The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1908-10-06
BIG WATERWAYS CONVENTION
Will OPEN TOMORROW MORNING
WITH TWO BILLS OF FAME THERE

an, therefore, will sit at the right
hand of President Hall and the Ne
braskan at the left.
In addition to the rival candidates
for the presidency, many other famous
men will gather at the banquet. Par
! ticular interest attaches to the speech
to be delivered by WI Ting Fang, the
Chinese minister. When he was invit-
ed to deliver an address here by
Henry T. Rainey, the Illinois congress
man, Mr.. WI, the human interroga-
ton point" inquired:
Does river transportation make bet
ter freight 'service?"
ut certainly does" replied Mr.. Rain
ey and he REINFORCED his statement
by quoting James ]. Hill.
well, if that is generally recogniz-
ed why are not the waterways i'm
proved so that they will carry the
frieght?" asked Mr.. WI.
1--WE want you to come to the Chica-
go convention and ask that question"
said Mr.. Rainey. "Of course the neces-
sity is obvious, but we want you to
tell the delegates how the situation
impresses you"
Mr.. WI has been studying the whole
question of river transportation in the
United States from the time that
! George Washington wrote to Thomas
Jefferson suggesting inland canals,
down to the reports on the deep water
way which have been made from time
to time by such distinguished engi-
neers as Lyman E. Cooley, Ishman
Randolph and John A. Ockerson, and
will give his final answer to Mr.. Rain
ey at the convention. 1t is believed
that Mr.. WI will make a very inter-
esting address and will say some
things that will make Americans
ashamed of themselves.
The primary object of the Water
ways Congress is to interest the gov
eminent in a general plan for deepen
ing the channels of the Mississippi,
Missouri, Ohio and other rivers and the
construction of canals which will give
direct water transportation line from
the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.
Much has already been accomplished
| by the congress toward these projects
and it is believed to be only matter
of few years until a great chain of
adequate waterways will link the Mis-
sissippi Valley.
| According to census returns 21,000,-
900 tons of freight were moved on
rivers of the Mississippi valley in 1906,
$4,000, 900 tons in 1889 and 100000
tons in 1880. The growth of barge
traffic and its application to the coal
and lumber trade caused the large in
crease of river tonnage in 1889 as CON-
pared with 1880, and the continued use
of this means of transportation pre-
vented the tonnage of 1906 from show
ing much decline under the census fig
ures of 1889. In regard to the freight
carried by steamboats, in the valley
there has been a marked decline
| These vessels carried 100000 tons in
1889 while in 1906 they carried less
than one-third as much.
According to the census bureau the
number of steamboats, on these rivers
was about the same in 1899 as in 1889;
in 1906 the number had increased
more than % per cent. over 1889. But
according to census returns, the aver
age steamboats, in 1906 measured near
ly so tons less than in 1889 and was
about one-third as large as in 1880; the
average gross tonnage in 1880 was 21O;
in 1889 1S9 tons, and in 1906 it was
40 tons. Reports of the United States
commissioner of navigation show that
on rivers of the Mississippi valley in
1876 there were about 176 steamboats,
Of mana tbon E0O orocs tone oacb in