The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1907-04-04
WHEN OUR RIVERS ARE CANALIZED.
Arkansas Gazette |

advice from time to time, said in an address
before the Merchants Club at Chicago that
there is a crying need for the construction
of fifteen-foot canal between St. Louis
and New Orleans, and that the need Of this
waterway will increase with time.
The next great step in the work of solving
the transportation problem in the United
States may be the canalization Of the
rivers. This is something in which Europe
is far ahead of our country. Over there
rivers not so big as the Arkansas, in fact,
rivers that you can easily throw stone
across, are important artesies of traffic.
They have been made navigable by being
practically converted into canals. The
river traffic is carried on by means of
steamboats, that tow long strings of model
barges.
If the Arkansas River were canaiizcd
Little Rock would get coal at cheap
price, and vast traffic in coal would be
opened South. Whenever there is tide
in the Ohio great fleets of coal barges
leave Pittsburg for New Orleans. With
canalized rivers the mines Of Arkansas
would have new outlet.
The river Clyde, which was little more
than creek, has been made by the city
of Glasgow to be stream that will float
big ships for many miles from its mouth.
The Chicago River is another creek that
has been canalized into an important
waterway, through which big ships con-
stantly pass. And yet such great rivers
as the Missouri, the Arkansas and the
Mississippi itself, are permitted to run to
the sea without bearing -hundredth
part Of the commerce they should carry.
"One of the three causes assigned by
England for joining the coalation against
France in 1793," says the Kansas City
Star in discussing the possibilities of the
Missouri River, twas the action of France
in opening to free navigation the Scheldt
River in the Low Countries. Twenty two
slater England had completely changed
front and, with other nations participating
in the Congress of Vienna, effected the
free navigation of all the great rivers of
Europe. These historic facts illustrate the
great Importance which has always been
attached to river navigation in the coun-
tries of Europe. The Scheldt River has a
total of 230 miles and, except for that
portion of it which is Influenced by the
sea, it would hardly make respectable
sized tributary of the Missouri River. Yet
dispute about it's use was made pretext
for war which, with slight interval of
peace, covered period Of twenty-five
years. Afterward the assemblage of SOW
ereigns which parceled out Europe follow
ing the ruin of Napoleon counted as one
of it's chief accomplishments the opening
Of the large continental streams to inter-
national commerce. Nor has the interest
in inland water transportation diminished
with the development of railroads and
other land highways. On the contrary, it
has grown steadily, and to-day the rivers
Of Europe are of greater Industrial as we'll
as political Importance than they were in
any period of cruder civilization. 1t needs
no strained special pleading to explain
why the rivers of Europe are kept in proper
condition and why they are used. The
reason is that the people of Europe con-
serve their natural resources while the
people of the United States riot in extrav-
agant waste of theirs. The Missouri River,
If there was any country in Western Europe
big enough to contain half of it, would be
worth millions of dollars year to that
fortunate country. In America it has been
permitted to lie idle, although it could be
and should be as valuable to the people of
the Western States as like water course
might be to the thrifty Frenchmen or Ger
mans. Conditions here are fortunately
changing. The people are awakening to
an appreciation of their free blessings In
the Eastern States the little rivers are re-
ceiving almost as much as the like streams
of the older continent. The wide and more
fruitful acres of the West still appear to
encourage wastefulness, but in lessening
degree. Kansas City has turned its ener-
gies to the river trade. 1t has begun an
enterprise which will eventuate in the most
significant internal improvement since the
first transcontinental railway was COM
pleted."
River traffic is going to revive instead OF
pass away. Some day our rivers will be
canals, and thousands of heavily -freighted
barges will descend the arterial water sys-
tenn OF the country, bearing the products