Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-10-03

only three hfths Of a mill, that Ia three
aftieths Of cent per ton per mile where
"a about the best the railroads can do 10
two mills or one-ffth of q cent per mile
1t Is predicted that with a deeper chan
mel 1t will be possible to move a ton OF
freight a mile on the Ohio or Mississippi
Rivers at the incredibly low charge OF
one-twenty-ffth of a cent.
President Roosevelt makes bis present
trip on a typical American river steamer
"a representative OF a novel class of
craft that are likely to remain in service
In considerable numbers on the Mississippi
and It's tributaries even though the chan
mel may be greatly deepened as years go
by. 1t Is not too much to say that the
steamers of the American inland rivers
are peculiar and unique. Tney are of a
standard design made necessary by the
exigencies of the service In which they
are engaged, for they are continually
encountering shifting bottoms, snags and
shoals and must COZ sequently be of the
lightest draught Some of the more mod
ern packets are side-wheelers but a goodly
proportion of the steamer on the rivers
have the old familiar stern wheel. set SO
high that as Its broad paddle blades
strike the wster they do not sink to any
great distance below the surface and are
thus not endangered by snags or other
distractions.
In the earlier days when the river
steamers were exclusively of wooden con-
struction, strength was often sacrinced
to secure liRhtness Of draught but OF
late years steel bulls have made their sp-
pearance on the rivers and the result has
been to secure stability to surprising
degree In a type OF steamer that de-
spite her length of perhaps 2oo feet
will float In water little more than three
feet deep. Such a boat as has been
described will carry four thousand baIes
of cotton and will travel one thousand
miles each week, incidentally making not
less than $50 landings each week In tax
ing on and discharging her cargo. BY
means of a landing stage or suspended
gangpIank such q vessel can discharge
passengers and freight even when the
depth of water will not permit her to
approach close to shore and 1t Is seldom
that the operations of such craft are in
terfered with even In the low-water sea
son.
An important and spectacular feature
of the commerce OF our inland water
ways Is found in the coal traffic. The
In the upper reaches of the Ohio River
and traverse this stream to Cairo, ILL.,,
and thence down the Mississippi 10 New
Orleans and other Southern ports 1t is
primarily In behalf of this tran1c that the
business interests of Pittsburg are so
earnest in advocating, IS a part Of the
general improvement scheme. the CANAL
cation Of the Ohio River and the estab-
lishment of a nine-foot stage of water in
the river. Under present conditions the
rivers are navigable to this great traffic
little more than one-haf the year and
vast fleets Of boats representing an In
vestmenc of millions of dollars can fire.
quently be seen tied to the banks for IN
tervdls of days or weeks waiting for a
heavy rainfall or a spring freshet to raise
t!,e water so that they can proceed to
gaaH 9FEsRzMAszs
It ss no ca%eA szAzaae - ssy mat IN this
river traffic acres Of coal are shipped In
single fleet 1t Is nothing unusual TO
see fifty or more coal boats or barges in
q single tow and this cargo of perhaps
one and one-half million bushels OF coal
may be spread over an area Of more than
Ave acres a single steamer with en-
gines OF say 1850 horse power will move