The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-09-27

smoke, IN Inen laISe WILTSHIRE
are heard for miles, and In the wneeis
that beat the water up In waves nigh
er than q man-steamDoats navins
daily expenses which sarrass tne
weekly expenses OF more modern
craft Of larger capacity. So import
ant is the terminal question that II
may be said that the problem OF m
land transportation is more shore
than a water problem. Almost invar-
iably the shore expenses are h1gner
than the actual cost OF transportation
from harbor to harbor. With the
present river terminals, the height OF
ineffeciency seems to have been
reached. The shipper must carry
HIS freight by wagon over poor ROADS,
move 1t som chow down a poorly
paved and unusually steep bank, lab
oriously unload it by hand, roll II to
the edge Of muddy levee, watch It
until a steamboat may arrive, when IT
is carried, piece by piece and slowed
away under the towering superstruc-
ture OF an American steamboat, amid
q forest of deck supports; and the pro
cess must be reversed at the other
end Of the voyage. The only excep-
ton to these conditions is the city OF
New Orleans, where covered sneds
are provided and where mechanical
loading and unloading devices are now
used. Economical navigation OF the
stream OF efficiency OF the carrier
are greatly handicapped under SUCH
conditions. The elimination OF the
steamboat gang plank as the highway
OF water traffic and the abolition OF
the roustabout are necessary for res
toration of commercial activities on
the river. The modern river termi-
nails, constructed by tha combined ln1-
tiatiye OF state and municipality, with
municipality owned belt railroad. are
to take their place. The passing OF
the gang plank Is to be marked by the
construction of concrete walls. against
which the craft may be moored TOT
convenient loading and unloading by
huge cranes. Instead Of the droll
chants OF the INDECENT negro rousta-
bouts as they toll with the freight, we
should hear the creak of machinery
and the rattle OF chains as the loads
are hoisted from boat to warehouse.
The old conditions along the -levee
must give way to immense warehouses
and mechanical handling OF freight;
IL river transportation is to be re-
vived."
10 Sound Common Sense.
/ have quoted the above because It
not only Is sound, common sense
statement OF the situation az It is at
the present time, but because it ex-
actIy expresses the Views OF the pro-
gressive people Of New Orleans. who
are spending millions to build enc
Client terminals in order that the
shore problem" may be solved and
the cost of freight handling reduced
to the possible minimum.
At the present time bananas and
coal are the two commodities handled
most cheap1y at the port of New Or
leans The banana conyeyors and
the coal tipples are the last word in
modern construction and efficiency.
The cotton warehouse. covering forty
four acres. which is now nearing COM
pletion, will add cotton to the list Of
most cheap1y handled commodities.
AS soon as this cotton warehouse Is
in operation other great projects will
be begun. An immense warehouse
for the handling of tobacco and coffee,
another Of equal size for the storage
and handling Of lumber and third
for mixed freight, are included in the
plans OIL tue uocA DCrAu. AL "a enOs'S
warehouses Will be equipped with the
latest type of freight handling ma
chinery and viii reduce the tonnage
charges TO the lowest possible point.
But New Orleans, in bidding for the
trade of the Mississippi valley and
preparing herself to perform a great
service as the valley gateway, is going
further than this. Not only does she
desire to help finance that business
as well.
Banks Get Grain Holders.
AS evidence of this fact 1t is only
necessary to cali attention to the fact
that New Orleans banks are now So
Letting the accounts of grain handlers
I'm the wheat belt OF the middle west
Their methods are simple and effec-