The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-12-11
Man Who Sent Steel Freight Barge
up the River Last Summer Has
Some Other Proposi-
tons.
He WANTS GUARANTEES
Will only stop Where There Are
Terminal Facilities or Where
Shippers Can Guarantee
Him Some Business.

John II. Bernhard Of New Orleans,
promoter of the steel barge lines,
whose barge No. made the trip up
the river last summer. suggests a
new plan for the coming year. He
has sent out the following letter to
members of chambers of commerce
/ along the river:
81 am at present busy here in New
T York with the organizing Of q Missis-
fsippi River TRANSPORTATION company
For this company ia total OF 100000
600 is needei, s5,OOO,0eO for the first
years operation, all of which has
been underwritten. This company
proposes toarun self-propeHed barges
of 5000 ton capacity, and an upstream
speed Of Is miles per hour. propelled
(. by. four propeIlerss-.and.,a maximum
| draft OF six feet. V For the upper Mis-
sissippi river, and tributaries Of the
Mississippi river, proportionate small
er barges are to be run. On the
upper Mississippi river we will run
barges Of 1000 ton carrying capacity,
AZ feet beam, and draft Of Az feet,
propelled by two propellers, and
stern wheel in the center.
"The barges viii lbe entirely Of
steel construction with weather
proof cargo box, and will have facili-
ties for through freight in the way
of, special constructed box cars, a
large number of which this company
tprop6ses to build. These cars are
loaded by the shipper at rail switch
at his warehouse, l9aded on the
barge, after the trucks, which are
detachable, are released. Upon ar
rival at destination, these cars are
again placed upon trucks and deliver
ed to the warehouse Of consignee. In
this manner we expect to have
feight from New Orleans to st. Paul
l,within 10 days from the moment of
delivery.
! "Our lawyers are now preparing
fforms of through bills of 1ading which
will contain the following novel
clauses; complete insurance to the
cargo, guarantee Of time Of delivery.
| to be ten days between New Orleans
and st. Paul and of proportionate
lengths of time for the other cities.
The ratea VIII be two mills per ton
mile rail distance, plus terminal
charges to be based differently for
each corRnlgnity. as its facilities will
Justify.
"By means of these box cars and
special transfer crane barges, the
cargo can be reloaded at ST. Louis
from the large lower Mississippi barge
Ito the smaller upper Mississippi
barge, at the rate of 800 tons per.
hour. without directly Handling the
cargo Only such communities will
be served that either pledge sufficient
freight for the installation of our
own terminal facilities. or that have
/ the proper terminal facilities avail
able. On account Of the total lack
of proper ship yards on the river, the
company will also be prepared to
provide and supply its own ship build.
ing facilities, which also includes
floating dry docks.
"Since no Mississippi river trans
portation company for through freight
can be of any success without proper
shipping facilities from New Or
leans through the Panama canal,
am also engaged in the formation If
a subsidiary steamship line with
regular sailings between the Pacific
coast and New Orleans"
"We are already assured of regular
service between the Atlantic coast
and New Orleans, and already three
trunk lines are working with me in
preparing plans and making agree
ments for the Interchange of freight
and construction of mutual terminals.
I expect to see this company take
out its charter in the latter part of
March. so that we can start with the
building of the first boat some time
in May, and put this in service in
MAY. 1915, or whereabouts. We pro-
pose to run daily, and furnish for the
first year a total capacity of six hun
dred million ton miles.
81 have written you at length on
this subject so that you might be full
Iv posted, as we would like to have
the cooperation of the Upper Missis-
sippi River improvement association,
and the creation of the so much need
ed terminals. The Mississippi river
traffic is so precarious and dead that
strong financial company alone, will
stand a fair risk Of a successful navi-
cation of the Mississippi Valley.
very truly yours,
A ~