The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-02-01

OF THE RIVERS
PERMANENT CHANNEL IN UP
PER MISSISSIPPI ASSURED
BY GOVERNMENT PLANS
Stretch of River Between Cairo and
ST. Louis Long Neglected
Now Demands Attention
From Congress.
tst. Louis Globe-Democrat)

Some interesting addresses were
made al the recent sixth annual con
vention Of the Upper Mississippi
River Improvement association held
az Moline What was said strikingTy
shows the progress OF the waterways
movement The systematic improve
ment of the upper Mississippi, pc
tween St Louis and the head Of navi-
CATION. Is no longer an indefinite pro.
! iect seeking to attract the attention
81 the government. 4 6-foot channel
has been approved by government
engineers and recognized by congress
The estimated cost OF s20,000,000 IL
regarded by the Rivers and Harbors
committee as satisfactory, and in the
last appropriation s2000,000 is in
Guided for the upper Mississippi TO
be expended at the rate OF 5000 a
year. No doubt the work with all
vantage could proceed more rapidly,
and this point will be urged upon
congress Several congressman were
the participation OF DR.. W. J. MCGEE
the secretary Of the new Inland
Waterways Commission, was re-
hinder of how much the waterways
idea has advanced within the last
year A permanent depth OF feet
I'll low water In the upper river is as
sured. and the meeting has good rea-
sons for general congratulation.
The stretch Of river between ST.
Loris ana Cairo has not Jared so well
Is congress ar the Rivers and Har-
boris committee, but the speeches in
dieated that the Improvement of the
whole river Ii necessity, and that
fhe betterment of the upper reaches
will inevitably lead TO the improve
ment OF the channel below Congress.
man Lorimer dwelt upon this part Of
The subject with a clear grasp OF the
certain coming policy The people of
Chicago have built ship channel
forty miles long at cost OF $4,000
zoo. II n, IN all probability, to be
extended thirty miles more by $50.
9n00n0 bond issue by the state Of
Illinois, which will more than get the
money hack BY leasing the water
power created. The upper Missis-
sippi will be deepeaed to 6 feet. Mr.
I.orimer dwelt on the fact that the
impeachment of a 4-foot channel be-
tween St. Louis and Cairo IS equally
an obstacle to the upper and deeper
channels Tney are bound to force
their way to the sea. The last session
of congress did nothing for the st
Louis-Cairo section or the river ex.
cept TO appropriate $4,000 for its
survey Engineers are already famil |
lar with it. It's improvement is a mat
ter OF money No peculiar or serious
difficulty in this part Of the river Is |
known to the engineers.
Taking the present volume of com
merce on the unimproved river as a |
test of what its business may become
Is manifestly absurd The vast con-
merce at the 500 and on the River
Rhine was developed by permanently
deepening the channels Congressman
Lowden referred to a speech on m
ternal Improvements delivered in
by Abraham Lincoln when a
member of the house OF representa-
tives. With his Unborn genius for get
ting at the marrow of a question. Mr..
Lincoln pointed out that commerce
comes by Improving its facilities. lie
illustrated the position Of those who
took the opposite view Of the case
with story of a man who said that l
he would be unable to get on a new
pair of boots until be had worn them |
q day or two In order to stretch them |
Mr.. Lorimer said: The uppermost !
thought IN the mind of every man in |
favor OF getting to the seaboard |
should be to dig a channel from St
Louis TO Cairo, and then you have a
waterway to the gulf. because below
Cairo TO New Orleans 1t is not dif'
cult" The plain common sense Of the
case is manifest.