Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1911-02-25
BARGE TRAFFIC
TO RULE RIVERS
THERE Will 49, No MORE or
THE FLOATING PALACES.
Get away FROM ROADS
Pipe Lines Cheaper for on Com
panies-RiNcr Enterprise
Slow 10 Move.

Slow 10 Move.
Whatever may bee the possibilities
of TIE revival of trade upon the Mis-
s.sHpp river ana IT'S tributaries hy
lines pf steamboats,, We may Doe sure
that there WITH Doe mo- return 90 the
use 90, the floating palaces that once
carried the passengers and freight
between ST. Louis and an way river
ports and New orleans.
We bad MS wel expect the abandon
mont of steamships ON the ocean and
"a return 90 sailing craft or the a0ol-
.-h.nE OF the automobile and the rec
sturadou OF horse-dravu vehicles. The
ur-eu. demand for economy iu trans
purtauou realized by great mouu-
tacuTiuE corporations VIII lmpel them
where they can do So 20 use the rivers
In vessels OF their own. They are
able TO compete with. and even 20
IL comes 20 contest, % defy the
ia lruaGs.
lfake the Standard on company. Its
oil wells have been largely AWAY
"'AlA Nv iN ~ '.AA IL .N N|If ~ Alni . 70
tho railroads by building its own pipe
lines for hundreds of miles across the
country. ami Il has done so where
ever and whenever motives OF ecouo-
my dictated The Standard OH oper-
utes its own ships on the sea In the
foreign and coastwise trade. and there
is no question that lt will put it's
boats on the river n such a movement
be desirable Such a mighty corpo-
ration can dictate TO the rairoads and
where Il has done business with them
10 always eNacted rebates. Such corr
poratiou is all-poweFTuI because 1t
could build and operate It's own conn
peting railroads, II necessary
These remarks are suggested by the
assurances that the great iron and
steel manufacturing companies at
Pittsburg are preparing and are al
most ready to begin operating a fleet
OF ste0' barges on the Ohio, Missis-
sippi and other tributaries Of our great
river to carry their products to the
home and foreign markets where they
are wanted
According 20 reports Of the United
States engineers there are in the
United States forty streams with a
length OF 1900 miles, which have
depth OF 10 feet. There are seventy
more, with g length Of 3,200 milas,
which have a depth OF to 10 feet
The Ohio river from Pittsburg TO It's
junction with the Mississippi is navi-
gable except in the low-wattr seaosn
by steamboats, and barges Of light
draft and the greatest part Of the
coal consumed IN all the cities along
the rivers flom Pittsburg 20 New
Orleans Is brought down in barges
The government IS at work on a sys-
tenn OF locks and dams that will open
the Ohio river to this trade al the
year round.
The Missouri river for more than
three thousand miles from 81. Louis
TO Fort Benton, Montana. at the foot
of the RocSy Mountains, IS navigable
during the high-water season, and up
to 1875 the bulk of the supplies for
the population along that river was
carried IN steamboats, OF considerable
tonnage Before the transcontlnental
railroads took possession OF that trade
it wos carried In steamboats,, some
thirty OF more making the trip every
year on the spring rise.
The Mississippi River Is nag.gable
fom It's souce to It's dehouchuc into
the Gulf OF Mexico. while the Tenne-
see and Cumberland. tributaries that
come in from the east side and the
Arkansas and Red Rivers ON the west
side, are all nayIgable for boats OF
considerable draft
But the railroads which ramlfy
through the Mississippi Valley reach
territory thar cannot find an outlet
by way OF the rivers. and loca tiles
that formerly were wholly dependent
on and were satisfactorily served by
the boats had their trade taken by
the railways that cut down rates be-
low what was necessary Tor the sup.
port OF the boats, thereby driving
them from the rivers.
There IS a beautiful dream that the
boats can be brought back 70 uko
this trade n only the National gov
ernment win spend vast sums OF
money IN deepening the channels OF
the various natural waterways. But
dreams are not often, and certainly .
are not readily. realized. and genera
,ious may ass away and centuries
elapse before the numerous interior
rivers can be converted into ship
channels, and therefore II there is
10 be any revival OF river traffic Il
must be done with the rivers as they
are.
Some hope IN that direction has