Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-03-27
BIRMINGHAM USES ITS NEW RIVER
BY FREDERIC J. HAskIN

piled the opportunity to make up that
dchciency. For example, by the river
| freight may be shipped to New
Orleans for less than half of what IL,
costs By rail
Coal Moving by Water
The most immediate and obvious on.
portunity the river aords is TO shi,
Goa! To Mobile 10y water. and this nj.
rcadS Is being done by several com
panies. one or them has established d.
i'he oil seit-actuating bargcs-grcat
. shallow draft steamers dcsixu.d :,
carry 1000 tons OF freight each An
other has made "a great saving in tn.
loading process by dumping coal from.
Il bridge directly into rhc bargcs thu.
making the force OF gravity do moyi
OF the work. The distance to MobiI.
! 10y water is 42j miles, and the rive,
has a minimum depth OF six feet ali
the way all tn" year round This I.
sufficient for all tugboats and barpes
More than half Of tho coal tina, goes
from birmingham 10 Mobile IL aIrcad,
taxing The water route. and tho de
ve!opmcnt of new mines has been slim
ulatcd by the traffic
The Birmingham coal people arc nov
bent upon having the nay$ use Ala
haina coal so that Mobile maybe come
. coalinG station Tor vessels operating
IN cum waters. They claim that
government test has proved tho yalu,
of this coal for use on the Euubo.ts
ana submarines. Birmingham ais.
plans to renew her Overturcs 10 IN.
government To build "A gun and arrno-
pant here. This has long been .,
'a.oritc project, and now that the cit,
has water transportation TO tho Sc,
IN" people feel that their arguincn,
mas been UNNECESSARILY strengthened
80 FAR these bargcs that carry coal
10 Mobile have been coming back
empty for the most part This ,s mani.
"A I,. Rgr,,, ,,,,.
ness men are eagerly Investigating to
hhd what supplies the city could hes,
. obtain by the water route. The most
available carEocs seem TO be the fcrro
, manganese ores. which Birmingham
imports from Cuba and tho rcbnI.
phosphate that comes to the CITY iron,
Florida for use in making fertilizer
/ Both OF these commodities could ho
brought much more chcaply by water.
and II ~ believed that they ultimately
Will be.
Expect Big Development.
birmingham business mon already
have preparations substantially under
way Tor reaching much farther aflcld
by way OF their new water route. One
company has already completed plans
Tor inc OF seagoing barges, which
VIII connect birmingham with New
| Orleans and Cuba by water There is
| something very picturesque about the
boat line to sea island, hut i'm I'M.
case thcr" is nothing impracticable In
H. Cuba needs the pipe. wire nail.
and other iron and steel products which
birmingham can thus place upon the
island al very low cost. This is still
moro true of Texas Louisiana and tho
southwest generally, where RirInInc.
nam manufacturers believe they can
successfully share the trade with
Pittsburgh products coming down the
Mississippi. One Birmingham concern
mas already purchased terminals in
New Orleans.
birmingham is something of a whole
sale center. and the Wholesale deaIers
are also out for share of the bcncfts
conferred by the new waterway. They
| believe that they can both shin and
| receive goods to excellent advantage
by water. and they arc not going 10
wait until the electric line is com.
plcted. They plan to reach tho river
by means or motor trucks
Birmingham's new river is an
ceilent example Of how very ROO,
| thing may come out of the so-calIcd
pork barrel il shows how tho rrc,t
constructive forces OF the goyern,nnn,
| may move barriers too great for the
strength of single community and
open splendid opportunities for do
reiopment and profit TO the whole
country.