The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1909-11-01
mo IMMATURE WATERWAY
PLAN CAN Be CONSIDERED
tcontinued From Page ID

fetal treatment as that Of this great
subject. If a fourteenfeet depth is
necessary for the development Of our
commerce. if the results viii be com
mensurate with the cost, if the trafic
will move by water in volume pro
portionate to the outlay. then those
who are competent to demonstrate
should make all this clear to unpre-
JUDGED and capable judgment II
these things are 50, they should be
demonsuable to a reasonable certainty
If a depth of fourteen feet has no ad-
vantage over that Of nine feet. com
.mensurate with the difference in the
cost Of construction and maintenance.
and if this is made reasonably GER
tain, then the people OF the United
States will not undertake such addi-
tional useless work. and an effort to
bring about such legislation will be
waste OF time and merely postpone
securing that which is attainable.
"These questions have been con-
sidered by a board Of engineers Great
ed by authority of congress. Three OF
them are from the army, and two from
civil life. All are experienced in Mis-
sissippi river problems. 1t is said
by experts that it has been demon
strated that coal and iron can be car
ried by vessels with profit, at rate
approximately less than one-tenth Of
the average rate of freight per ton
per mile earned by the railways Of
this country, provided the vessels are
Of large size, there is a great volume Of
traffic, and the waterways have prac-
tically unlimited facilities. Coal is
carried from Pittsburg to New Orleans
by river at less than two dollars per
ton, and sugar has been carried back
at cost of two dollars and thirty
cents per ton as against a rail rate Of
six dollars. II is said that the saving
to the nation by transportation on
the Great Lakes was over one hun
dred millions of dollars for the year
of 1906. The improvements projected
by the New York canals are based on
the expectation of reducing freights
on grain to two-thirds of mill per
ton mile
In considering competition with the
railroads, it must be borne in mind
that it can only be sharply applied as
to freight that originates and ends on
waterways. ANY considerable move
ment to or from the water involves a
serious factor that increases the ex-
pense in proportion to the distance
A fact that must be dealt with Is
that Notwithstanding the increase OF
traffic and improvement of waterways
the total river traffic has steadily de-
creased. and few rivers are now used
to anything like an approximation OF
their capacity.
"The report Of the special board Of
engineers makes prima facie case
against depth of fourteen feet. In
a matter of so much moment, it would
be unwise to either accept or reject
it until it has passed under the most
critical judgment of those competent
to deal with it. The actual prosecu-
ton of work so long maturing to the
point of undertaking can be suspend
ed long enough to ascertain what IS
practically best and demonstrate It
SO that it will carry general cony'c-
ton.
"In determining upon a course OF ac-
tion II is well to consider that much
time may be lost in standing out now
for the deeper channel unles the ar
guments preponderate in its favor, and
also that the work recommended IN
the report is of sufficient magnitude
to absorb all appropriations that may
under the demand in other directions
be made for this particular ilha "a
improvements, and that all OF it is
a necessary preliminary to the con
struction Of deeper waterway If de-
velopments shall show that it is
economically desirable
4 only urge sufficient deliberation
and care. have not sufficiently stud
led the report to justify me in form
ing an opinion, and | must say frank
ly that my training would not make
my opinion of any special value.
Mr.. Dickinson said that whether the
problem be to plan or to execute, the
great value of the services of the
army engineers must be recognized and
that the improvement of rivers and
harbors has been their special pro
vinces.
In paying a tribute to their ability
he mentioned some Of the problems
which they have mastered, and refer
red to the fact that the construction Of
the Panama Canal was intrusted to