-half of our citizenship. It's
soil, besides feeding all of our own peo-
pie, except those on the Pacific coast,
yields the whole Of our eXportable sur
plus of live stock Of every kind, and
most of the bread-stuffs. It's mines
yield our petroleum oil and most of our
coal, it's forests supply our lumber, and
it's workshops turn out, annually, an
increasing share of our manufactures.
In these days of large and increasing
tonnage and of low and constantly fall
ing rates for transportation by rail, the
question of grades is becoming more
and more controlling. 1t is, therefore,
irin of valley
that we must look for the solution or
the problem of how to conduct trans
DortatiOn ever at or near, and often be-
low, cost. without so absolutely bank
rupting the carriers as to close the
highways of traffic. The accumulated
surplus earned in previous good years,
and the borrowing power based there
on, coupled with rigid and distressing
economy, barely kept the western and
southern railroads from universal
bankruptcy during the bad times from
1893 to 1897. On June 80, 1894, there
were in the hands of receivers 40,SlS
miles of railroad, or nearly One-quarter
of all in the United States. These
bankrupts represented an investment
of over $780, 100000 The enforced
economies of that year reduced the
number of railroad employees by 1894.
Seven-tenths of all the employees dis
charged had been employed in the Mis-
sissippi valley, and, while Throughout
the rest of the country, one man in
fourteen lost his employment, during
that wear, in the valley nearly one in
every seven met with like misfortune.
New Orleans is the natural port OF the
Mississippi valley. You are familiar
with the struggle made by the people
of the valley toward the close of the
last century against the embargo laid
by Spain and France on commerce
through New Orleans, which led to and
justified the so-called Louisiana pur"
chase in 1903. Down to the breaking
out of the civil war in 1861, the river
carried the products of the valley to
the gulf, and brought back imported
goods. During the four years of that
war and the following period Of mis-
rule at the south, the very mouth OF
the river was allowed to fill up until
only vessels of small draft could enter
it, and transportation between the val
lev and the sea was forced into the I'M
natural channels provided by steep OF
circuitous railroads over or around the
Allegheny mountains. That even the
most direct of them is crooked, Is
shown by the fact that while the short
line distances by rail from Chicago t.
New York and to New Orleans are
identical, 912 miles, the air line dis
tances are to New York 100, to New
Orleans S26. That is to say, in run
ming over the mountains, 203 miles, OF
2S 6-10 per cent, are added to the all
line distance while in running down
the valley only Sc miles, or 10 4-10 pei
cent, are added thereto. The summit
on the short line between Chicago ant
New York is nearly midway between
those cities, at an altitude of abou
2,161 above tide; the summit on tht
short line between Chicago and New
Orleans is within "a miles of Chicago
at an altitude of S04 feet above tide. A:
Chicago is 500 feet above the sea, thu
dead lift to New York is 1871 feet anC
true that other railroads running t
New York by longer routes cross lowe
SUBMITS, the most level of then
reaches an altitude approximating, :
not exceeding, 1 100 feet above the sea
and is compelled to lift every ton i
carries in either direction 500 fee
vertically above the level of Chicago
of h
south, it's railroads were, without eX
ception, physical and financial wrecks
1t is within my knowledge that the.
were then, and long continued, incap
able of competing with the lines to tn
Atlantic seaboard. That condition ha
with us passed, through the increase i
the past enighteen years of the capital
ization of the Illinois Central Railroa
company from 1881, 900 to s1S5, 1896
925. We can now use the advantage
of our geographical position, and Civ
the advantage of theirs to a large paI
Of the people of the valley. Othe
southern and western roads being !
like case, natural conditions are bein
restored, and the products of the vale
are once more seeking an outlet o
short lines, over easy and general
descending grades to the gulf
Mexico.
Of the 2,715,9S1 tons of grain, for
and other mill products carried by ii
Illinois Central and the Yazoo & Mis-
sissippi Valley railroads during tt
year ended June so, 1899, less than on
fifth (536,S41 tons) were exporte
through New Orleans to European an