Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-10-05

"0S AOWd uHuSE IA0 Az "a SoAAS
March 8. 1879.
Foreign representatives: Cone, LOT
enzen & Woodman, Mallers BuiluinS
Chicago; 225 Fifth Ave-, New YORK
City; Gumbel Bldg. Kansas City, MO.
RIVER TERMINALS.
Every day 1t becomes more appar-
ent that the way to boost inland
waterways as the cheapest means for
moving freight is to talk terminals
and warehouses. Though the rivers
were made ten feet deep everywhere,
there would still remain the chief
drawback to successful waterway traf-
fc-lack Of modern means for loading,
unloading and storing freight. Fig
ures can be cited to show that the
actual cost of transporting freight by
water is ridiculously low and yet there
are few who care to go into the busl-
ness. Why? There is a joker. The
cost of putting the freight on and OIL
the boat and the costs OF obtaining
suitable storage space is far greater
than the cost of the hauling. In other
words 1t costs more to load a steamer
at the average levee landing along the
Mississippi river than 1t does to seno
the loaded steamer the whole length
of the old father of waters
\ That makes 1t as plain as the nose
on your face that the way to reduce
the cost of river transportation, the
way to make river traffic practlcal,
the way to attract business interests
to the field of hauling freight by wat
er is to equip the cities along the
rivers with modern docks and ter
minals and warehouses. That Is
task for the individual cities. When
enough of them have followed the
lead Of New Orleans, Minneapolis, St.
paul and Davenport, in putting in mu-
nfcipal steamer terminals and ware
houses and loading cranes and the
like then there will quickly appear
on the Mississippi river plenty OF
freight steamers and barge lines
to haul millions Of tons of freight
annually. When the boats begin ply
ing the river then will be the proper
time for the government to truly enter
upon the task of improving the chan
Aels. -t'a5
An editorial in the Chicago Tribune
OF Friday touches on this subject as
follows:
Davenport is another progressive
commercial center, contiguous to the
unused Mississippi river, that is thor
oughly awake to the benefits Of fit
ting this stream into shape CONNER
cially and of the penalties of further
inaction. Up until the cutting of the
Panama canal the middle west was
SO busy and so we'll located physically
that 1t could jog along, disdainful of
the savings that might have been ef
'fected on north and south traffic But
when the entire trade with the rich
and prosperous Pacific coast Is being
eaten away because the rail rates
from Chicago to San Francisco are
much higher than the wator rate
through the Panama canal from Bos-
ton to San Francisco it is time for
some affirmative action. 1t Is doubt
full If the transcontinental railroads
and the interstate commerce commits
sion can give an entirely satisfactory
overland rate. The more practicable
opening is lower rates down the Mis-
sissippi to New Orleans and the can
al.
Waterway transportation will have
to have some of the efficiency and
forestehtedness of the railroads ap-
piled to it for any real results. The
economic problem is said to be simple.
The cost of handling a ton of freight
at the average Mississippi river city
is greater than the cost Of hauling the
entire length Of the river. This Is
NOT true OF the railroads and should
not be of the river. The present type
of steamboat and sloping levees must
give way to modern, coord1nated
riyerrail terminal and carrying facili-
ties. including warehouses, convey
orr cranes and other labor saving
devices, New Orleans has taken the
lead and Davenport is not far behind,
considering the relative business prize
at stake. Altogether 3750,000 will be
spent which will include the con-
struction of three miles Of terminal
wall the reclamation of al acres OF
valuable river front land and mod
ern terminal.
When the other cities down the
line are as active and the canal from
Chicago to the river is completed the
middle west may be In a position to
reestablish these lucrative trade
routes. But Chicago, Cincinnati, Min.
neapolis. St. Louis, Kansas City and
any other city in the valley that wants
to be known as city at all have an
equal opportunity to make this co.
operative attempt at efficiency sue.
cess or failure. 1t is just a chance
where extraordinary efforts are likely
to prevail.
"Jitney" bus men running between
Rock Island and Moline, ILL.,, have de-
cido1 RI Rpht tho nnfOrcamant of
new ordinance in Rock Island reQuir-
ing the fling of sufficient bond to
cover possible damage done to pedes-
TRANS In the last six months nearly
IA hundred accidents have occurred
and in no case has any of the injured
people been able to secure recon-