The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1910-04-01


tgreat work of reviving traffic on the
lrivers.
Capt. Kavanaugh was greeted with
hearty applause He said he first
came to Cairo 20 years ago. Cairo
was wonderful city even then. II
was a great river town, though having
population of only seven or eight
thousand. But the transformation
had been marvellous since then and
the people Of Cairo were to be con
graduated upon their progress, The
city would not, However. reach it's
own until the traffic had been re-
established on the western water
ways. Public sentiment was a great
aid in this work. but the men who
where it must be kept moving. He
spoke OF the formation of the Ma
ltional Waterways Commission as an
important step toward procuring sys
ltematic work on the rivers and said
this commission had been named by
President Roosevelt at the suggestion
|of number of leading men in let
ter written to the president who had
Iacted promptly. The Improvement of
the rivers was in line with Mr.. Roose-
selt's conservation scheme in which
SO much Roadway had ben made dur.
ing his administration. The result of
the commissions inquiry had been
report that 80 per cent of the hap
hazard appropriations by congress
was spent in preserving work that
was never finished and this had con-
WINGED Mr. Roosevelt that something
had to be done and led to the change
of policy by congress which contem-
plated continuous appropriations to
complete work as it was started. The
Old policy of river improvement was
illustrated strongly in the case of the
Ohio river which had been planned {
and started 80 years ago and only |
one-tenth had been completed. The
Lakes to the Gulf project received at
tention from the speaker. He said ii
was pronounced entirely practicable !
by Engineer Cody who was reeog |
nized as the second James B. Eads. /,
Mr. Cooley had made nine maps two
OF them u feet long and had pre-
scented his report to the Rivers and |
Harbors committee OF congress de, |
elaring the scheme was practicable. |
The plan contemplated dam just be-
low st. Louis and one at Commerce, |
Mo-, which with the canal to be built |
by the state of Illinois would give,
plated, but 20 or "A feet, according to
Mr., Cooley's judgment, and the pro-
ject had met with favor in congress
in spite Of the opposition by senasoi
Burton who had threatened to de-.
ieat it.
Capt. Kavanaugh spoke of the new
line of beats and barges which his
contemplated putting on the
rivers. He said Cairoites remembered
the old Crescent Line of barges,
which, when loaded with 1,200 tons
would draw from 101a to IL feet The
new barge would carry 1900 tons on
( feet of water. 1t was generally con,
ceded that the heavy freight, such as
lumber, coal, grain, minerals would
have to be carried on the rivers, as it
was improbable for railroads. In
Germany manufacturers had the river
on one side to bring them raw ma
terial and the railroad on the other
to take away the manufactured pro-
duct. 1t would have to be the same
here. The trouble with river traffic
here had been the cost of handling
freight; there had been no improve
ment in this during fifty years or
longer, and the purpose OF his com
pany was to solve this problem by
terminal facilities at all
important points. He cited the Sin
ger Co.'S method here, of handling
logs, saying the cost was about two
cents ton. 1t would cost money to
establish these terminals and the
money must be gotten. Cairo would
be one Of the most important points
on the rivers when the new company
got into operation and he hoped cit-
zens would do their part at the
proper time.
Short talks we're made by Land
Agent Fenton of the Illinois Central,
who assured his hearers that the
was always ready to lend
a helping hand to any community on
its lines, in its efforts to develop its
industrial and commercial interests,
even though it did not itself derive
direct benefit therefrom; by Mr.
Giffen, general freight agent of the
Missouri Pacific who spoke in like
strain, and by ExPresident Aisthorpe
Of the Board of Trade, who spoke
of Cairo's future.
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