The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-09-09
.CANALSF ORbENEf|I
lEoooN FROM EUROPE eHoWs
HOW WATERWAY IMPROVE
MENT HELPS. RAILROADS.
HAS,. A CREATIVE EFFECT

Construction Of the Manchester Ship
Canal Shown 70 Have Resusottated
Many Dying Towns-Many Give
Similar Experiences.
IN previous articles It was shown
that the watsrways carry goods more
cheaply than railways do or can and
compel the railways to carry for less
than they otherwise would. and then
tho claim was made that the improve
mont OF waterways IL a benefit to the
railways with which they compete.
Several instances were given to sup
port this claim and many more might
be given II space allowed, for the
writer, who has studied tho subject for
rs years, has found many instances
OF beneflt, and not Z single instance
Of harm. to ra1lways from the i'm
provement Of waterway. It II now in
order to SEQ II we can ind q reason
for this rather surprising result
Waterways. - has been said before.
produce benefits In three principal
ways-by direct saving in the cost of
transportation Of goods carried BY
water. indirect saving. BY the lower
ing OF railway ratss through the com.
petition Of water routes, and by what
may be called q creative effect It
Is this last named effect which We
are now to consider.
Manchester. England. before the con
struction Of tho ship canal, was a
dying town. Hundreds of stores and
thousands of dwellings were empty,
factories were olosed-some moved
away-and population was decreasing.
With tho opening Of tho canal all this
was changed. Faotoriess reopened.
new ones were built, tho empty houses
were REALIZED and Thousands Of new
ones built 70 accommodate the popula-
ton that came pouring In. And the
Dement'S were not confined 70 Nanohes-
ter alone, but were distributed over
the whole great Industrial region. con-
tanning over s.ooo.ooo people. Of which
Manchester y tho center. It was not
only natural. but inevitable, that the
great increase in population and pros
pertty In Manchester and tho surround
ing region should be reflected In tho
business and the profits OF the rail-
ways therein.
Liverpool Also Aided.
Liverpool fought desperately to pre-
vent tho building Of the canal and the
establishment Of the new port of Man.
chester: but instead Of being injured
by tho canal, tho business OF Liverpool
has increased faster than before. Dur
Ing the II years before the canal was
opened The increase In the harbor 10.
ostpts at Liverpool was only 1910. 900;
In the same length OF time after it
Was eDened tho increase was Il $685.
600. The 10000 tons OF tramc 1t
AanchostaI have not been stolen from
Liverpool. they have been created by
the canal.
Trankfort Germany. before the
River Main was improved, was not 4
dying city but was decidedly stagnant.
Mannheim and Nayenoe on the Rhine.
which had been improved, were grow.
Ing rapidly. while Frankfort was grow
Ing very Attls. A. soon % tn canal
izatioa Of the river was anished. which
was in 1855, tho city began to grow
and has kept On growing ever since.
The population, which vas $4,000 IN
1855. has Increased to az, 900 In 1895,
to sSb.ooo In 1905. and II probably
more than l00. 900 now. Evidently tho
people Of Frankfort expect their city
70 keep on growing, too. They spent
over $1.6oo.ooo On harbor whom the
river was nrst improved and Are
hard at wosk right now building 4
new and muoh larger harbor It . cost
Of $1,000; 600. Just - In tho case Of
Manchester, the benedt va not con-
0nsd to tho city of Frankfort; the In
dustr1al and commercial Life OF tho
whole region was greatly stimulated.
Mines long closed were rsopensd. new
industries were started, and today
there u IN almost continuous success
sion Of factories lining the banks Of
the river from Frankfort to The
Rhine.
GveFybody Hsaps Densnt
Hunt tho WoeA around and always
and ovosyWhsTo ~ ind that The i'm
provement AZ waterways sets cities to
growing. factory Wheeb to humm1ng.
and commerce to moving in Z wider
And sWifter stream. Railroads get
more businsss In big cities than In
small towns, IN . dsnsely populated
manufacturing region than In ono that
u thinly settled. waterways, there
fore. bonsAt railways-aad states and
nations ~ wsl+by promoting IN In
crease In population. In manufactures
and In commerce. But for one who
ukes 70 got clear down to the bot
tom Of things thsre stu remains the
question:: why do watsgvays in
grease population and create CON-
msroo and industryr'
Consul General Mason, now Ia Paris,
but for some years At Frankfort. says:
German statssmaashtp was among
the drst to foresee that the time
would come when. railways having
reached their maximum extension and
sncisnoy. there would remain Q vast
surplus Of coarse. raw mater1als-ooal,
pres. timber, stone, and crude metals
which could b economically carried
long distances only BY water trans
portation. and that In 4 fully de-
vsloped national system the proper
role Of railroads would be to carry
passengers and tho higher Glasses a