Evening star., 1918-06-17
To DirectOr-G General McAdOO

You have two answers to this question. One
is the answer of men who, from long years Of
study. practical experience and operation know
all the conditions Of river traffic Their verdict
is an unqualified endorsement of the plan to
utilize the waterways
On the other hand you have the opinion OF
railroad managers and experts who know moth
ing about river traffic, and who by reason Of
their opposition railroad men are pretudiced
against any use Of the rivers in competition
cooperation with the railroads
The Inland and Coastwise Waterways Com
mittee which you created to investigate the sub
proves Of the plan to use the Mississippi River
That committee is composed as you know of
men Of expert knowledge of the conditions Of the
rivers and of the essentials of successful water
ways traffic. 1t includes Government engineers
and practical river men who recommend and urge
the creation of barge service between ST. Louis
and New Orleans On the authority Of two Gov
ernment engineers. Major-General W. M Black
and BrigadierGeneral Charles Keller 1t guaran-
tees an eight-foot channel during most of the
year. Interruptions Of traffic are slight-slight-
er as we will show by competent authority, than
those Of railroad traffc
The barge service it recommends which can
be provided at an expenditure of $7350oo0.
would carry 100000 dead weight tons of freight
and would return net earnings Of $1,526,Ooo, or
IL per cent on the investment This would,re-
lease about 10000 freight cars.
In conjunction with the Recommendation for
the use Of the Mississippi River, the committse
urged the expenditure Of $60oo,000 to provide
for the use Of the New York State Barge Canal
which has been done
The railroad men who surround you BY reason
OF your Director Generalship of Railroads, have
smothered the recommendation with regard to
barge service on the Mississippi River.
The report of the Inland and Coastwise Wa
terways Committee was referred by your railroad
assistants to a committee of three railroad men,
These men were John Howe Peyton, president of
the N. G. & st. L. R. R, avowed opponent of
waterways traffic; Frank P. Bowes vice president
Of the Illinois Central one of the principal rail-
road competitors o: the Mississippi River and
F. c. Reilly, freight manager of the Frisco, the
business of whose road is seriously affected by
the development Of river traffic. This committee
of railroad experts approved the recommendation
for the use of the New York State Barge Canal,
but rejected the recommendation for the use of
the Mississippi River. Why?
Read their reasons. They consist of series Of
"ifs." SO ingeniously constructed that it would
conform absolutely to the standard of perfection.
1t hints Of distractions which common to all
kinds of traffic. and grossly misrepresents the
conditions of the channel between ST. Louis and
New Orleans.
In support of the statements of the Inland and
Coastwise Waterways Committee, Brigadier-Gen-
eral W. H. .Bixby. president of the Mississippi
River Commission and division engineer Of the
Western Division of the United States River and
Harbor Works. directly and completely refutes
the assertion of the railroad committee with re-
gard to the channel. He proves from the records
that the aggregate time between the reports of
deficiency depth and the securing Of over eight
feet between ST. Louis and Cairo has averaged less
than 80 days a.year: and of securing over Z feet
has averaged less than IL days year for five
consecutive years This means at the worst an
eight-foot channel for more than IL months q
year and over feet for all of the year except IL
days
He proves from the records that in IA years
there have been only eight occasions when an
S-foot continuous channel lacking, and only
81 days when the channel was less than. feet
between Cairo and New Orleans. Gen. Bixby's
statement ends with this pertinent paragraph:
The above statement of facts shows that
an s-foot channel from st. Louis to Cairo and
9 feet from Cairo to New Orleans is practi-
cally dependent only upon the continuance Of
appropriations; and its continuous mainte-
nance Is as certain and regular as that of
land travel Moreover it is much more diff
cult to sidetrack steamboats, than it is to side
track railway cars, so that quick delivery Of
freight by water is much more probable than -
quick delivery of freight by rails
With this damning evidence of misrepresenta-
tion of river traffic conditions, how can you &C.
cept the opinion of your railroad experts on the
subject? Would you accept conclusive the
opinion of expert horses with regard to
the efficiency of gasoline motor in preference
to the opinion Of a motor expert?
We do not believe that you will accept the.d dis
credited opinion Of railroad experts on the use
of waterways.
We ask you, in view of the urgent need of the
Government and of the overwhelming testimony
of men that know as to the potential value Of the
waterways. to give the question your unbiased
examination.
The War Department has recognized the value
Of the valley waterways to relieve car shortage,
congestion and coal shortage It
has ordered the dredging and Improvement of
the Illinois and Michigan Canal to six feet DEPTH
hal frof f6n