The Evening standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1910-1913, 1910-09-21
No More Pork Barrels Are to Be Opened
During His Time in Office====PreSident
Points Out Difficulties to Be En-
countered in Re-estabIishing
River Transportation

much In demand for consumption
there as TO lead to the rational eX-
pectatiou that if the navigation of the
two rivers we're made practicable and
more economical than railroad COM
mun.cation. there would be greater
trade than now exists The plan 20
improve the Ohio river in its charac-
ter looks especially TO the develop
ment OF this upstream trade,
Many Locks Required.
There are now In the Ohio river
some twelve or thirteen dams. with
corresponding locks. The official plan
recommended by the army engineers
provides for fifty-four new locks and
dams. which VIII make the upstream
navigation IN ordinary heights OF wa
ter something like LaHe Michigan,
from Cairo To PIttsbuTg. and will pre-
serve for the twelve months OF the
year a constant depth of nine feet.
But II II were known that every
month of the year the advantages OF
low rates OF river transportation could
be had. we may reasonably expect A
very much larger investment of CAPT
tai In steamboats,, tug boats and
barges. and very much greater regu-
larity In the schedules for running
them than now obtains.
In most instructive report. the
United Staten waterways commission.
headed by our Senator Burton. have
pointed out the Gi11culties that are
inherent in river transportation IN
this country. and has shown with
great clearness the advantages that
TailToad transportation has over river
transportation for constant business
use The chief difficulty is the cost
OF terminal or transfer charges,
wherever the destination of the
freight REQUIRES the use OF both river
and railroad
In their Investigations abroad. the
commission found that great deal
of money and time had been spent in
perlectlng the terminals FOR river
transportation, and they deplore the
entire absence OF such terminals on
many of the navIgabIe rivers of this
country.
What, think, we have reason 10
expect is that. with the Improvement
of the river according TO the plan pro-
posed and the possibility of Its con-
tinuouS use from one years end To
the other, with the development of
an upstream trade by reasons of the
slack water. there will be study of
economical terminal facilities and
profitable investment therein.
Difficulties TO Be Overcome.
The waterways commission points
out that in localities where water
borne traffic has increased. as on the
Great Lakes, careful and elaborate
IL, ~.
handling Of freight in the most eco
nomical manner. The equipment for
the loading and unloading of freight
AT lake terminals ia more advanced
than anywhere else in the world One
OF the advantages that the railroads
have over the river arises from the
ready transfer of traffic from one rail
road TO another as compared with
the transfer from water TO land or
land Ia water, and this affects not
only the physical transfer of traffic.
bat the through haul oil cars without
break of bulk
In this connection we must note
the physical disadvantage OF rivers.
due 10 the very considerable oscllIa-
lion in their levels. which makes 1t
more difficult to provide convenient
ana adequate Ioaulne machinery ana
renders the receipt and shipment of
freight pToportionately more expen-
sive. The variation of the Ohio river
in Cincinnati is over sixty feet. and
there are similar variations at other
points along the Ohio and the Mis-
sissippi
1T has been suggested that rail.
ways. as a rule. make a higher speed
per hour and that the difference 10 he
traveraed between terminals Is usual
ly shorter by rail- and also that the
railway is more reliable I'm its sched-
ules
With respect TO these difficulties,
however. an examination shows an
average rate Of speed OF a railroad
car loaded with freight is not much
greater than would be the speed of a
tugboat and barges on one of our riy-
ers and II We could have a river
navigab at all times OF the year at
the same depth, there would seem To
be no reason why schedules could not
be made quite as regular az those up.
on railways. inventors and river