Willmar tribune., 1907-11-06

sought by the champions Of lake to
gulf waterway. Ever since the COM
pletion of the Chicago drainage cana,
these enthusiasts have dreamed of
chain of inland waterways whereby
freight could be moved by steamer
and without breaking bulk from Buffa-
10, Cleveland and other ports at the
eastern end of the great lakes to New
Orleans and West Indian harbors, and
perhaps to even more distant destina-
tions. The drainage canal would be
connected with the Mississippi
rivers and in one estimate that has
been made the engineers figure that
the expenditure of $27,000,000 would
secure a Uniform 14-foot channel all
the way from the unsalted seas to tide
water. Yet another scheme is that
for a canal, for which a survey has al
ready been made, to connect the up
per Mississippi with Lake Superior.
Whatever be the depth of channel
finally determined upon there is no
doubt that once our inland waterways
are improved we will be treated to
some miraculous performances in the
economical movement of freight. AL
ready commodities are moved on the
interior waterways of America at
lower cost than anywhere else in the
world. Just by way of illustration it
may be pointed out that, handicapped
as our rivermen are at present, they
now move freight on the basis of only
three-fifths of a mill, that is three
fiftieths of cent per ton per mile
whereas about the best the railroads
can do is two mills or one-fifth of a
cent per mile.
In a recent discussion of the COM
mercial possibilities of the lakes-to-
the.gulf deep waterway, Mr.. John l..
Mathews has thrown some interest
ing light on the significance of the
project from commercial standpoint.
THE significance of this plan," Mr..
Mathews points out, 'is at once ap-
parent when we consider the nature
not only of the channels, but of the
cities at their terminal points, and of
the country and carriers tributary to
these points. Thus we have at the
head of each of these grand divisions
one of the great manufacturing and
distributing points of the interior;
and these points, which to-day dom
mate the railway situation, are them.
selves the creation of the river. We
have at the head of the Ohio, Pitts
burg, already the greatest producer in
the world of those goods which are
peculiarly suited to water transporta.
tion, and soon also to be connected
with Lake Erie by a privately owned
channel ~ feet in depth.
AT the head of the lakes to the
gulf channel is Chicago, the greatest
railway center in the world. Here are
gathered not only the manufactures
of the city and it's railway connections,
but of the whole lake region. Here is
the gateway to Canada, to the St.
Lawrence, and eventually to the Hud-
son bay system by the Rainy-Lakes-
Winnipeg route. Here is the great in
terror depot par excellence. At the
head of the upper Mississippi stand
st. Paul and Minneapolis, already the
largest producers of wheat flour in
the world, and shippers Of enormous
quantities both for domestic and for
foreign consumption. But they have
an even greater significance in that
they are the railway centers of Min
nescta, northern Michigan and Wis
consin and the Dakotas, and stand in
position to dominate as receiver and
distributor the new northwest OF
Canada"