The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-08-19
ABANDONED
The MISSOURI
Government Has Decided to With
draw Appropriations and Work.
TO MAKE STREAM NAvleARLE
Railways Get the Trade and Money
Is Wasted Trying to Keep a Navi-
gable ChanneI-WiIi Let the Water
Roam at Its Own Sweet Will.

The United States government,
treacherous Missouri, is about to
abandon the river to its fate
and give it up as means of trans
portation. Railroads have grabbed
the freight, and steamboat business
has dwindled until it is evident con-
gross thinks the expense of dredging
shifting sandbars, pulling snags, and
trying to hold the restless river in a
fixed channel is not justified by the
volume of business and will surren-
der.
Captain H. M. Chittenden, chief of
United States engineers for the Mis-
souri, river, who replaced the Mis-
souri, river commission, believes the
career of the Missouri as means of
transportation is at an end. The
abandonment of the Missouri is fore
Swallowed in his annual report. In it
he says:
THE discontinuance of the Mis-
souri, river commission and the great
ly reduced appropriations, as com
pared with former years, for both
upper and lower rivers, indicates an
intention on the part of congress to
abandon the river altogether in the
near future. Before the rendition of
the annual report for 1908 the officer
in charge will be prepared to submit
a comprehensive statement of the
conditions of the entire river and the
advisability or Notwithstanding of
further work upon it."
The millions spent in an effort to
make the Missouri permanent canal
for commerce have been washed
away like the fertile acres along the
treacherous stream. 1t is of no use
and the government evidently wants
to give it up.
That the Missouri river cannot be
kept open for traffic without snag-
ging was recognized by congress.
For the upper Missouri river an esti-
mate of $4,000 a year was made in
1890. Since that time $376,144 has
been spent to keep the upper chan
mel clear.
The maintenance of the Missouri
as navigable stream above Sioux
| City served to increase the volume of
traffic. The report of Captain Chit
tenden for the last year shows that
traffic aggregated 68,3S8,000 pounds
IL, 240 head of cattle, and 756 passen-
gers. In 1878, when the Missouri was
the sole means of transportation for
Montana shippers, the report for the
upper river, above the Yellowstone,
showed traffic of only 100000
pounds of freight and 1000 passen-
gers.
In 1878, Edward Mcguire, lieuten-
ant of United States engineers at ST.
Paul, said in his annual report:
This Missouri river will always
be an important line for traffic, nc
matter how many railroads will be
built into Montana
In that same report, Mcguire indi
Gated the condition upon which he
based his prophecy.
For a time the shippers and mer
chants of Montana sent their freight
by the Union Pacific railroad, tha
railroad having reduced the rates dur
ing the high water to compete will
the river. But time proved the su
periority of the river. and the ship
pers returned to this"
Mcguire thought railroads coulC
: cyiu
: have and the freight goes by rail
The eleven steamboats, now plyin!
on the upper Missouri are engage
solely in hauling freight to the near
est railroads. There are STITCHES
of so and rs miles between II J. Dad
on the upper river, and to carry tn
freight to these roads, the boats ar
maintained. The territory and raj
roads have developed wonderfully, S
: the traffic for these stretches of isC
lated country alone exceeds the Ell
tire upper river business of a quar-
!, ter of century ago.
The Missouri river runs through
/. deep, alluvial soil, carried down fror
the mountains, and its gnawing GU
J. rent constantly eats from the bank
l great trees, lodging them in all part
!. of the stream. When steamboatin
i on the Missouri began, in 1919, tn
river was filled with these trees, an
J. the first expedition up the river b
the Longs-Y Yellowstone governme1
+ fleet resulted in the wreck of the Je
y ferson. From that year to 1870, Is
) boats went to the bottom of the Mi
e souri,, Isl of them because of snags
:. but since 1890 there have been onl
u eight wrecks, four by snags. This
/ directly due to the government
work in keeping the channel clea
: and illustrates the impossibility
Missouri river commerce withol
snagging.
The Missouri river has eaten l
D | millions of aorac atono ife honIrc