Bismarck daily tribune., 1908-11-25
70 INT ROVE
BIG b MUDDY
Omaha Newspaper Man Here.
in Behalf Of NaViga-
ton Congress
Making Thorough lnvleE'stiga|-..
tiOR of Benefits Of Inn
proved Waterway
Meeting at Commercial Club l|)
Today to Discuss the i.
Proposition

AIT the Commercial club at one
o'clock this afternoon a very import
ant meeting will be held which should
be attended by members and others
who realize what the improvement OF
the Missouri river for navigation from
the Mississippi to Fort Benton would
mean to this city and all the towns
along the river, nay to the entire
state. 0
Will "A. Campbell of the editorial
staff OF the Omaha Bee, is here in the
interests Of the improvement of this
waterway. having just arrived from
i Montana, where he has made an ex-
haustiVe study Of the benefits that
would be derived from freight rate re-
ductfon through the opening to navi-
cation Of the Big Muddy, and he has
found some astonishing facts in that
connection which he will present to
this meeting. HIS visit to this state
is for a like purpose, and it is to the.
interest OF the people generally to
give all the assistance possible.
What He Represents.
Mr.. Campbell is here as the repre-.
sentative indirectly OF the United
States congress, which made provision
for what might be termed q traffic
survey or the streams in question,
and directly OF the Missouri River
Navigation congress, an organization
OF western business men which last
spring held conventions at Sioux City
and Bismarck, and who are determin-
ed to have the Missouri and Yellow-
STONE improved il each navigable
stream of the country is to be tackled
as a separate enterprise, as was the.
Panama canal for instance. Mr..
Campbell says 1t is probable an ap-
preparation Of about fifty thousand
dollars mile will be asked for.
Work is Outlined. DIS
IA recent Kansas City dispatch, in
commenting ON the great undertaking.
has this to say. Congressman Edgar
G. Ellis, member of the rivers and
harbors committee OF the house, is
making careful preparations for pre-
senting to his committee and the next
session OF congress, Information con-
cering the Missouri river and the ne
Il cessity Of opening It to navigation,
which win undoubtedly secure the
needed appropriations for imme diate
work on the stream, which will make
navigation safe, it already being ad-
d mitted that extensive traffic is entirely
possible. 5s5.5 s#i l35$
Looking to this end a traffic sur
Of the country through which
the river flows, like q great spiral
stairway from the mountains to the
gulf Of Mexico, is to be made. s.
This is the first time such q ssssur-
vey' has ever been made or attempt
ed and credit is due the Missouri Riy-
er Navigation congress, organized In
Sioux City last January and its pres
ident, Congressman Ellis, for the un-
" dertaking which will put the necessity
for opening The river to navigation on
4 stronger ground than has been In
the past.
TO Estimate Traffic.
4 The utility OF such survey may
be seen when it is known what II
comprehends. II Is supposed to crys-
& tallize into a statment to present
to congress an accurate estimate of
the traffic which could be given to the
river II 1t could move safely by water
from point above Red Rock lake,
forty miles west Of the Yellowstone
National park, clear across the state
of Montana, North and South Dakota.
along the river which forms the boun.
sdary between Nebraska and Iowa
I and across the state OF Missouri
where the river is already highway
for commerce.
The survey proposes to show that