The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-02-26
How to Make the Mississippi
Really Thoroughfare

commercial highway We must secure
shippers who will use this methol
of transporting their freight
4 We must secure the proper facill
! ties for handling this freight on TIT
boats and on the wharyes.
Some one with capital is necessar,
TO the building of the kind of boat!
that we really need for river traffic
& We must build another style o
boats.
4 Cities must beautlfy their rlvel
fronts.
i With the fulfillment of the above
conditions, | believe that the opening
of the Panama canal will see reviy
al of the old days of the rivers glory
/ If the streams are not utilized, the
government will grow tired of spend
| ing money with no returns.
When | look at the river today and
think of the old times it makes me
feel lonesome.
| The above is brief synopsis OF
the plan to bring about the reiuvena.
ton of the old river day, as expressed
in the Davenport Democrat by Post
master Lon d. Bryson, river captain
of the old days, and one who has the
best interests of the great Father of
Waters at heart.
THE thing that is of greatest i'm
portance in building up the steamboat
business to its former glory is the
securing of shippers who will stand
by the boats as opposed to the rail-
roads," declared Captain Bryson in
answer to the query as to how he
would go about restoring the ancient
greatness of the Mississippi. These
shippers must stand by the boats in
their fight against the railroads, for
the river towns today are not depend
ent on the river for the transporta-
ton of their goods. as was the case
in former days. And the owners OF
steamboat lines must maintain regu-
lar schedule in order that these ship
pers may have faith in their ability to
see the goods get to their proper des-
tination.
1.-THE time to procure shippers is
before the line is really in the field
for business. You must go after ship
pers and make them promise to ship
their goods on your boat, not wait I'M
til you have been in business for
many years and then gradually in
crease your freight receipts little by
little.
"Of course, one big blow to the
hope of future river glory is the pass
ing of the numbering industry Where
formerly possibly hundreds of mills
dotted the river banks, and logs
were floated down in huge quantities,
now hardly remnant remain and
this occupation has practically pass
ed into history as far as the AIissis-
sippi is concerned, at least. Then, too,
We have no huge rolling mills or great
iron or steel factories such as the
Ohio possesses. But we have a mum.
Der of large flourishing mills on the
upper Mississippi, and the river is
their natural outlet. Instead OF ship.
ping their products overland to eth
er coast, they could ship them down
the Mississippi to New Orleans, and
from there to either New York or
San Francisco. or any point on the
east or west coast, and thence to
Europe or the Asiatic countries Just
as cheaply or cheaper than they can
now do, if the proper accommodations
are provided by the steamboat own
ers. There is also South America
and the Central American countries,
where, by this method, shippers
could effect an enormous saving"
In speaking of the steady encroach-
ments which are being made upon
the wharyes and river fronts by the
railroads, Captain Bryson took the re.
cent report OF the Pittsburgh chamber
of commerce and applied 1t to local
conditions.
We should guard our river fronts
and see that they are protected for
the use of the cities and their citi-
zens,' he declared. When river traf-
fic is heavy the value of a clean. spa
cfous wharf cannot be estimated. Ey
erywllere cities are expanding mil.
lions OF dollars IN building canals and
improving rivers to cheaper the cost
OF transportation, and practically all
these waterways are free of toll and
wharfage charges. The outlook for
these cities in their transportation ia.
cilities, in the next ten years. amounts
almost to revolution and emphasizes
the need of every foot of wharfage
we now have, and the care city coun.
ellis should have in making regula
tons for the present and future Of
our wharves. Outside the CHARGES
necessary to keep these wharves in
excellent condition, what need has
any city to make these wharves pro-
duce additional revenue when this
charge is added TO and must be in
cluded in the cost of every ton Of
freight handled?
There should be public wharyes in
every city and town along the river
free for discharging or taking on
freight, with the exception of charg.
ing rental for any portion used ex
clusively by any one company. The