The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-05-14

/ speaking OF iron ana coal. fhelf sup
Ipy aud. consumption Andrew Carnegie
/ gave estimates of supply aud SON
1 sumption since the development Of
these deposits was began OF iron
aud its consumption he said in par;
When the Republic was started in
l77G little iron was used Each fam.
ilv was content with q few scurs
pounds i'll the form of implements
utensils, and weapons so that th,
average annual consumption was bul
q few pounds per capita. In 1906
alone the production oliron ore in the
| United States was 53,000.o00 tons, ot
more than 1900 pounds for each>man.
woman and child of our SS.000o0
population. Aud the production is
ksleadiIy increasing
The latest trustworthy estimates OF
lour present stock Of iron ore are: fot
the Lake Superior district, about /,
800 o00,n0D tons; for the Southern d,s
trict dncludiug Alabama. Georgia
Tennessee and Virginia. about :
500000,0 900 tons; and for the rest "a
the United States 5000 5GO,o00 to :
0eo,000 900 tons-making an aggregats
of about 10000. 100000 tons.
Now we have just begun to take
stock Of our national patrimony; and
it is with the deepest sense OF respon
sibility imposed on me by the invita-
ton to this meeting to the nation and
to coming generations of all time. that
speak as one of the junior sole
itors. In my opionion we should
watch closely all the assets and be
gin both to save and to use them more
wisely.
Let us begin with IRON We must IN |
all possible ways lessen the demands |
upon il, Tor it is with iron ore We are
least adequately provided One of tn, |
chief uses of this metal is connected |
with transportation mainly by rail |
Moving l,000 tons OF heavy freight by |
rail requires an S0-tun locomotive and |
twenty-five 20-ton steel cars teach OF |
lotion capacity of $50 tons of iron |
and steel with an average of say ten |
miles of double track with go |
pound rails). or 81 tons additional: |
SO that including switches, frogs fish |
plates. spikes aud other incidentals |
the carriage requires the use of an
equal weight of metal The same
freight may be moved by water by
means Of 100 to go tons Of metal. SO
hat the substitution OF WITHDRAWING
for rail-carriase would reduce the con
of iron by thrcc-fourths to
3eyeneighths in this department. Att
he same time the consumption of coal
for motive power would be reduced
80 per cent to - percent with a CORE !
spending reduction in the coal requir.
ad for smelling No single step open
to Us today would do more 20 check
the drain on iron and coal than the
OF watercarriage for rail
carriage wherever practicable. and the
careful adjustment of the one TO the
other throughout the country.
In conclusion. Mr. President andI
Governors OF cur States. it seems TO
me our duty is:
First con servatnon of forests. for
20 forests no long nayigable rivers:
40 rivers, no cheap transportation.
Second. TO systematic our wateri
putting the whole
work in the hands of the Reclamation
Service which has already proved il
self highly capable by its admirabl,
work. Cheap water transportation for
heavy freishts bring many advant
ages and means great saving of our
)re supplies. Railroads require much
steel. water does not.
Third. conservation of soil. More
Than a Thousand millions Of tons oil
our richest soil are swept into the
sea every year clOgging the rivers on
It's way and filling our harbors. Less
soil. less crops. less crops. less cum
mercc, less wealth.