The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-03-06

of canal through the grain belt Of Da-
kota, Nebraska. Kansas, Oklahoma and
Texas 10 the Gulf Of Mexico seems the
only way Of solving the freight rate ques-
ton as, in this day of combinations, no
matter how many railroads there may
be constructed or operated through the
wheat belt to the gulf, the railroads will
cobine and establish a rate and maintain
il, which. without water competition, viii
be at least double what it should be
He says: I'VE are now paying on wheat,
from Pratt to Galveston, distance OF
800 miles, % cents per hundred, or a frac-
ton over 10 cents per bushel, from Pratt
to Kansas City. d distance of 30 miles.
we are paying 16 cents per hundred or
something over 91A cents per bushel.
From Pratt 10 Chicago, d distance
of about 500 miles. we are paying . cents
per hundred. or - cents per bushel, and
from Pratt to ST. Louis, a distance of
less than coo miles, we are paying the
same rate as TO Chicago, while if we
ship through 10 New York, a distance
from Pratt Of 1900 miles. we pay some
thing over IS cents per bushel, TO reach
the Atlantic seaboard This takes fully
One-third Of the value of our wheat crop.
The freight rates are quoted from the
center Of Pratt county, Kansas, as it is
about the center of the wheat growing
area tributary to- and gives a fair aver
age on grain freights covering the en-
time length of the canal.
If we had a canal to the Gulf we could
deliver our wheat to the southern sea-
board for less than cents per bushel
and adding 3 cents to equalize ocean
freights to the European markets with
New York, we could save Is cents per
bushel on all our wheat raised in this
section of the country, which would mean
q saving to Pratt county alone with such
a crop as we have had in the past year,
Of something lige $400,Oo.O0 and on the
l25, 900 600 bushels of wheat raised in the
territory convenient TO shipment to the
Gulf by this canal (Which represents
about one-fifth of the entire wheat crop
produced annually in the United States
would mean a saving on wheat alone of
something lige S20,0000J0 yearly to the
grain growers of the states through which
the canal would pass and on other pro-
ducts of different kinds many millions
more This would add materially to the
wealth of the district"and stimulate an
increased acreage.
LAS to the cost of constructing this
can not be accurately estimated until
survey is made giving the exact mileage
and the amount of earth to be removed
including masonry. etc. However, with
modern appliances for canal building the
work can be done through this prairie
country at very small cost as compared
to the old manner of constructing can
ais, especially through Il country where
the earths surface is rough and billy
and obstructed with rock and timber.
Therefore it seems reasonable to antict-
pate that the cost of building the canal
would be small compared to the benefits
TO be derived from it.
The data of levels show the altitude
of the country through which the canal
could pass has been furnished by the
George f. Cram map publishers and
there can be no question but what the
canal could be constructed on a water
level from Pierre. South Dakota, to the
Gulf of Mexico, somewhere near the line
as shown on he map. The map people
also suggest that a branch canal could
be maintained by a system OF reservoirs
beginning at the junction of the North
Platte rivers in Nebraska. which has an
elevation of $500 feet passing southeast
through the counties of Norton. Graham. |
Rocks. Ellis, Rush. Barton, Stafford and !
Pratt. intersecting the main canal IN Har- /
Der county as shown by the map. this, |
with the main canal. would practically !