Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1907-09-27
INLAND SHIP CANAL.
Advantages Of One From Chicago
to Gulf of Mexico.
ESTIMATED COST s1oo,ooo,ooo
Waterway Congress at kseorsis to
Urge the Project That Would Fur
nish Direct Outlet to the Sea For
Chief Part of the Lake Fleet.

nish Direct Outlet to the Sea For
Chief Part of the Lake Fleet.
The lakes to the gulf deep waterway
convention which is to be held at Mem
phis, Tenn. Oct. and IS for the pur-
pose Of furthering the plan for deep
,ning the Chicago drainage canal, the
Illinois river and the Mississippi river
from the mouth OF the Illinois TO Cairo
to a depth of fourteen feet at low wa
/ ter, thus giving Chicago and st. Louis
deep water route to both the Atlantic
ocean and the gulf Of Mexico, says the
Kansas City Star Congress has al
ready shown itself favorable to the plan
and no doubt will make ain appropria-
ton 10 carry it out. The cost is esti-
mated at S100.OOO.OOO.
While the plan IS proposed primarily
for the benefit Of Chicago and st.
Louis, it will also benefit the whole
Missouri valley. The Missouri valley
has declared itself Gin on the plan,
which means that whenever congress
gives official sanction 10 the deep wa
terway project and provides the money
therefor the Missouri river shall be
counted as part Of it and money pro
vided for a twelve foot channel from
Sioux City to the mouth Of the river.
Such channel would mean depth Of
fourteen feet from Kansas City 10 the
mouth and three routes 10 the sea for
the products of the west.
Before the gridironing Of the west
with railroads and the decline Of nayi-
CATION on the Missouri and Mississippi
rivers a great portion of the grain
and grain products Of the west found
a foreign market through New Or
leans. The extension of the railroads
and the deepening of the 500 canal |
shifted the market to Chicago, which 4
has since held the supremacy as the 4
grain market of America. But Chi /
cago's grain route TO the Atlantic sea- 4
board, the great lakes. is closed five /
months in the year. This means that
the huge grain fleet lies idle practically /
from Nov. to April 1. Also. because
of the shallowness of the Erie canal.
which has only six foot depth. the
grain must be transferred TO canal
boats at Buffalo and from them trans
ferred to the ocean going ships at New
York. Such handling adds to the cost
Of marketing the grain. Further. a
view of the situation led
the people of New York to halt the
of the Erie canal TO a
depth of twelve feet. too shallow to
carry the vast majority of the vessels
the lake fleet. keeping them
penned up on the lakes
On the other hand, the Mississippi
route would be closed not more than
-wo months in the year 1t would be
direct outlet TO the sea for the great
,st part of the lake fleet Thus a YES
;el could be loaded with grain at
chicago in November and carry it di-
ect to Liverpool or any other port in
he world. returning in the spring TO
center the lake trade for the season
1t. Louis. too. would become a seaport.
S would all other towns on the lower
Kansas City and other Missouri {
liver towns. with the Missouri river |
would be placed on the same {
ooting. and products of the west load ,
d at Kansas City wharfs could be s
arried TO any port of the world with
ut transfer from one vessel to an G
Their This would mean freight e
ate so low that the railroads could c
OF compete with it on some commodi- i
es. O
1t would mean also lower railroad /
,eight rates. and it would increase + {
lie value of every acre Of land west 5
{ the Missouri river 1t would mean. c
n instance. a saving on wheat alone
from SO to $50 per capita for every d
AN. woman and child in the Seventh n
strict of Kansas. the banner wheat +
,etion of that state. 1t would save n
lat much in lowered freight rates if II
1t one pound of wheat raised in that Il
strict went down the Missouri river. \
he price of wheat IS fixed in Liver I:
,ol, and the price of wheat all over
e world is the Liverpool price less
e cost of transportation