Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1908-10-09
OCKERSON DISCUSSES
EUROPEAN METHODS
Tells What Is Being Done With
Waterways by Old Countries
ShOntS Talks About Future
of River and Railway
Transportation.

Chicago, Oct. 9.-Business at the
closing session of the fourth annual
convention of the Lakes-to-Gulf Deep
Waterways association was transacted
today at a rapid rate. All the old
officers, with the exception of d. r
Forgan of Chicago. as member or
the board of governors, were re-elect-
ed. Forgan retired in favor of r. ).
Conway OF Chicago. New Orleans had
no opposition for the next convention
and it will be held at that city.
The speakers of the day were
Theodore p. Shonts of New York and
John A. Ockerson of st. Louis. Shonts
discussed 1.-The Future of Rail and
River transportation" and OckersJn
told What Europe Is Dong With Its
Waterways" Ockerson said:
AS stated by your chairman, 1 had
the honor Of appearing as an official
delegate of the United States at the
Eleventh International Congress OF
Navigation held at St. Petersburg
last June.
The Mississippi river commission
was particularly desirious of ascer-
tanning what was being done in the
way of construction and operation OF
dredging plants Of great capacity
and particular attention was paid te
this subject.
Nature has not done for European
waterways what it has for us and ye
they have been developed and i'm
proved until they have become mos
important factors in economical
transportation.
One waterway visited, has been en-
larged and deepened four times K
keep pace with the increasing de
mands of commerce until now the!
have a depth of twenty-seyen feet.
The Kaiser Wilhelm canal, but {
few years old, has already been fount
inadequate and a project has beel
adopted to dot 2 the width and In
crease the depth to forty feet at
cost of million dollars per mile,
Berlin is ambitious to be a seapor
and a project for maratime cana
from the Baltic sea is under way
Brussels, Client and Bruges are en-
gagged on similar projects.
Russia has an elaborate project /
view for enlarging the waterway froI
the Baltic sea to the Caspian, Pre-
1ect not unlike our own from tn
lakes to the gulf.
Germany, France and Austria al
devoting their energies to the cor
struction of canals and the improve
ment of their streams.
Great Britain has a royal comml
sion appointed for the purpose OF
certaining the feasibility of develol
ing an elaborate system of waterwa,
which will involve an eXpenditu
larger than the total amount expen
ed on our rivers and harbors up
date.
Throughout an extended tour
the Russian waterways from q
Baltic sea to the Volga river. CO.
tinuous stream of traffic was encou
tered. In the river LEX and its co
Meeting canal to Amsterdam, the ira
Gc amounts to over sixty thousai
vessels of all kinds per annum.
In a few hours ride on the Danu
river, over a hundred separate era
were passed.
The Rhine and the Elbe have
large amount of traffic and the POI
of Rotterdam and Hamburg are n
ed with hundreds of river craft c
changing their cargoes for retu
loads from distant ports.
In the face of such facts can
be doubted there is an active dema
for this sort of transportation a
that it meets an actual want.
We are told that the traffic frt
the lakes to the gulf would practlc
ly move In one direction only, a
boats must needs return without
cargo, hence 1t would not become
satisfactory freight carrier. That
also essentially true of railways a
steamships as well. However des
able it might be to move full loads
both directions, the opposite con
ton is almost universal and does
apply with any special force to t
propect.
We are told that the strong c
rent in the Mississippi river is an
stacle which must prove a -ari'
hindrance to upstream traffic 6
practically prevent its developm
in any considerable quantity.
Experience in the past and
practice on other streams shows Z
we have little to fear on this sec
On the Colga river the great bulk
the traffic moves against the c
rent and a very considerable amo
on other European rivers is simila
moved. Some Of the Europ'