The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-10-29
Recent Trip of the BattIeship
Mississippi Emphasized the
Necessity of Improving the
Father Of Waters.
PART OF CHANNEL is
ALREADY COMPLETED
Session to Be Held in New Or
leans Is the Fourth Annual
Convention of the Deep
Waterways Association.
(American News Service)

s1~. ''~~|
New Orleans. La, Oct. 29.-When
the United States battleship Missis-
sippi made it's recent trip up the
Mississippi river to Natchez, 1t laid
emphasis upon the propositions that
are to be advanced at the Lakes-to-
the-Gulf Deep Waterway convention,
for which President Taft and big
company of lawmakers and other no
tables gather here tomorrow.
Five hundred million dollars Is the
amount estimated to be required to
make fourteen-foot channel from
Chicago to New Orleans. A sum
somewhat less than this, but stagger-
ing in amount, is wanted for the nine
foot channel which would serve pur-
poses of ordinary commerce. At pres
ent the channel depth varies from 100
feet to five. and, in times of low wat
er, the river is often impossible. in
places, for boats of even the lightest
draft.
Chicago to Joliet.
From Chicago to Joliet the channel
is actually completed From Chicago
to st. Louis the route was surveyed
in 1904, by federal engineers acting
under orders from congress, and de-
clared feasible. From st. Louis to
New Orleans a similar survey and
report was made in 1908.
Three-fourths of the states of the
union would be served by this chan.
mel, it Is claimed.
1t has been hoped that the S5-foot
channel at Southwest pass would be
ready for the convention, but the date
of opening this new mouth of the
Mississippi is still some months away.
It will afford safe ingress to even the
largest ocean steamships, without the
tortuous winding and danger Of sand
bars that characterize the mouth at
present in use-the South pass. This
pass has depth of from 25 to % feet.
Spend Six Millions.
The initial depth of the Southwest
pass will be but 20 feet. Since it was
surveyed. in 1898, the government has
spent six millions thereon.
Col. Lansing Beach. the govern
ment engineer in charge of the con-
struction work here. estimates that
the channel will be opened by the end
of the year. He now has in charge
the construction of a monster dredge,
costing $75o.000. and the largest in
the world. for use in clearing the
channel.
The Mississippi entered the Olannel
with draft of about 90 feet The
run to Natchez was made easily and
at good speed. and constituted tri-
umph for the river advocates.
The session here is the fourth an
nual convention of the Lakes-to-t the
Gulf Deep Waterways association. At
the 1907 convention, President Roose-
welt declared to the seventeen gov
ernors who accompanied him that the
United States should build this water
way by issuing bonds. is necessary.
At the 1908 convention. in Chicago,
President Taft gave warm endorse
ment to the project,
Tire Waterway Work.
The deep waterway work is in this
condition. The sanitary district of
Chicago has built the waterway to
Joliet, forty miles. at cost Of sixty
millions. The route through the Des
PLANES. the Illinois and the Missis-
sippi has been surveyed; Illinois has
adopted constitutional amendment
providing an issue of twenty millions
to extend the channel southwark from
Joliet: bill providing bond issue
of five hundred millions. by Congress
man Rartholdt. is pending in con-
gress: the sixty-first congress will be
asked to pass bill providing funds.
and undertaking, on behalf of the
government. the completion of the riv-
Or channel from the peint where the