The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-17
FIRST COAL BARGE LEAVES ST. LOUIS FOR NEW ORLEANS Bernhard Thinks This Will Ultimately Cooperate
 With Craft on
 Warrior

Of exceptional importance to Birming-
 ham and this district was the news re-
 ceiyed here last night that the "Inco No. l." the first of a fleet of self-propelled
 barges to be operated on the Mississippi river, had begun it's initial trip down the
 stream from St. Louis to New Orleans. The barge is bringing a cargo of 1600
 tons and will make the run to the Cres-
 cent City in 12 days It is modeled after
 the self-propelled steel barges now in use
 on the Warrior river between the Bir-
 mingham district and New Orleans. The
 craft on the Warrior are only slightly
 smaller than the new one on the Missis-
 sippi. those on the Alabama stream be-
 ing of 1900 tons carrying capacity.
 The fnco No l" is owned by the In-
 land Navigation company of which John
 H. Bernhard is the directing head Mr.
 Bernhard is well known in Birmingham
 and Alabama, having been the organizer
 and the first president of the Alabama
 New Orleans Transportation company.
 which owns and operates a number of
 steel barges on the Warrior now
 It will be recalled that MT. Bernhard.
 while in Birmingham several months ago. outlined his plans in connection with the Inland Navigation company and de- clared that he expected at no far dfs- tant date to see freight moving down the Warrior and to New Orleans by self propelling barges and thence up the Mis- sissippi to St. Louis, St. Paul, Minneapo- lis and other cities in that section. The advantages of the plan were pointed out by MT. Bernhard, who told of the great need of the people in that section for the cheap coal, iron and steel products of this district which could be delivered by all-water route at low cost of trans portation, while the people of Birming- ham and Alabama were buying millions of dollars worth of grains, Hours. meats and other products or the upper Mis- sissippi valley.
 The ''Inco No r is the first of a pro- posed fleet of 35 barges, all of which are to be built of steel, equipped with engines operated with gas generated from coal on the boat. Some of the proposed
 barges are to be much larger than the first, the capacity running as high as
 5000 tons and having high rate of speed both up and down the river.
 The trip of the new barge down the
 Mississippi is not the first made by MT. Bernhard on the Mississippi with barge of this type. Nearly two years ago, he "CiiS AioHi 4N0W OTlednS tO Gl. EAui 3L the head of navigation on the Mississippi and returned to the Crescent City in barge No. of the Alabama-New Orr leans Transportation company, which is now operating on the Warrior river, car rying coal foi the Tennessee company from Maxine to New Orleans.
 Mir. Bernhard plans for the extension of the river barge system to include not only the Mississippi, but the Ohio, the
 Missouri. the Tennessee and other
 streams flowing into the Mississippi. It is planned to issue through bills of lad ing, and it is predicted that at no far distant date, shippers in Birmingham can order goods sent from St. Louis. Mime apolis, Cincinnati, St. Paul and other cities through New Orleans and up the water by all-water route.
 While the entire proposition is now in it's infancy, interchange traffic agree
 ments have been entered into with all the existing packet lines of steamboats on the Mississippi, and with many rail- roads. and suits have been filed with the interstate commerce commission to com pei interchange with such railroads as now have not agreed.