Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-10-15
rour,een Iees through tho valley.


with Lake Michigan at Chicago, fol-
lows the Chicago drainage canal to
Joliet. thence down the Illinois river
10 the Mississippi and by the Missls-
s!ppi to the gulf Fourteen feet
trough the valley" represents depth
1t low water. The project includes
more than the ship canal. 1t also EN-
braces nine feet up the Ohio to Pitts
urg, six feet up the Mississippi 4
Minneapolis and six feet up the Mis-
ourl to Sioux City.
Tom Reed onoe said that "the Mi.
ouri river is not navigable and tn
Mississippi river ought not to be-" bu
was on one of his grouchv day
hen most OF the congressman wer
ling for river and harbor appropri!
MS. The witlicism should now /
vised and made to read. The Miss
pni river is navigablc, and the hiis
ari river ought to be-" When 1t
!ected that the great river and II
1ibutaries can freight from vas
rritory extending from Pittsburg T.
}maha aud from Minneapolis to New
'rleans and that by means OF the
Zip canal and the proposed connec
lon with the Red River of the Nortl,
i could also reach the great lakes re-
ion and the Canadian northwest tbs
Importance of the giant scheme car
3e dimly realized. 1t would exte'
he coast line OF the nation by mutt
lied thousands CT miles would relieve
rop congestions throughout the vas
heat corn ard cattle belt. wou.
0wcr frei@lit rates. would make n cor
inuous ship canal from New York V.
re enlarged Erie canal to Burfnl,
hence through the great lakes to Gil
ago and from there down the Missi
ippi to the gulf. would furnish ne'-
utlet to such important trade center
Chicago. st. Louis. Pittsburg. CT
nnati, Louisville, Sioux City. Oman
nnsas City. Minneapolis. st. Paul M
.e,nphis and would lee boon to til
ar!ners and merchants of the entlr
.erior OF the United States and Can
Ga.
VIII Reduce Freight Rates.
Take the question of freight tariff
alone. Not only the boomers Of tn
deep waterway project, but commercia
bodies in many cities and towns of tn
country. have adopted the motto, "Riv
err regulation Is rate regulation" The
proof OF the statement as it relates t.
the Mississippi valley is furnished by
the report of the chief Of engineers n
few years ago:
"Comparatiye rates between Pitts
burg aud Memphis by rail and river
on soft coal: BY rail, S0T miles, $3.73
per ton; by river, 1.21S miles, az cents
per ton" Figures from this same re.
port show another interesting compari-
son between the rail and river rates
"St. Louis to st. Paul. by rail, 573
miles, erst class. 63 cents per hundred;
sixth, 81 cents; by river, 100 miles, first
class, 40 cents; sixth, IA cents" 1t is
the prediction Of an army engineer for.
merly in charge of river improvements
at Pittsburg that the cost Of coal trans.
portation to New Orleans, 1900 miles
away, at present about IS cents per
ton, including the cost of returning
empties and all incidentals, will be re
duced to 40 cents when nine foo
channel is obtained the year round
This will be about one-fifteenth Of the
cheapest existing rail rate.
OF almost equal importance with
cheaper freight rates is the prompt
moving Of the crops. The increasing
car shortages show the railroads un.
equal to the task. There appears nc
simpler, cheaper and more effectual
method Of meeting the situation than
by the use of the rivers
Here is the real force behind the
ship canal proposition. 1t is business
not sentiment. That is the reason II
will win. Whether 1T is fourteen feet
through the valley" or ten, It will gain
the day at some depth. The chief en-
gineer who reported on the proposition
was inclined to cast doubts on the
fourteen foot thing, in spite of the po
etry put over in it's behalf He thought
less number Of feet might answer
and would not be in the same danger
from the changeable Mississippi cur
rent. This may have been case
where official timidity tried to get III
the way of the American spirit. to be
run over and ground under the wheels
in consequence. The promoters OF tho
enterprise all live along the MISSISSIPPI
pt. have studied the situation and be
lieve that fourteen feet is feasible and
necessary. Certain it is that freight
ers are ever growing In size ard hence
have deeper bottoms. IL this canal /
DESIGNED to carry ocean trade. eve
fourteen feet VIII soon be too ,+halloN
To show bis faith in the project Viii
liam X. Kavanaugh, the president OF
the deep waterway commission, ha>
Incorporated o S10,oo00oO corporation
to navigate tac Mississippi and to pro
mote the ship canal. 1t is this com
mission that has arranged the New
Orleans gathering and will tnke Frcsi
dent Taft down the river IN the st carr
ship Mississippi. always provided tna1
tho 7''-n- '-.'.7