The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-04-17
Canal Will Boom Inland Navi-
CATION, Holland Says.
in Mississippi VAL
ley to Thrive as Result.
LIGHT DRAFT BOATS NEEDED
Shallow Water Makes Them
Imperative to Trade.
High Cost of Living to Be
Helped by Slow Freight.

New York April 17.-Recently it has
been reported in this column that the
navigation of the Panama canal, which
is to begin a little over a year and j
half from this time, had been stimulat-
ing the shipyards of the Atlantic coast
SO greatly that all of them are driven
to their full capacity. Word was
brought to this city today that one of
the direct and probably immediate eff
fects of the Panama canal upon Amer
lean commerce is to be observed in q
very great utilizat ton of our natural
waterways for the portation OF
certain kinds of freight hitherto chief
ly transported by the railroad compan-
les. There has been recently perfect
ed at st. Louis an organization whose
vocation will be wholly that of a trans
porter by water of much of the COM
modities manufactured by various in
dustries in the Mississippi valley. Fol
some time now engineers and experts
have been carefully studying the con-
ditions of the Mississippi river, espec-
tally the upper part of the river, from
ST. Paul as far south as ST. Louis.
What those who have this water trans
portation in mind have been anxious to
learn is what the reliable channel of
the Mississippi river above st. Louis
really is. The reports of the experts
are encouraging, at least so far as the
purposes of those who have water
transportation upon a large scale IN
view are concerned.
1t has seemed to men of large bust
ness ability in the Mississippi valley
as though the Mississippi and it's navi-
gable tributaries ought to be able to
transport at low cost ''slow freight,
and to great commercial advantage It
is believed that if this water naviga-
ton can adequately be utilized it will
h. Ill f1xr he ma
ket of industries located in the terri
tory adjacent to the Mississippi river
In the first place, what is needed is
satisfactory kind of light-draught
equipment. The shallow water pre-
vailing between st. Paul and the mouth
of the Missouri river makes light
draught vessels absolutely imperative
The question which has occupied the
minds of those who have long been
persuaded that the Mississippi and It's
tributaries have been TOO greatly neg
lected for transportation purposes has
centered about the construction OF
hght-draught vessels capable of fur
nishing very economical transports
ton.
Thousand Ton Barges.
When the engineers and the New
York state authorities were in consul
tation respecting the best way to inn
prove the Erie canal and to expend
wisely and with economy the one hun
dreG millions whict the state had au-
thorized for this irnproveme nt. it was
at last declared that this artificial
waterway would best serve its purpose
and justify the expenditure of this
large amount of money if it were so
constructed that it would float easily
barges of a capacity of thousand
tons, these to be hauled by towboats
of peculiar construction The work
done by the engineers and the state
authorities of New York, now repre-
scented by the almost completed Erie