The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1900-10-05
Congress Has Spent Much Money
to Secure Coveted
Deep Water"
IS PER CENT. LAKE TRAFFIC ORE
Grain Shipments 100000, 900 Annu-
ally-A Scholar in Politics
Asbestos, Farm Lands, Etc.

derrated even by those who live IN the
interior, for the interest Of the whole
state hinges on our lake commerce.
The appropriations OF congress for I'M
pr0vements of this sort are usually
large. for dredging and breakWater
work is costly.
AS for Wisconsin harbOrS, OcontO,
on Green bay, has a harbor that has
been deepened by dredging between
two piers. Green bay has dr9dged
channel fourteen feet deep to the deep
of Green bay. Sturgeon Bay has
harbOr Of refuge between two piers
one quarter mile in length. Its chan
mel is sixteen feet deep. ShehOygan
harbOr is approached by channel
from fourteen to eighteen feet deep.
Milwaukee bay has an artificial har-
Dor of refuge formed by inclOsing
portion of Lake Michigan within an
outlet breakWater of cribWOrk. This
harbor has channel eighteen feet
deep between two piers. Racine har-
Dor had Il dredged channel Of thirteen
feet deep between piers a few years
ago; in fact, these are all official hg-
ures that need to be corrected by rea-
son Of late appropriations and work.
The dream of all these cities is to get
deep water" that the largest ships
may come to their docks. Some CT
these most modern boats call for TWEEN
ty feet. San Francisco, with one Of
the finest harbors in the world, has
twenty three feet in almost any part
of the bay, which is connected with
the ocean by n strait called the Gold
en- Gate. Duluth has a dredged basin
seventeen to twenty feet deep covering
a very extensive area.
All Interested in Freight Rates.
In a recent letter | touched on the
value of shipping on the Great Lakes.
All the states north of the Ohio and
west of the Alleghanies are interested
in cheap lake freightS and easy com
MERGE. The first cargo of grain from
Lake Michigan to Buffalo was as late
as 1896, and a vessel reached Chicago
from Erie in 1884. In 1890 congress
committed itself to 20-fOOt channel
in all parts of the Great Lakes and
connecting rivers. By 1896 depth of
1872 feet was secured at all points.
Those who have never seen the ship
ping of the Detroit river connecting
Erie with Huron will be astOunded to
know that ten years ago the freight
passing in that river was more than
three times the foreign trade of the
port of New York CtOnnage); and it eX-
ceeded the aggregate foreign trade by
1OO0O,00O tons. In short, the COM
MERGE through the Detroit river is one
unbrollen procession of ships for eight
months of the year
The freight eastward is always
heavier than that to the west. The
ore traffic constitutes about 80 per
cent Of all on the lakes. About 60
per cent. of the iron ore of the United
States comes from the Superior region.
The yearly output is over 100000
tons (SuperiOr) And the total value of
the ore shipments at lower lakes ports
is 5000 100000, since 1865. when the
locks at the $500" were opened
source of MiIlionaires
DO you wonder that Carnegie can
build a library every morning before
breakfast and Rockefeller toss a mill
ion or so to Chicago university as care
lessly as YOU and | buy a newspaper?
The grain shipments have steadily
grown to over 200000,000 bushels a
year, with considerable fiuctuation of
course, according to crop success or
failure. The copper ore is worth
nearly as much as the iron ore, though
of much less bulk Coal, flour. lumber
are the other items of freight that load
down the freight steamers you meet
Freight rates on the lake are about
One-fOurth Of the lowest railroad rates
which Indicates that water transporta-
ton will never wholly be wiped out by
the locomotive. The freight rate. ta-
ken at the "SOo.' has steadily de-
creased from 2.3 mills per ton per mile
to LA mills.
"Whalebacks" Disappoint Some.
Fully as interesting is the change
IN the character of watercraft on the
Great Lakes. Sailing vessels original
~ ruled the wave; and when steamers
came in the sailing craft were lowed
behind. Sailing craft are very rare
now, though barges are lowed to quite
an extent. AS late as 1SSO-1S9O the iron
steamer carrying from 2,5OO-3OOO tons
made their appearance. Then McDou-
CALLS "Whalebacks." He is said to have
got his idea from Jules Verne. The
first one was built about 1890. and at
times there have been 1000 men en-
plOyed in his West Superior yards.
Now there are some forty whale
backs" on the lakes. They carry very
are clumsy in steering and demand
much sea room in rough weather. 1t
was thought they would drive out the
freight steamer, but they are not doing
it. Two ''whalebacks," if not more,
built on Lake Superior, have been ia
ken to the Atlantic ocean by way of
the Welland canal and the ST. Law
renee river.
DIR. Ely Presides Over a Caucus.
We are glad to see DR.. Richard 7.
Ely again taking active part in public
affairs. During his Baltimore resi-
dence the doctor was an active factor
in tax reform, holding important posi-
lions. His participation in local poll
tics bespeaks the glad day when our
political gatherings will be quickened
by the brains and influence of the uni
versities as they are in Germany. The
sight of DR.. Ely presiding over a Madi-
son convention was one to cheer the
heart.
Mrs. Ely, by the way. has gone to
the Palmyra sanitarium for a short
stay. She suffered last winter for a
long time with an injured ankle, and
lxyS bai, 10 icI, .fo;,, q