The Washington herald., 1909-01-31

{. ings OF the storm that caused this dam
age were posted by the United States
I Weather Bureau eight hours IN advance
and had the lake vessels been equipped
| with wireless telephone apparatus at the
time every one would have had ample
/ opportunity to have made port OF safe
harbor. AS Il was, they had no warning
OF impending danger
\ Another great peril to lake shipping IS
that OF collision. and conditions IN this
i respect grow worse from day 20 day
Collisions on the Lakes.
During the whole eight months Of the
shipping season each year scarcely day
passes without one OF more collisions.
! These conditions. which. Of course. are
especially acute in tine Of fog. could be
largely obYiated by wireless telephone
communication from ship TO ship. and as
all the dangers which surround the ship
ping interests on the i@kes naturally COM
pei the exaction Of excessive insurance
! rates. this fn turn reacts upon the freight
tariffs. so that the overcoming 7f the
/ periis from storm and collision means
material reduction in cost OF present lake
: transportation. which. in spite Of every
, existing obstacle. Is exceptionally low
, Il Is an admitted fact that the Great
guard against oppressive railroad rates
: They are the regulators Of our great
? commerce. and the traffic on the lakes
e saves TO the people OF the United States
S S5eo. .090 009 annually. or = for every man.
woman. and child OF our population.
Transportation over the lake waters in
: modern steamships costs from ene-fif-
: teenth 10 ore-euarter ef the prevailing
: railroad rates Il costs only 2 cents
; bushel to ship grain from Duluth TO Buff
. falo and only 50 cents 10 carry tcn OF
. ore between these two points This IS
: exactly one-seyenth the cost OF railroad
Transportation for the same commodities
between the same ports.
In passenger rstes nearly Ike differ
snee is shown. During the season Of 1875
s the splendid passenger service Of the
n Great Lakes was used by more than 10
Y co 0oO people. and the ratio OF increase
=. indicates that this total viii Be doubled
. in less than a decade. The railroad fare
between Detroit and Buffalo is s., but by
: steamer one can travel the 300 miles be-
u tween these ports for $50 while one day
le each week a fare Of SIS prevails
IN The future OF the Great Lakes COM
merce Is something so vast that none but
:. the most veHturesome would chance q
4 prophesy. With the great Mississippi
Is system to the southwest. soon 70 be coz
% nected with Lake Michigan by way Of
os the ship canal which Chicago is building
ID into thu Illinois River vessels viii be en-
Of abIed shertIy 10 pass from the Great
IS Lakes down the Mississippi 70 the Gulf
~ To the northwest lies the great wheat
= country Of Central North America, the
is focal point Of which IS the growing city
al OF Winnipeg. located at the junction OF
the Assinfboine, now nsvigated fer %
rr~rf
Il I'd which steamers can 60 TO the Mime
at sota. through the great wheat fields OF
he the United States. thus bringing her
II sphere OF influence south 10 Grand Forks
re and Fargo. in the Dakotas-
is Lake Winnipeg which is as large as
on Lake Erie, now is being connected by
lie locks with the Saskatchewan River sys-
20 TEN, navigabIe for nearly 1.000 miles into
20 the very heart Of the worlds greatest
ed grain fields. Soon this great inland waJel
rs system. eentering IN Winnipeg. vii have
g.. an outlet into Lake Superior by means o
X q canal rpnnIng through the WinniPes
OF River. already navigable for go miles
Lake Of the Woods. Rainy River, Rain:
IS Lake Nemekau Lake. Loon Lake. Ne
INT ouokan Lake. and Others. requiring onl!
sr- few miles Of actual canal building q
led bring down 10 Thunder Bay the products
eel OF g region which already IS becominl
ar the worlds grsna-x. although the Cana
les dian grain trade Z but in its infancy
IN Projects to Aid Congestion
~ The congestion in the Detroit River {
ain to be relieved by two Canadian project
fu- giving free outlet over British soil 70 th
nts shipping of the great Northwest Th
am first Of these, the Georgian Bay project
rs Is 10 take IN the French River. LAX
- - Nipissing. and the Ottawa River. thu
-. connecting Lake Huron with the St Law
on renee at Montreal The second. III
7ts Trent navigation project. now is cpe
beri from Lake Simcoe TO the head OF Hal
ces evs Falls. a distance Of I55 miles Nearl
The all the unfinished portion is under COZ
ar tract
lid In : few years the movement Of ore
ms feed the hungry furnaces OF Pittsbur
viii be bv an au-xster route. as a csns
and from Ashtabula TO the erest city Of iro
so and steel viii do the work OF fifteen raj
our roads at the cost OF one
40 / To-day the Great Lakes hold the Ike
hin to the commercial supremacy Of Americ'
are Great CAPITALISTS, Of course are vital
,to interested in the traffic. but most Of Il
or shipping on the lakes belongs to 4
zee. masses. the stock in the owning c0mPl
nies being held by hundreds Of tho'
sands. As the shares are CONSIDERED [
many TO be among the most proftab
-kes and safest investments in the world tht
the have become the property OF small +
s. vestors such as farmers. mechanics. Al
on clerks and II Is an interesting fact tn
I'D one-third Of the farmers in the lake ccu'
ties OF Ohio have money invested in ial
- shipping
tae OF al the needs Of Great Lakes shii
hey and shippers the greatest is for an ad
re- ouate ard reliable means of cCnmuniC
here ton from ship 70 ship and from ship
p ts shore. It Is 20 meet this demand III
-. hundreds Of artisans and mechanics no
are engaged in the construction Of Wiz
ia' less telephone stations along the shoT
mas Of the lakes and in installing instrunen
on the lake vessels.
here With the first great iong-dista1ce wir
this less station nearing completion at Ioied
an with twenty-five other Iong-dists1Ce 81
/ an tions already contracted for, constru
ties. ton along the lake front. with work 8
must ing ahead on seventy-five smaller she
wing stations, and with hfty-odd more alres
cans projected, there is reason 70 expect IN
vast bv the time navigation opens IN :
cade spring fer the season Of 1853 the wirels
1aSt. telephone system viii be IN full OpeT
eyed ton on the Great Lakes, with nearly
has stations IN use.
most Moose In q Minnesota Town