Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-08-30
RIVER COMING B''CK'
MISSISSIPPI TO AGAIN BE ROUTE
OF GREAT SHIPMENTS
OF FREIGHT.
NORWOOD DISCUSSES
WATERWAY DEVELOPMENT
Making Trip From LaSalle to New Or
leans to Determine Means of Rejuve-
mating Freight Traffic and Permit
ting Mississippi Valley Cities to Ben
eft From Panama Canal.
spec,a, TO -.res- Republican,

specia, to times Republican.
pes Moines, Aug. 30.-The Nissis-
sippi river is coming back and Will
again be the route over which great
shipments Of freight will pass in the
opinion of river men with whom Irving
c. Norwood has talked recently. Mr.
Norwood, who is secretary OF the
greater Davenport committee Is one
of the leaders in the movement 10 es-
tablish traffic again on the zig father
of waters and thus gain TO the middle
west the advantage it should have
from the Panama canal. Ee is now
making a trip on freight boat from
La Sale, III. to New Orleans and mas
forwarded a very interesting news let
ter giving his observations on river
DEVELOPMENT as he has been able 10
make them thus far
1T is very easy to understand Why
freight on the Mississippi in apprecia-
Bile quantities under present condition
is not carried and TO appreciate the
vital need Of modern terminals as the
first step in the rehabilitation Of the
river writes Mr.. Norwood. when one
accommodates cargo of mixed freight
from La Sale III. TO New Orleans, on
a packet beat Of the old type. This
statement Is made without reservation
altho we have been out less than three
days and the greater part Of the l,94V
mile trip lies ahead OF US. But SUI
ficient evidence has already been fur
nished TO enable blind man TO pass
Judgment Al Of the river cities have
been criminally neglectfui Of heir OPP
portunities for many years and at no
point where We have made q landing
nor at any point where we shall touch
during the remainder Of the long trip
TO the gulf IS there anything that re-
semblas an adequate terminal or any
approach TO modern handling equip
ment.
Conditions Must Improve.
There ara wharf boats lying at tho
rubbish Uttered levees Of many cities
and towns and there are always
swarms Of husky negro rousta bouts
hanging around looking for an oppor-
tunty TO pick up so cents or dollar
by the hardest kind of manual labor.
But this Is q combination that doesn't
appeal to the shipper Of freight or the
owner OF river craft The wharf boats,
which feebly and ineTiciently attempt
10 serve as warehouses have no rail
connections Their lack of equipment
is such that freight must be handled
two or three times at each point and
the rousta bout labor while cheap per
unit is always mighty expensive in
the long run The result is that while
there is a small amount of port TO port
freight that moves back and forth be-
tween certain points, owing to peculiar
local conditions there is absolutely no
thru fraigh. service on the Mississippi
either upper or lower. and has not been
Tor man. c long day.
The man on the street is familiar
with the fact that many years ago, be-
fore the north and south railroad lines
came into being, the river carries i'm
mense tonnages between 81 Louis and
New Orleans and back and forth from
intermediate points. He naturally asks
how it was that the railroads managed
to absorb all the business and TO put
the boat and barge lines ont Of com
mission. Nine tenths OF the time he
answers his own question, after the
fashion OF the poorly Informed or pre-
JUDGED with the assertion that the
rail- lines were able TO carry this
freight more cheaply ana more rapidly
and that the evolution from water to
rail followed as a. matter of course.
Rail Competition Killed Traffic.
This is one of the half truths that
often serve the purpose Of a lie. The
rail line undoubtedly put the river
freight carriers out of business.
But with their more rapid and
moer economical methods Of loading
and unloading: with their factory 10
factory and warehouse % warehouse
deliveries: with their greatly reduced
insurance on goods in transit and with
their ability TO cut their rates 10 meet
water competition and sustain them
selves on revenue from hauls where
water competition was not factor.
they had all the best Of the bargain.
Some of the water lines tried to meet
the rail RACES. With the afore men
toned rail advantages as elements in
the situation and with the cards
stacked against them they naturally
failed. One by one they went out Of
business and the raiiros Dis, as fast as
they We're relieved OF water competl-
ton, put the rates back on a remunera-
tive basis again.
But that was a good many years ago.
The river had not been marked and
charted and buoyed and lighted and
put in its present excellent condition.
There were no physical connections
between the rail and water lines and
certainly no rate agreements. Nor was
there any machinery or government by
which such connections and such
agreements could be compelled. There
were no steel barges to reduce insur-
ance rates to the minimum; no tor
boats economical to operate as well as
pientifully powered; no warehouses
equipped with overhead handling sys-
TENS, electric trucks and portable con-
veyors; no walled terminals with
power cranes, railroad trackage and
paved roadways for teams. Handi-
capped by the most primitive condi-
tions, it would have been strange in
deed had the boat and barge lines of
that day survived their fight with the
rails
River Chartsd and Marked.
But the day has come, when as
result Of the work of the federal gov
eminent the great river is charted and
marked and buoyed and lighted from
one end to the other and is followed
by the average pilot as readily as the
main street Of his home town. And
besides, the other advantages Of termi-
nal wall, warehouse, handling ap-
paratus, rail connections, joint rates
and low insurance are also at hand
and may be enjoyed by every city and
town. large and small, with common