Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1909-07-01
NAVIGATING THE RIVERS.

NAVIGATING THE RIVERS.
Taken as whole the report of the
government engineers opposing the
construction Of a fourteen foot water
way between the lake and the gun
should not be disappointing to the
advocates of the river Improvement
plans Briefly stated the reason given
BY the engineers for opposing the
Keeper channel, is that 1T would be
better to assure a moderate depth
pyer all the mileage of great system
pf waterways than to invest vast
sum in getting great depth through
single channel.
1t would cost $126,o 100000 to build
The fourteen foot channel, the engl-
neers declare, and $6,000,000 a year to
maintain it. For much less sum 1t is
believed it would be possible to pro-
vide eight feet of water from the lakes
10 the gulf up the Missouri, Ohio, Ten
nessee, Red, White, Arkansas and
pther streams. One of the Washing
ton correspondents says Of this phase
Of the question:
s'The argument in favor of mod
erate depth and more extensive
system is strictly practical. The anal
Dgy of the modern railroad system is
used. There was time when rail-
roads were not all of the same gauge; !;
some were standard, some broad, some
narrow. The Erie for many years was
wide-gauge road; many of what are
now the great trunk lines of the west
were originally narrow-gauge affairs
with light rails and small cars and
locomotives. The standard gauge was
brought by reason of the great expense
of trans-shipping.
Just as the narrow gauge cars could
not travel over the standard or broad
gauge road, so the shipping built for
fourteen foot waterway would be use
less In an eight foot channel. If eight
feet were provided in the Missouri
from st. Louis to Sioux City, ship.
ment from New Orleans to Sioux City
would have to be handled in a boat OF
must be unloaded at st. Louis and
transferred to the smaller boats ply
ing the Missouri. This would involve
an impossible expense and delay.
"The realization is now being forced
upon students of the problem in this
and other countries, that system,
with something like uniformity, Is
more important than great channel.
A great railroad with six foot guage
on its main line, but four foot guage
on all its feeders, would be as impos-
sible as successful waterway system
with fourteen feet in the great central
channel, and half as much in all the
tributary rivers. In Germany about
one-fourth of the traffic is handled by
Internal waterways, and the tonnage
grows by leaps and bounds, yet the
depths there are much less than could
be secured in thousands of miles of
the mid-western river system of this
country, if uniform plan were
adopted.
"It is now believed that the next
step in the project for internal water
ways will be an investigation to de-
termine at what moderate depth navi.
cation can be secured throughout the
great streams of the Mississippi
system. Then the inquiry will turn to
the expense and practicability of such
system, having in view the improve
ment of the Mississippi and also of
Its great tributaries, so as to stand
erdize them on one basis. This done,
a boat of six, eight or nine feet could
go from any part of the system to any
other part, and the real benefit of
water transportation, which lies in the
long continuous haul, could be de.
rived"
A supplemental report of the engi.
neers deals with the present and pro.
Bpective commerce of the region lying
between Chicago and the gulf. The
conclusions reached in this report will
cause some surprise, for the engi.
neers declare that the past de.
crease In commerce and the present
lack Of increase of commerce On the
waterways is not due to lack of depth
but to other causes. The engineers
assert that the present water condi.
lions Of the Mississippi valley are
many times better than in the days OF
Its greatest commerce; the river from
ST. Paul to deep water above New
Orleans having now navigable depth
nearly twice as great everywhere as
In former days, and its distractions by
snags and wrecks being at present SC
slight as to be rarely mentioned. GAS
matter of fact" the engineers report
In summing up, there are few rivers
any where in Europe that are today in
better condition for navigation than
the Missouri, Mississippi and the Ohio
taken as an entire system
Taken altogether, then, the report
of the engineers would indicate that
there is less need of building chan
T % ~
steamboats,, less need of educating the
people to the Importance of restoring
the river commerce than of educating
the shippers to send their stuff by
water.
A NEW RIVER FREIGHT LINE.