The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1907-08-24
RIVER TRADE REVIVAL
Prospects of a Revival of the Pres
- tine River Business

c,tTes, or even between Mmpllis and
New Orleans where the water is deep
enough for Almost any craft except
the great ocean steamers. there Is no
such falling off in t-iffic on the Ohio
river.
SO Important is the Ohio as cham
mel OF commerce that in the year
1906 the traffic carried on it amounted
20 II,4z6,784 tons. These figures
take account only OF the business
by regular lines, w.:lile il is claimed
that. counting the trade on its tribu-
taries, the 'fsytal traffic will be not less
than twenty million tors The great
manufacturing city OF Pittsbure
stands atrthe head or the Ohio s;'ti
furnishes large portion OF the
freight that Is carried on its waters.
while the immense coal mining oper
sations upon its upper tributaries and
its lower reach make great use OF It's
waters for transportation.
The chamber OF commerce Of Pitts
burg, representing more than
'stitos.sal nd II CTS manufacturers and
merchants has Issued a memorial to
the United States authorities asking
such improvements by the govern
,nlent of the channel OF THE river a.
will secure a navigable waterway With
f5w water depth OF nine feet With
ether things the n enTorial SETS forth
the following
"Althmeh the Ohio river has GER
tain .IrrprovemeBts made by the Gov
efhfnent al its Head and also at few
gpoints along. its course where navi-
cation is especially difficult and
!, dangerous. yet insofar as the heavy
through traffic. which can only be
! carried on at certain food stages, Is
oneernad, II is with these excep-
tons in its primitive and natural CON
: diton
at is entirely safe to assume that
within short time after a perma-
nent nine-foot stage was provided II
the Ohio from its head to its mouth
the present tanhage would be treb1ed
or quadruplei.
That this result will be surely
achieved Will be evident from the
faet that vagatioh Is now possible
from Pittsburg on an average OF only
about seventy-rine days III each year
for crafts of heavy draft, while with
the proposed Improvement it would
ibe caFrisd on for an average or 800
days. Not only the increased period
of operation, but the greater certain
Sty would vastly promote shipments
! on the river
cone Of the largest coal companies
in the world, whose mining proper
ties are situated in this district. re-
ports that it has been impossible
to secure more than 70 per cent of
the cars needed to accommodate the
capacity of its mines now opened.
> As ga -result-.its output has been cur
s tailed 80 per cent, while the opening
OF new mines has been prevented
'FThe proposed Improvement OF the
ssGhio TO CAIRO and its connection
WITH The great lakes would result III
other industries Of the Pittsburg dis
trict aud other sections connected by
! tifis waterway. the growth of which
4 has been similarly hampered by the
9 Task Ct proper transportation IA
I eilities
! "The expenditure Of about $4,000 :
+ COO within the next few years for the
4 deepening of the Ohio would speedi-
I ly yield return Of many fold that
anount TO the people of the nation
7 every Sore Of whom x ould be benc-
fitted iby the Increased prosperity
2 and tic decreased cost of cCnmodl-
ties that would follow from the i'm
/ provehneat ard chez ening of trans
: portaaon facilities thereby offered
The mention of a canal to connect
! the Ohio river at Marietta. O.. wifi
! Lake erie. at Cleveland is intended
4, to breag iron ore through by water
!. from the Lake Superior mines whei e
it is Dig out, 70 Pittsburg wh,re it Is
: manufactured The cheap trarsnor-
d tations (which a waterway affords
bis NECESSARY to heavy and crude
i freights ike iron ore and coal and
! tate ability to bring ore through the
8 lakes and into the Ohio river end
! thence through hat river up to Pitts
Burg. where the coal IS mined. will
i give an enormous advantage to the
i tnanuf nctuyers Of that city and it
q demonstrates the enterprise OF the
Pittsbrre psople@
8 The abandonment of the Missis-
4 sippi river commerce makes loud
& seeusation against the lack of en-
= eerprIsc OF she cities and people
4 NongE its shores. They have DC
4 serted the river and put themse1vs
: wholly in the hands of the railroads.
About. the only freight shat comes to
! rs nlNew Orleans down the river is
Goal, which is shipped all the way
I from Pittsburg and although there IS
| still a loud outcry for the deepening
tcf the Mississippi there is no assuf-
anee chat it toni BE used below ST.
/ Louis any more than at present.
4 Forturatety the enterprising peo-
sple Of ,tChieago are most actively
urging the opening of a waterway
+ with "a depth of fourteen feet from
& Chicago to the Gull. IT they can SEE
h cure lliis-and il will be cold day
81 whenS Chioaao fails in any great I'M
b Nertakirg -the great river will be re-
s deemEJ frz n its condition Of de-
Suetuae. and abandonment. and it will
= beoerhe, again as il once was great
Shighway OF commerce
gs That Chicago will succeed where
ssso mary others haze failed. may be
xpceep.ed as something wholly rcfi-
y sabfe sand i gives ground for strong
r hope for the revivifcation of the
Il river trade. which is now an tncon-
Eidered item in the commerce of the
Mississippi Valley.
SOUTHERN GOVERNORS.
".