The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-11-15
ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT D. u FLETCHER AT
OPENING SESSION WATERWAY CONVENTION

forces making for development. progress
and Hrosrsity we 1ri, es .eqvicesSie our
natural resources. In ursing add II6nrl
means Of transportation. We DC net una H,r
estimate what we have OF c ,l,tses Of that
kind. There II . widespread oeleI nhn.
the railroads are now or are neco" ths
Inadequate 10 meet the demands OF tn no
veiopment increases their business. Both
rail ana water transportation are REQUIRED
for the completion Of q proper system
which shall prove the greatest iaclor III
Peaches by the train load rotted in
Georgia this season for the want 81 ea Ia
the next day had them offered me IN
Forsyth. Ca. much better ones az 1oS.
railroads are Indispensable. but they
products to market. I do not contend
that II ID necessary to have waterways IN
order to regulate the railroads or tneis
Of Wsterways in Competition. though the
s s..I pubic s' in ~" that regard Mr.. James 8:
N Vs. Ssh :q ssn apy 49, under the
dN,rcs expose the abs,rrdity Of the theory
that the r.ilro,1s need 1eel sssee Two sys
effectiveiy In many European Countries
--He contends the railroads ana Ease.-
tuaily destructive. He advocates with
great power q Systematic and scientinc
plan" Of waterway improvement. It ism
Ny hea IL. there 10. and will In larger
measure In future. be business enough Tor
both, and the public 10 entitled 70 nave
the legitimate competition 1t can get. II
the rivers and canals and waterways can
not transport freight more economically
be attracted and ought not to be. On
the other hand. II the rivers and water
ways can do the business or certain por-
r rSns OF then tSe railroads. viii carry the
fast and hish-priced freights and the
waterways and bulky freishts in the
o. " eIsi sser on ' most mo rssht
time u saved on tie waterways. The
government appropriated Ave hundred
b G0 sor the ens of provdne
for boats and barges to be used on the
Mississippi River and tributaries and con-
Quoting to snEw na The can liv ee
the volume Of tr.hic which naturally be-
longs to 1t.
It Is argued that canals are things OF
the past: have been superseded by the
doned canals. What we advocate is some
thing more than a canal Canals form
only part Of the highway which nature
ture BY connecting up the natural water
courses and improving the latter. 80 as to
make q sueful whole. We realize that
sUn from sn a. ssast Of
horse or OK. the vehicle or the turnpike
tho rivers, the canals: the railroad and
the frsisns s se Ss a1S
We have read that the Santee Canal in
South Carolina-25 miles long-was com.
pleted in 1900. That the Middlesex Canal
In 1904 and was the first important long
distance canal in this country. Other pri.
vately constructed canals were completed
N time Ms~ T FoF instance a the Montague. com
pleted in 1900; The Enfield. In 1913, alone
which many factories were built; the
beriand and oxford Canal. in 1928 IN
Maine: The Blackstone Canal. along the
valley Of the river of that name Tor Il
ter. was Completed in 1928: The New
Haven and Northampton was completed
in 1858. then came the railroads. 1t may
to develop the RESOURCES in New England
and to make them available in nationa
and foreign commences. but surely ths
v OF evsn
in that region they could not be used dur
ing certain portions Of the year;
To-day there y . mevement to con.
proposal to reconstruct the old Middlese,
Canal. This talk about abandoned canal'
IL misleading. The Lehigh Canal, almos
ness. The chesapeake and Delaware Ca
nal and the canals In Virginia. although
unimproved. have greatly Increased theil
Several new lines Tor water transportstio,
have been opened about New York. New
Jersey 10 developing an inland waterwa.
IN 0a Similar n local projscts; we are told
| 12-foot channel In the Delaware River be
| tween Philadelphia and Trenton to cos
S524.o00. has been provided for in TIL
\ last rivers and harbors bill.
ANCIENT HISTORY.
has been talked Of 30 long. they have los
hope. The present surveys conten,plat
a barge canal a. stated. We would liix
to have II e located t tnsr II may i be mad
is true that the records show; March Bird
ship Ca1s soTS rots TO b. n.1s.
Kingsley Lake route. 1853 miles. IN 1882
both route: were repcrted practical Q
report was made. The estimate Of tn
| cost Of such a canal seems to have inter
ruptsd further action.
Washington advocated canals: The Grea
Erie Canal was started in 1917. the Chesa
peake 4 Ohio in 1920. the Lehigh in 1872!
| the Delaware 4 Hudson In 1S29-unt
| finally some $500 miles Of canal navigatio
! throughout the country resulted.
The Panama Canal H. the culminatio
| Of canal construction, bringing the Pacth
| and Atlantic together and severing tn
| American continent.
It IL more to the point to con slider wha
| ADVANTAGES this waterway which is NOR
| than q canal has over river which rise
| and fails, mean the Mississippi to Allan
| tic Inland waterway which We favor.
DR.. Powell. director Of the Bureau {
Municipal Research Of Philadelphia. an
a high authority on transportat ton mat
ters. says that. TN Ohio alone, the valu
OF farm products rose fifty per cent afte
THE completion Of the canals, while tn
railroads appear to have doubled the valu
Of -four. trebled the value OF pork an
a. Ts,us H 81 corn mage 1
l Vol. ~, No. 1lD.
| Suppose the the value Of the crops
l the state directly affected by the Missis
/ sippi to Atlantic Inland Waterway shout