Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-11-26

the bridges IN some Stages or the
river. The fact that the boats made
all way landings and were very slow
on their journey initiated against
them, and also the fact that they had
no railway connections, but served
only the river side.
This company has met the difficulty
of shoal water ny designing boats
which will carry freight profitably
on 30 inches and which loaded to
three feet or 40 inches, will carry
heavier burdens then have ever been
carried on the Missouri. These boats
are of steel quarter inch plates, d.
vided into compartments, so that il
they are punctured, very little cargo
will be damaged.
Last year a company was organized
in Kansas City to engage in loca,
trade between St. Louis and Kansas
City. 1t employed old style wooden
beats in the trade. At the end of the
season one of these boats might be
seen with her cabins projecting out
of the water in bend of the river
not far below Kansas City. She had
struck the inevitable snag.
Our company has further reinforced
it's boats to make them snag proof
by covering the fore and aft ends Of
them with very heavy steel oneAhalf
inch plates that are practically arm
or. If one of these boats strikes a
snag, night Or day, the snag will
go into the bottom, not of the boat,
but of the river; and should by any
remote possibility the boat be pune
tured, the water would be admitted
to only one small apartment, not in
terfering with the progress of the
barges One of these compartment
huNs operated an entire summer
with one compartment full of water
and the rest loaded regularly with
freight the business being too brisk
to allow of repairs until the end OF
the season.
These barges are designed for car
rying not only bulky eargoes, such as
coal, wheat, oats, corn, ETC., but for
carrying the highest class of freights;
and they are provided with matches
which are thoroughly weather tight
and will be covered with tarpaulins
in progress. These boats can as
cend the river, bringing in Dakota
markets, COAL cement and better
things, and may even go much of the
season as far as Fort Benton, Mont
the old head of navigation on the
Missouri.
The fleets of the lower river will
be larger, of course, than those EN-.
ployed higher up. Instead of stopping
to unload and holding up all the
freight at each town, barges will be
dropped at the principal cities and
the rest of the feet will proceed with
out delay. The tow boats which pro
pei these barges will have about "a
inch draft, not more than 30 with all
fuel on board, and will be powerful
enough to propel 1900 to 1900 tons
and possibly more, up stream, and
$500 to 5000 tons down stream, OF
actual weight of cargo.
The equipment of these barges for
the Missouri river will represent an
Investment eventually Of probably
$750,000 for the barges and like
amount for the tow boats. Such a
fleet will have a filled capacity OF
about $4,000 tons and will be able to
carry in any given year, a million
tons.
The fleet of freight carrying com,
pany is only one-half of its equipment
The greatest expense of the old lines,
aside from insurance and the loss
from accident, was the carrying of
freight onto and off from the steam.
boats by roustabouts and trucks. The
~ ut
principal city an adequate fire proof
warehouse, built of concrete. with
electrical telpher apparatus for dis
tributing cargo, placing it when de.
sired either in wagons or in freight
cars. In connection with these tel
pliers on the quay for putting freight
in the warehouse, we shall have cleo
trical hosting cranes, each of about
four tons capacity, operating at very
high speed, 40 to 80 lifts an hour,
tor the purpose of takirr all cargo
without manhandling directly cut Of
the hold and lowering it to the tel
pher platform.
The railroads meet an expense of
at least 40 to 10 cents a ton in hand
ling package freight out of a box
odl 1lplo d 1iSlSuI uC.IoI. Oy LueduS
Of these devices which we have here
indicated, this company will be able
to handle the same sort of goods for
not over ten and possibly six cents
per ton. The old packet lines paid
often as high as 81 to So a ton for
this service.
All these things; economy in boats,
prevention of loss, facility of trans.
shipment. enable US to lower rates to
! very low figure. Nevertheless, it
is not our intention to enter a rate
, slashing competition with the rail-
roads. We will establish for high
GLASS freights rate which will be
profitable for Our share Iclders and
at the same time very materially low
er, probably 80 per cent lower than
the rates now charged by the rail-
roads. On bulk cargoes, however,
such as coal and grain, we will con-
slider, not the railroad rate, but the
actual cost of operation and we ought
to, be able to take three. cents a
bushel, or even six to twelve cents,
on all grain coming from Dakota off
the cost of transporting this product
to the seaboard, On coal coming In,
the present rates are about 81 to S.