The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-09-19
The Relation Of Rivers to City Plans
[By Albert HI scherzer in The American city1
lerzer In The American City.1

Transportation is vital element In
every successful city plan To obtain
a larger view of.the subject 1t is desir-
able to consider the means Of trans
portation a city may have at it's serv-
Ice. There are only three practical
means of transportation at the pres
ent time:
1. Good roads.
2. Good railroads.
3. Good water routes.
The possible fourth means Of trans
portation aerial-may also be devel-
oped in the future, for light, high
speed traffic.
Every city should frequently take
account of its transportation assets
and consider how they can be I'M
proved, developed and extended. Their
comparative economic value may be
expressed as follows:
$1.00 will pay for transporting one
ton ten miles on an exceedingly good
road
Sl.00 vii; pay for transporting one
ton 300 miles on an exceedingly good
railroad
s1.o0 will pay for transporting one
ton twelve to fifteen hundred miles on
the Great Lakes, and a deep water
way of like depth connecting the
Great Lakes with the oceans, then
from two to three thousand miles on
the great oceans. which occupy two
thirds of the earth's surface, forming
natures great economical highways
for international commerce.
A city having the three means of
transportation in their most approved
form is bound to outstrip city which
neglects any one of them. A COM
mercial and manufacturing city hav-
ing deep water transportation at it's
service enlarges the circle of its mar
ket many Thousand miles, not only
for buying raw materials, but also for
the sale of its manufactured products.
This transportation advantage ex-
plains why London, sixty-f1ve miles In
land, by constant Improvement max
ing great and progressive trsnspor-
tation use of the Thames River, Is at
present the largest city in the world.
and why New York, having the ad-
vantage Of two rivers at its servfce,
is rapidly becoming the wealthiest
and most populous city in the world.
Chicago, fifteen hundred miles inland,
is rapidly assuming it's place as the
sr1 80 ~
and the second city i'll manufactures,
because of its progressive utilization
of the Chicago river, with its branches
and artificial interior deep waterways,
opening up vast areas of land for
transportation, Industrial and CONNER
cial expansion. furnishing economical
sites and avoiding congestion. Philad-
delphia, Boston, Buffalo, Cleveland,
Portland. Seattle. Toledo, Milwaukee,
Duluth, New Orleans and numerous
other leading cities have internal wa
ter routes.
It is generally recognized that cities
without river or interior harbor,
having only outer harbors, like Dover,
Calais, Cherbourg and many others
too numerous to mention here-al-
though as old as London. Manchester.
Glasgow. Antwerp Hamburg and 9th
er interior cities on rivers-remain
comparatively small Not having the
great advantage of river or interior
deep waterways along which indus
try. transportation and commerce can
be widely spread and expand without
CONGESTION. no matter how perfect the
outer harbor of city may be, every
increase in the city's population or
size increases the congestion of traffic
and expense of doing business. This
forces industry, commerce and popula-