Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1902-05-10

| we raise the wheat TO 1eeu the Worlos
and when made into bread we can fur
nish the best butter, and enough to
spread 1t all. Last year we produced
100000 bushels of corn alone.
Still another incident Or the first
, trip of the first boat that we con-
structed for the rafting business, the
J. w. Van SAINT. Mr.. Frederic Weyer-
haeuser was passenger. The raft was
for his mill, and he was anxious to see
the new departure tried. The success
was complete. At that time Mr.. Weyer-
haeuser was a young man. Since then
his industrial genius has developed the
great lumber interest of the north
west, and he has won for himself the
title of Lumber King" The magni-
tude to which this commerce has
grown Is suggested by the fact that
one individual fleet has carried an
nually 20O,0OO,0OO feet of lumber down
the river to enrich and upbuild the ter
ritory tributary to the Mississippi. In
a single trip one boat has towed suf-
ficient tonnage of lumber to load to the
limit q railroad train two miles in
length. 1t is scarcely saying too much
to assert that the total downriver ton
mage of lumber fleets any day in the
moving season is sufficient to stall the
traffic of all the competing railroad
lines, If the traffic were transferred
from boats to rails. and amounts to
500 1000, 900 feet annually.
This marvellous development is due
to the steamboat and few, II any,
achievements of my life afford me
more personal satisfaction than the
fact that built and operated the first
steamboat of large power for this par
ticular branch of river traffic.
In the inland sections of the coun-
try an impression prevails to-day
that the Mississippi is now no longer
an active factor in the world OF
transportation, that it's traffic days
are only a recollection, and that the
great stream has no claim upon the
gratitude of the people of the
northwes, on the score of present
benefits. This delusion will be keen
ly resented by all who are Loyalty
jealous of the reputation of the
great river.
True it is that it's through pas
senger traffic has been almost COM
pletely absorbed by the railroads.
On the other hand, the volume of its
freight carrying, especially in lum-
Der and coal, is still very large, as
the facts I have already cited will
Indicate. But Of far greater mo-
ment is it's value as conservator
of freight rates. 1t acts as a per-
petual and unalterable check upon
the greed of railroad systems-and
will continue so to act for all time
to come.
With the completion of the 18TH
milan canal a new era Of prosperity
will be assured to the river. A
mighty volume of traffic will sud-
denly be turned southwark and the
activities of the Mississippi will be
multiplied in a manner now hardly
to be realized. This great govern
mental enterprise should, for this
reason, command the heartiest sup
port of every dweller in the valley
of the Father of Waters, and of all in
the vast northwestern empire tribu-
tary to it.
1t is by no means to be admitted,
however, that passenger traffic is
wholly dead letter on the Mississippi
On the contrary.it is still considerable,
although radically changed in char
acter. All along its course the river is
supplied by "short-line packets"
which make daily and profitable trips
between cities not far distant from
each other. The lines from Daven-
port to arlington and from Keokuk
to Quincy are examples of this traf-
fic, which will certainly increase with
the passage of time.
Another recent development is the
excursion business, which is also
destined to increase. The boats de-
voted to these lines of the carrying
trade are modern and slightly, some Of
them costing $4,000 each.
No review of the old days on the
Mississippi is complete without refer
ence to the famous races in which the
fast steamboats, indulged-a practice
which has found appropriate embodi-
ment in the literature as well as the
history of the west. How strong was
the racing spirit in the old-time river
masters is best illustrated by an in
cident which will ever remain vivid in
my recollection.
As captain and part owner Of the D.
A. Mcdonald I had shown the proper
river spirit by trials Of speed with all
corners, and these efforts to maintain
the reputation of our boat had reached