Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-07-06
A SIX Foot CHANNEL
Result of Government Engin-
GERS Survey of Upper Missis-
sippi, Pleasing
MEANS MUCH TO MINNEAPOLIS
Single Barge. of 1000 Tons Burden,
Could be Floated Up River, Thru
Meeker Island Locks Into Minneap-
oIis-six Foot Channel, Without New
Dams, Declared Feasible.

Chicago, July Six feet Of water
from Minneapolis to New Orleans!
Government engineers, who have
been making survey of the upper
Mississippi, will report that a six-foot
minimum channel is entirely feasible,
according to advices received by A. l..
Croker, the Minneapolis member of
the executive committee of the Up
per Mississippi River Improvement AS
ISOLATION. The survey was secured
thru the efforts Of this association,
which will hold it's next meeting in
Minneapolis in october. and the result
OF it will be immensely pleasing to ali
interested in the Improvement of the
great waterway.
Six-Foot Channel Possible.
"The result of the survey will show
says Mr. Croker, that a six-foot
channel can be maintained without
any additional darns. and at little more
cost than a four-foot channel would re-
quire. The highest hope of river nayi-
gators has been four-foot channel at
low water. Even that would result in
building up an enormous tonnage by
the river.
.+The government engineers now
claim that they can maintain naviga-
ton turnout the river season, even tho
there should be dry year and low
water. This is the fourth year OF high
water. and the engineers now feel Gers
tain that they can furnish channel at
all times that will float the Diamond 10
liners from Minneapolis to st. Louis.
That does not mean that four foot
channel can be always maintained.
There Is much yet to do, and appropri-
atoms are too small to do the work
fast enough. "A four or six-foot chan-
mel Is entirely feasible, however. ac-
cording to the government engineers.
1t can be maintained without new
dams, simply by holding the river in
fixed channel, and so securing out the
desired depth.
A Sample Trip.
THAT means big things for Mime
apolis. A single steamer on the unim-
proved Ohio and on the lower Missls-
sippi, the steamer Sprague, hauled In
one tow 10000 tons of freight, which
would make solid freight train fifteen
miles long. The cost was one-thtrd
of mill a ton mile, less than on any
other waterway In the world. This
cost included the return of the empty
barges. The trip was a profitable one
for the steamer and Darges.
II have these facts on the authority
of Colonel John l.. Vance of Columbus,
Ohio, president Of the Ohio River I'M
provement Association. l am informed
that tug and steel barges are being
built to haul 100000 tons. which would
reduce the cost ton mile. 1 would
call the attention of these figures to
Minneapolis flour exporters.
Applied to Minneapolis.
Bringing the matter right home,
have It on the authority Of Major
Meigs, who for more than twenty years
has been in charge Of the locks and
canal at Keokuk, that with a six-foot
channel single barges Of 1000 tons bur-
den can be f1oated up river and thru
our Meeker island locks into Minneap-
oils. He further says that several such
barges, say five, can be so drawn by
single tug, which means that ten
freight train loads Of 1000 tons each
could be drawn by single tug up
river into Minneapolis. The number
would be larger, of course, for the
trip.
Tonnage is Heavy.
"From what Information have been
able to gather, the upriver traffic would
largely exceed at first the visible down
river business. Captain Isaac Lusk of
the Diamond 10 says the upriver tom
mage would be immense. If tows OF
barges came up loaded, they certainly
would not go back er1pty. They would
make such rates as TO secure full car
goes. The stimulus to trade and manu-
featuring by such reductions would
certainly mean much to the twin cities
and to the northwest No business fac
tor compares with transportation. and
no transportation factor so concerns
the twin cities and the northwest as
the Mississippi river outlet to the OUT
side world Minneapolis has never
concerned herself with the country to
the south.
1.-The men who made this city have
had brief time and full occupation in
exploiting the nearby forests and
wheat fields But the mighty develop
ing northwest bears "A new relation to
the great middle west and Mississippi
valley, and the twin cities are the great
receiving and distributing point be-
tween the two
With six-foot stage of water as
sured in the upper Mississippi, a sim
gle steam tug will be able to deliver ten
train loads. or 10000 tons of freight at
the Minneapolis docks. The cost of
towing would not be more than one
third of mill ton mile. Empty
barges would then be available for
taking -four to New Orleans on return
trips.
Government engineers declare a six
foot channel feasible, without new
dams.
do mn GEE ENGINES WRECKED