Omaha daily bee., 1910-09-22

,s the greatest iron manufacturing center
in the world, and in its immediate vicinity
,s one of the greatest coal producing terri
tories. Along the river. from It's source
"a it's mouth, are the seats of various
manufacturing industries, and the country
tributary to the river, produces various
kinds Of agricultural products. Not only do
the products differ between one end of the
river than the other so as to suggest profit
in extremes, but the river empties into the
mississippi. and by the Mississippi is
brought into water communication with
the south, where the products are so dis
tinctly different from those of the north
and are so much in demand for consumption
there as TO lead to the rational expecta-
ton that II the navigation of the two rivers
were made practical and more economical
than railroad communications there would
be greater trade than now exists The
plan TO improve the Ohio river in its char
acter looks especially 10 the development
of this upstream trade.
Plans Of Engineers.
There are now in the Ohio some twelve
or thirteen dams with corresponding locks.
The dams are movable, so that in times
of high water they do not obstruct the
water they maintain above them long
stretches Of slack water in which the navi-
CATION is easy both ways The official
plan, recommended by the army engineers,
provides for fifty-four new locks and dams,
which, arranged with reference to the ex-
listing locks and dams will make the up
stream navigation in ordinary water some
thing like lake navigation, from Cairo TO
Pittsburg and will preserve for the twelve
months of a year constant depth OF nine
feet The uncertainty with reference to the
depth OF water in the river has greatly him
dered tho use of the river for continuous
transportation OF course, business has adj
justed Itself 70 seasons, exactly as II does
with reference to lake transportation,
which. because OF the severity of the win
ter ceases in November and is not resumed
until April or May But II 1t were known
that. every month in the year, the advan-
tage Of the low rates Of river Transports
ton could be had we may reasonably ex-
pect a very much larger investment OF
capital in steamboats, tug boats and
barges, and very much greater regularity
in the schedules for running them than
now obtained.
Necessity OF Terminals.
In a most instructive report, the United
States Waterways commission, headed by
our own Senator Burton has pointed out
the difficulties that are apparent in river
transportation in this country and have
shown with great clearness the advantages
that railroad transportation has over river
transportation for constant use The chiei
difficulty Is the cost OF terminal or trans
fer charges wherever the destination OF
the freight requires the use of both river
and railroad,
I'm their Investigations abroad the com
mission found that a great deal OF money
and time had been spent in perfecting thu
terminals for river transportation and they
deplore the entire absence of such termin
ais on many OF the navgable rivers of this
country.
What / think we have reasons to expec
is that with the Improvement OF the Ohi'
river according to the plan proposed an'
the possibility of it's continuous use from
one year to the other, with the development
OF an upstream trade by reasons of thu
slack water there will be a study OF econ
omical terminal facilities and profitable
investment therein.
The waterways commission points ou
that in localities where water-borne traffic
has increased as on the great lakes. care
for the handling Of freight in the mos
economical manner The equipment fol
the loading and the unloading of freight a
lake terminals points is more advanced
than anywhere else In the world
Problem of Transferring Freight.
"One OF the advantages that the railway
nave over the river arises from the readie
transfer OF traffic from one railway t,
..o,hor as rornpared with the transf e
from water to land or land to water an,
this affords not only the physical transfe
of traffic, but the through haul OF car
without break Of bulk, In this connection
we must note the physician disadvantage
OF rivers, due TO the very considerable
oscillation IN their levels, which makes
more difficult TO provide convenient an
adequate loading machinery and render
the receipt snd shipment OF freight pro
portionately more expensive. The Naria
ton in the Ohio river in Cincinnati is owe
sixty feet and there are similar variation
at other points along the Ohio and Mis-
sissippi
1T has been suggested that railways, a
rule make higher speed per hour an
that the difference 10 be traversed betWee
terminals is usually shorter by all and ais
that the railway Is more reliable In II
schedules. With respect 10 these Difficult
ties however, an examInation shows tha
the average rate OF speed of a railway ca
loaded with freight Is not much create
than would he the speed OF a ngboat an
barges on oae Of our Giyers; spd II v
could have river navigable a. all time
OF the year at the same depth there woul
seem 70 be no reason why schedules coul