Omaha daily bee., 1909-06-11
sRAFFIC on GREAT RIVERS
Mistaken Ideas Of Steamboating Set
Right by Expert.
INCREASE IN LOCAL TONNAGE
Captain Ellison Of Cincinnati Dis
putes Conclusions of william r.
CurtIs ana Facts C0ncern-
ina Inland Waterway.
CFrom a sad correspondentl

Of the national rivers and harboTs congress
nov and for the last thirty years an OPP
orator and owner OF steamboats, on the
Mississippi river and its tributaries, does
not agree with William f. Curtis. q news
paper writer OF note, in his conclusions
based on the report OF the inland water
way commission. regarding the decreasing
tonnage Of various American rivers. Cap
tain Ellison commenting on an article
recently published by Mr. Curtis said to-
day:
THE report OF the inland waterway COM
mission, as It applies to the Mississippi
river and the remarks thereon by Mi.
Curtis are in ths main correct. There IS
no question but what there has been during
the last twenty years a steady decrease
In through tonnage on the Mississippi river.
BY through tonnage is meant tonnage
from st. Louis to New Orleans and from
the tributary streams 20 the same port.
but to offset this there is a condition that
the inland waterway commission has failed
TO take note of, which lie a very decided
increase in local and way onhage, which
has Increased in practically the same oro-
portion that the through tonnage has de-
creased. There are today more steamers
engaged H. local short trade routes from
various points on the lower Mississippi
river than were engaged in the same busi-
ness twenty Yeas ago. This increase Is
most notable at Memphis, Vicksburg and
Natchez.
what Brought the ChanKe.
This change In handling freight on the
Mississippi river has been brought about
by various causes, chief or which is that
the city OF ST. Louis and Its merchants
formerly practically controlled the bulk
of the business to Mississippi river points
between 81. Louis and New Orleans. in
elusive. With the opening up Of the new
trade markets west and southwest of st
Louis there was developed a field to which
the transportation was permanent and
regular and the merchants OF st. Louis
turning to this regular and more productive
field for their OUTPUT, abandoned to a very
great extent the Mississippi river valley
country, to which, by the river, they never
had a dependable ro6te.
: "The Mississippi river, never certain FOL
steamers OF proper draft, was in the years
i preceding the early SOS the most depend
able route to New Orleans from st. Louis
In the years " hich have elapsed there hal
been built upon practically both banks o.
the Mississippi river rail lines, parallelinl
the river throughout its entire length, and
while the river, by the work done by th'
Mississippi river commission, through thu
engineers Of the War department, is today
l in a better condition than ever before II
its history between Cairo and New Orleans
no permanent work has been done and M
better channel supplied from st. Louis t.
Cairo, and the same condition applies Il
the principal tributaries OF the Mississippi
the Missouri from Sioux City to its mouth
the upper Mississippi from st. Paul TO st
Louis, and the Ohio from Pittsburg tC
Cairo, together with its great tributaries
=. the Tennessee and the Cumberland.
Object of the River Men.
I'm this day and age of close and keer
= competition in business, neither the re
Z ceivef or shipper Of freight, even IL tn,
rate be much less, will undertake to handle
business on an INSTRUCTED route when there
= are unobtsructed routes that can and dc
deliver the goods. 1t is this condition
t that the friends Of improved waterway
! are earnestly endeavoring to change. Will
5 the Mississippi river improved from st
4 Paul to Cairo and the Ohio river improved
5 from Pittsburg to Cairo, there will unques.
( ~tionably flow through these natural chan.
J nels a great commerce, and this statement
E is backed up by the experience. not only
- lnA6 country BuN W mat VI Ai0 Ohutl
countries Of the, world, for history doe,
not show a single waterway properly i'm.
r proved, so that it's navigation can be de-
r pended upon by the receiver and shipper
that is not now doing a great business
A Mr.. Curtis, In omrnon with a grea
5 many writer's who are not thorough,
posted on their subjects. critieises the mod,
+ OF construction OF western river steam
. - -4tN - A.
. great many people to know that the west
ern river style of steamboats, is pronouncet
I ty experts the world over as being tn,
q best craft for navigating shoaf waters. tt
ilu, II ate and prove this Assertion 1t &
proper to say hat on quite a number o.
y the rivers Of South America, notably tn,
Megdalena river. American built boats o
! the ordinary Ohio and Mississippi rive
type have replaced the boats Of Enslisl
I and German design to such an extent tha
one firm Of boat builders, located at Pitts
burg, Pa, has in operation on the Magda
lena twenty-eight boats, which hey bull
Io nt Pittsburg and shipped knocked down +
South America.
Less than two years ago a boat build
ing firm upon the Clyde sent one If thei
engineers to this country TO examine on
style of towboats. the result being tina
e the English firm paid for designs, draw
X kings and specifications of hulls, machiner
and general equipment, and built. unde
v one order, fifteen boats Of our type 70
service on the Hoogly river. in India. Tn
same Pittsburg firm referred to above ha
y within the last rinety days built an,
shipped a towboat for service on the Nile
81 to tow coal above the Assouan dam Nor
than twenty years ago Russia adopted gu
. heats for service on the upper reaches o
the Volga, the initial beats for this servie
were built under the supervision OF a
American and the machinery vas made I
this country and shipped Their.
" A Serious
results from chronic constipation. ID
n Kings New Life Pills cure headache toy