The Washington herald., 1909-07-18
1t Would Mean Millions to
Southern States.
ENGINEERS REPORT ADVERSE
Necessity for Il Probably VIII Be
come More Apparent After Opening
OF Panama CannI-MemPhis Meet
ing Was Starting Point Of the
Enterprise in the south.

velt accompanied the Inland Waterways
Commission on a tour OF inspection down
The Mississippi River to Memphis. where
the es-to-the-Gulf-W Con-
ventiOn was in session. The journey Of
the President and the commission was a
spectacular one. not unlike those old river
pageants which have given splendor and
romance to the history Of the Nile
The harvests Of 1906 had rotted in the
fields for the want Of adequate railroad
transportation, and the country had
awakened suddenly TO the fact that the
solution Of congcsted commerce lay in
the improvement Of our system OF in
land waterways. Enthusiasm for water
ways improvement was at its height. and
thousands OF the inhabitants Of back
towns gathered IN the river cities 70 ac-
cord ovations TO the President and his
party
Memphis Meeting Important.
The convention held at Memphis was
one of the most important ever as
sembled in the South. awakening an in
terest in and disseminating knowledge
Of the wonderful water resources Of the
Southern States. Shortly after the close
Of the convention, a survey Of the Missis-
sippi River was begun by the United
States Army Engineer Corps. with a view
10 deepening the river channel TO four
teen feet in its course through the Mis-
slssippi Valley.
This great river. improved and devel-
oped would be 20 the South what the
Nile is 10 Egypt. The Mississippi sys-
TEN. which includes the Ohio and Mis-
souri, and their tributaries. is the most
important in the world, draining an area
OF over a million square miles. Sc that
IL the river were made an avenue OF the
commerce Of the Middle West and the
South, the project would be worth as
much 10 the country as the Panama
Canal
Engineers submit Report
The report made TO Congress a few
weeks since by the Corps Of Engineers
after they had finished their survey OF
the river is one Of tremendous import
TO the commercial development of the
South, affecting every State and every
nhlbit2nt of the Mississippi Valley. the
richest alluvial tract OF land in the
world.
The engineers reported that the plan OF
deepening the channel Of the river 10
fourteen feet IS entirely feasible. from an
engineering point Of view. They declare,
however. that IT would be an eXtravagant
and Impractical thing for the government
10 undertake. inasmuch as commerce on
he Mississippi has dwindled. instead Of
Increasing. for the past twenty years
This the engineers hold as a doubly
convincing argument against the plan. in
asmuch as the Mississippi is to-day in
better condition than In the DAYS Of its
greatest commerce, the navigable depth
Of the river being now twice as great
rs formerly Therefore. saws the re-
port. "the marked diminution Of COM
mevce cannot be due 70 questions OF
navigation and river engineering. and
must be due 10 other conditions. such as
those OF demand and supply, water and
rail competition. and Of business manage
nent in general"
Commerce Has DwfndIed.
II is true that the great Mississippi. /
which. with its Tributaries. has nearly
1860 miles of navigable waterways. has I
lost its supremacy as highway OF
commerce. In 1886 the articles carried I
by water to New Orleans for export I
amounted % SS0000.0G0, and Of recent |
years Of commerce OF the Lower Aiissis- /
sippi has not exceeded 5000. Ooo IN value.
Capt J. r. Ellison. secretary Of the I!
National Rivers and HarbOrs Congress, /
has pointed out. however. that local COM /
merce over short trade routes on the /
Lower Mississippi has increased In about /
the same proportion that through ton
mage. or tonnage shipped from St Louis I
10 New Orleans, has decreased. and this 4
is a condition Of which the engineers /
have failed 10 take note Furthermore, /
there have been built in recent years /
railroad lines running almost parallel /
with the river from source TO mouth, /
While the river channel has not been I
deepened from s.. Louis to Cairo, and 4
no permanent Improvement made on the !
principal tributaries of the Mississippi. 1
Thus the river does not offer the un- \
obstructed through routes that the rail- +
reads offer, and that business competition \
demands.
VIII Not Consider Rail Routes.
As to the water and rail competition
named by the engineers in their. report
as one Of the supposed reasons why
commerce on the Mississippi has de-
creased. and therefore a reason why the
deepening Of the channel should not be
undertaken. this wiz not be considered I
by the Southern people. who are 10 gain
millions from the successful elimination
OF the plan
In the words Of w. w. Finley, president
Of the Southern Railroad. 1T is to the
Interest OF the general public that I'D
should have the most efficient facilities
for transportation, both by water and
by rail. and IL IS my deliberate opinion
that there is no sound basis for opp0si-
ton to the development of water trans
portatlon By those interested in rail- 4
ways"
Money
The sos. 100000 which has been spent
on the Mississippi Valley by the govern
ment, has been expended mostly on the
protection Of life and property from
foods, and not on navigation. When the
river and its tributaries have been i'm
proved so as tc offer a continuous route
form the Lakes. 70 the Gulf IL VIII be-
come the channel Of a mighty commerce
And that this project viii be carried
through. in time. If not Immediately. Is
a foregone conclusion, despite the opinion
OF the Corps Of Engineers.
England spent millions on the Nile in
order TO add 5000 miles Of cultivatable
land 20 the resources Of Egypt. and the
Investment was a well paying one. From
Inc Improvement Of the Mississippi 5000
miles OF land and millions OF people win .
reap enormous benefits, and the South
WI! pe galvanized as It were with new
-fe. the agricultural and manufacturing II
interests Of the great valley growing by III
leaps and bounds. and the cities Of the !
section increasing with incredible rapid II
ty in population and number. II
The Lakes-to-the-Gulf deep waterway |
8 the logical sequel to the Panama Canal. |
ne completion OF which Will give the !
South the supreme commercial position |
Of the world and viii make the port |
of New Orleans the trade mart Of con-
-inents. II