The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-07-20

| WASHINGTON, July ls,---Ships O
2,500 tons burden In the near futm,
will be enabled to load cotton. sugar
lumber and other supplies at New Or
leans, steam up the Mississippi aud
Ohio rivers TO the Great Lakes, and re-
turn laden with wheat and ORE and
coal, This was made possible this week
when the national government issued
n charter to the Lake Erie and Ohio
River Ship Canal company The com.
lpany II to build the canal by private
contract. but the operation OF the water
way viii he under certain federal super
vi.ion
The ship channel, as its name mdi.
Gates, Is to connect Lake Erie with The
Ohio River Its northern terminus,
unless plans are modified OF changed, Ia
TO be at Geneva -on,the. Lake, soms sew
On miles west oi Ashtahnla, o. II will
euter the Ohio river BY utilizing the
Mahouing and Beaver rivers,
The distance covered by the canal Is
l0a miles. Tho channel win be loo
feet wide and II will have depth all
the way o. Il feet II Is estimated
that once completed. the canal will have
capacity Of 30,0000O0 tons OF freight
annually. The cost win approximate
$50 00O.O00, but ii tho earnings OF for
eign canals furnish any ctiterlnr Il will
prove highly rcmuncratiye investment,
besides being boon TO shippers and a
wonderful upbuilder Of the territory II
traverses
The saving this channel viii effect 10
shippers viii he enormous. On an ay-
eragd the cost OF waterway transporta
tion Is one-sixth that by rail Al the
last national convention Of the National
Rivers 4 Itarbors Congress, It's pres!-
dent, Congressman Ranlsdell Of lonisi.
ana. advanced some figures that showed
clearly what waterway development
meant, not only to the shippers but to
the consumet, who in the last annls sis
i, the one who feels the weight OF heavy
transportation tolls in the advanced cost
OF the necessaries Of life, MIR Rams,
dell, in comparing rates, pointed to the
fact that the average railroad charge Il
rs mills per ton per mile. and said;
There is an immense commerce on the
Ohio River, aud there the freight charge
Is .7G Of one mill per ton per mile. The
tremendous commerce on the lower Ohio
and the Mississippi between Louisville
and New Orleans is carried at a reight
charge OF 81 OF one mill per ton-ess
than eleventh OF the railroad charge.
There is splendid commerce on the
Monongahela river, and there tile freight
charge j. less than one eleventh OF the
railroad charge
What would it amount to ii IN one
year we could carry all our freight by
water? Last year the commerce of
this county, which moved by rail, was
l,3O9,O0O.OOO tons II it could have
been carried by water the saving there
on would have been in one year $780,
O00,000 These figures are 50 vast that
know they stagger cleduIity, but they
Are absolutely true and | DEFY any man
to contradict them.
The Lake Erie and Ohio River canal
will increase the business that now is
teeming on the Great Lakes and the riy-
er5 OF the Ohio, Missouri and Mississippi
valleys IIeretorfore they have had no
connection, one with the other, but wien
lj1Fed, the volume of the countrys in
ternl commerce II certain to make
some reasonable gains.
The National Rivers & IIarbors Con-
gress in interested in the project, but
only for the reason that it shows the
gradual growth Of the sentiment in
favor of return to waterway transpor-
tation The organization Is nc. pIedg,
ed to any individual scheme Of improve
ment, but is confirming It's activities to
arousing the American people and Con-
gress to the necessity for expending not
less than $5O,OOOO0O annually on this
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