The Cairo bulletin., 1907-09-02
STORY IN FIGURES
ON RIVER WORK
ENORMOUS DEVELOPMENT BY
BUILDING OF CANAL ILLUS.
TRATEs EFFECT OF RIVER
IMPROVEMENT.

Washington Sept l.. Figures arr
tearsome things, but at times the,
can be most Interesting Some GOV
eminent statistician with an eye 10
the quaint has evolved a wiert ARA,
based on the amount st freight pass
ing through the 500 canal during
1906. The compilation proves in
most entertaining way the marvellous
growth OF lake traffic, and shows alt
extent 70 which water transportation
has advanced
During the last year enough coal
Was transported north through Tho
Datroit river 10 fiji a train 2.25g miles
in length According to the ststisti
clan, these figures are most conserFa
tive The total tonnage was 1900
GOO ana he based his calculation OH
50-ton cars the largest coat car used
by any railroad VI the ordinary com
mon coal car al smaller design and
capacity hal been utilized the train
might net have found room III the
snited States to operate in. unless /
took the form Of the letter g
Jumping from coal to wheat anil
-four the statisticiaA lets his pencil
iot down set Of remarkable figures
Taking the amount Of grain carried
last season, reducing it to aour and
adding the actual aorr tonnage car
tiei he fiEds that there passed
the canal an aggregate Or
i2aaG6S3 barrels
Going ahead another step IN his
calculations he discovers that this
amount will produce more than 10.
300 00o, 900 loayes, figuring 300 loavA
]f one opund each w the barrel Ting
vast amount of the staff of life"
would feed 2l,46S,341 500 persons for
}ne day, if each consumed "a hall Loaf
Or, since such stupendous hgues-
,tagger the imagination, it woul}
seep 1000. 600 adults alive for a period
II sixty wears
The report 81 the tonnage 81 the
axes II marvellous. as the statistic
ans figures prove And YET when
Senator Horvel, the first United
states Senator from Michigan urged
n Congress In 1913 that a grant OF
lublic land for the building OF this
anal be lnaLa by the federal govern
nent he was laughed to scorn The
brilliant Henry Clay scored at the
reject
The money might as we'll be vast
d for project in the moon, he said
Peculiarly enough this attitude Of
was maintained BIZ the
american people until very recently.
Che National Rivers and Harbofs
congress has labored for six Years I'd
rouse the country from its lethargy
int only short time ago did this
york begin to bear fruit. Now
throughout the entire country pro
ects are under way for the deepen
ne OF navieable streams AMI the |
uilding Of chains of canals to liak
iyers or lakes.
The National River. and Harbors
congress is pledged to no individual |
reject OF improvement 1t stands |
or a broad national policy aud its |
aembers are shippers. business mea |
nd communities all over the coun
~ Its secretary. Captain J r Eli
on. Of Cincinnati, is working like Il |
inn to increase the already great
Membership in order thar the organ
zatcn may staaI before Congress
; the disqualification of the sentiment
( the country and demand that tn
oyernment appropriate not less than /
50.090000 year for this needed /
'oFk Of internal Improvement
In the meantime, the activity of in
ividuals is quickening along these
1ues every day only a short time
go orders were placed with lake
hipyards by the Lackawanna Stee' |
ompany FOR eight vessels three 81
900 tons capacity aud the remand /
r Of 1900 tons each Such fleet /
i'll carry an aggregate OF 64.50O tons
{ reigbt each trip, load that wouIl |
II 600 cars. comprisin. 80 trains.