The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-08-05
A WORD FOR
INLAND WATERWAYS
a Narrow View Taken by the
War Department Engi-
neers.
M IN THE LEAD
Authorities Say No River Would Stand
the Test by Which the Lakes.
to-Gulf Project Was
Measured.

Measured.
Regular Correspondence Of the Boston
Transcript.
The recent report of the war depart
ment engineers holding that the lake
~to-the-gulf waterway project is feas-
1ble, but refraining from endorsing the
proposed Improvement on the ground
that it Is not warranted by present cr
prospective on the Missis-
sippi river is likely to be sharply at
lacked both outside the congress and
within the legislative body. The point
is being made that II h development
of the inland waterways Of the coun-
try, and later, the construction of arti-
fetal waterways, are to depend on the
view taken by the engineers in this re-
port. the general movement for the
development OF an inland waterways
system must fall.
Competent authorities assert that
there is not a river in the United States
that would stand the test by which
h lakes-to-the-gulf project would
present commerce would warrant the
expenditure of q large sum of money
IN improving it, Inc there is not a
stream whose prospective mnerce
considered alone, would warrant such
an outlay as would be necessary to
"a SAA A1Ao AANhy " ISc.
The army engineers, critics assert,
have failed to talk into consideration
the fact that no river is likely to at
tract a great deal of until
the streams tributary to it have been
improved, N possibly not until lateral
canals nave been constructed. 1t is
pointed out that the that
once existed on the Mississippi river
has been driven off that stream by the
railroads.. which have paralleled the
river with tracks and have obtained
such complete control of the situation
In general that they are able to con-
troll river rates.
Waterways Versus Railroads.
4 AT the proper time the organizations
That are behind the lakes-to-the-gulf
project hope to show that il that
waterway We're built, and later the
tributaries to the Mississippi river
were improved, and the federal gov
eminent by proper legislation pro
tected water rates from railroad rates,
the Of the Central West
would turn to h waterways in enor-
nous volume. The criticisms on which
project and other proposed improve
ments nave been turned down are the
Eame-that the adverse recommended
ton is based solely on the answer to
the question. Would the Investment
pay in dollars and cents as soon as
NS ~dS SOlllplclSu {? Inc
engineers, 1t is asserted, should have
taken a broader view; they should have
considered the improvement Of the
Mississippi as a part only Of q great
syst 7 OF inland waterways, each sec
and industrially on the whole.
WeIIiver on German Canals.
Germany, 1t is pointed out, lie not.
in laying the foundation for a great
system of inland waterways, ask
whether there was commerce enough.
present or prospective, on a single
stream, to warrant it being improved.
The river system Of the country was
considered as a whole. j. c. welliver,
formerly of Iowa, who went abroad Is
months ago., commissioned by the de-
partment of and labor to
study the transportation systems Of the
countries OF Europe, has recently made
a report on the German waterways
system in which he tells some inter-
esting things.
THE German canal system" Mr..
Welliver says, lis based on utilization
of the great rivers, their Improvement
and connection by a system of canals. |
The greatest Of German rivers, the
Rhine, has its mouth in Dutch terri
tory, but this does not prevent the 1
Germans from making the most of its |
splendid a~daptability to navigation,
though not so great as the Rhine or
@AS A1loSS AGt OCCA 1lluuC ndVyRADIe |
throughout most Of its length. The
Elbe and Oder. still farther east, have
been developed by expenditure of Inn
mense sums and now carry q tonnage
which is not only tremendous but conf
etantly increasing. Still farther east is
most OF whose length is in Poland, but
whose most useful reach for navigation
ts h lower $50 miles in Prussia.
I'm general these streams flow north |
the Rhine, Weser and Elbe into the
North Sea. the Oder and vistula into
h Baltic.
The Rhine being of such Importance
TO German interests, it was early de-
sired to secure a connection within
German territory by which to reach the
Rhine from a German port. Accord
projected, connecting with the Rhine
not far from the Dutch border and fol-
lowing a northwesterly course. reach |
ing the North Sea at Emden. The con-
nection of this canal with the Rhine |
will make 1t possible to bring traffic
into Germany without passing trough
foreign territory, and to carry it up to
n great industrial regions Of which
the hin Is the artery. This canal.
being built for use in connection with
h Rhine, is deep and wide enough to
take oarges Of about eight feet draft.
Bevern, half way between the
Dortmund-Em canal, starts the con.
Meeting waterway. It runs almost due
east to Hanover, m thence to Berlin.
It connects the navigable waters Of the
through the Dortmund-Ems
canal. the Weser, the Havel, the Spree,
the Oder, the Warthe, and family the
Vistula. In part this great east and
west water course is composed Of
upon which great amounts
been spent, and in parts of canals
linking the streams. Altogether this
inland trunk line is to be about 500
miles long when completed. It inter-
scots almost all the great navigable
of Germany and is the center
OF h system OF waterways. Physical
have made 1t impossible to
secure uniformity throughout this
treat distance. Nevertheless. the aim
has been constantly t o approach this
Put Her Famous Foot Down.
"A story from the West about the
on ~ \ p lost -v~1N~ rl-...-