Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1912-04-23

II NUe laNHfNN 'NanA TT NI'N AH NN
Gin a little over wear and a taf
from This time has been stimulating
the shlpyards OF the Atlantic coast
so greatly thar an Of them are drIt-
an 20 their fuil capacity Word vas
brought 20 this CITY today that one
OF the direct and probably immediate
ffesl OF the Panama Canal upon
American commerce b. 10 De 0bsert-
cd in a very great utilization of or
natural waterways for the 'ranspor-
fati1n of certain kinds OF freight
hitherto chiefly transported by t1o
railroad companies There has been
recently perfected an ST. Louis an
organization whose vocation will he
wholly that OF transport By water
lot much 90 the com0d.ties mauuia'-
micd by various industries in tfe
Mississippi valley For some time
now engineers and experts have been
carefully studying the conditions c.
the Nississipp.n river. especially ta"
uprer part oi the river from So. Pal
asfar .1gth as ST. Louis What those
who have This water transl ortatlon
.u miad have been anxious 10 learn
Is whai tbe reliable channel e. tha
Mississippi river above ST. Louis
really Is THE reports OF be- expers
are encouraging. a. least so far as The
purposes of those who have water
transportation upon a large scale boz
view are concerned
n has seemed 20 men Of LARGE bus
mess ability In the Mississippi val
ley as though the Mississippi and its
nayieable tributaries ought to be abb
10 transport at low cost slow freight
and to great comemrcial advantage.
n Is believed that II this water nayi-
cation can adequately be utilized b.
will be possible TO extend greatly
the market Of Industries located in
the territory adjacent to the Mississ
lppi river.
In ;he first place. what is needed is
satisfactory kind Of light-draurh-
equipment The shallow water pre-
yailinr between ST Paul and tho
mouth Of the Missouri river make
light.draucht vessels absolutely Inn
peratiye The question which has oC-
cupied the minds Of those who hay"
long been persuaded that the Missis-
sippi and its tributaries have been too
greatly neglected for transportation
purposes has centered about the con
strsction OF light-draueht vessels of
/ furnishing very economical transpor-
iation
Thousand Ton iargcs.
when the engineers and the New
York state authorities were In con
sultation respecting the best way
10 improve the Eric canal and to ~
pend wisely and with economy the
one hundred millions which the state
had authorized for this improvement,
n was az last declared that this arti-
fetal waterway would BEST serve us
purpose and Justify the expenditure
OF this large amount Of money II II
we're so constructed that n would
float easily harres OF a cap,ci'y Of a
thousand tons. these tc be hauled nv
toWboais Of peculiar construction
The work done hv tho ENGINEERS ami
the state authorities OF New York nov
represented by the almost complete
Erie canal. was carefully studied bl
the mon Of business Of the Nississ-
inn valley who contemplated rsine
the Mississippi and us navisaels
tributaries for TRANSFORMATION OF
What Is called slow freight. Very
careful computations and estimates
were made md 70 was recently de-
cidcd that tho satisfactory method
would provide for the constructor
.of harres. each ono Of the capacity OF
a thousand tons Furthermore, II wal
decided that not more than five barg
os should Do attached 20 any towhoot
That however. viii give O capacity oI
five thousand tons 20 each tow.
There should ho as many 'ow
hosis and b3rees as business Offered
made necessary. What these business
men haf, especially iu mind IS th'
products of the northwest. such "a
flour. Grain and timber They nov
lrcure that by means OF the thousand
ton barge method five harccs Co. on'
tow. .he flour. Grain and timber o
1.-THE northwest can be carried 20 New
Orleans and exported az dates YER
much less than those in effect, Vi
the Atlantic seahoard n expert
mont and test show that this view
IS correct n Is easy 10 see that With
b ia five wears after the opening OF H.
Panama canal very great commercial
changes. ar least so far as transnor
tatiou is concerned. viii have heel
made
q Furthermore. II IS the expectation
OF these business men that the barge
, which are towed 10 New orleans
= after having compassed the shallc'
% waters OF the upper Mississippi an
% Us tributaries, can carry back a
= low cost. and yet al rates tina, wi
p be remunerative 10 the barge owr
: ers. sugar, coffee. rice. molasses An
, other comodlties. II tests whic
are TO be made this summer jlstii
the expectations Of the energetic me