The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-10-15
NORTHSEEKS new
WATER ROUTE TO
GULF AND OCEAN
-Four Years Pass Since loot Of
River Freighter Sounds at
Minneapolis Which Is After
Outlet to Sea.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINI, Oct. l5.-
rms city has sent a distress call 70 the
regional director OF the railroad admin
istratlon Tor more freight cars to bring
and more freight cars to carry building
material to farmers who are marketing
lhelr wheat and have money TO make
farm improvements,
meanwhile moss is growing on the
SdVO 200 dock wall which the city built
on the Mississippi river when the gov
eminent spent $1,000, 900 to build a dam
making the depth of water such thak
eamPoats could safely come to Min
This was fo6r years ago, and Mime
apols since has not heard the loot Of
q river ~fretghter, and the acclaim Of the
citizens that four years ago greeted
the efforts at river revival since has
FALLEN to dubious headshakings. Min
neapolis is without hope that the river
can be the outlet of her productivenesa,
n 10 turning her ear to those new en-
thusiasts, recently in convention in Du-
luth, who ere planning a deep, short
route by the lakes to the ses, via a
canal connecting Lake Huron With the
st. Lawrence.
We are treading . circle so, far ~
| the river Is concerned one river advo-
cate said. Our board OF aldermen says
1t will spend no more for docks until it
sees a steamboat in the offing. We are
tOln that no boats can come until the
channel is made. Congress wont make
~ channel until cities show interest by
building terminals. There we are"
River Rail System.
1t frequently has been stated pub
licly in st. Louis that the success Of
the experiment Of river revival now in
progress between st. Louis and New
Orleans is dependent upon whether the
new fleet of government towboats and
barges is given capacity cargo, II has
been frequently stated that st. Louis
cannot produce that capacity cargo and
must draw by rail upon the territory
north in the valley of its products, In
| fact, rail and river rates permitting the
Minneapolis shipper to send his goods
by rail to ST. Louis and thence by river
to New Orleans at the same time saw
ing for the river haul that the st. Louis
shipper gains have been promulgated
to bring that freight.
Yet a visit among half a dozen of the
larger exporting industries of Minne-
apolis revealed hat not one knew of
the existence of this service. One or
two knew in a vague way that a barge
line was operating, but each had a Wis
ion Of old-time steamboat operation,
| uncertainties Of service and exposure
to the weather. None knew that steel
| barges with deck houses were weather
tight, more secure than any freight car
constituted the service. None knew
that he could load for export at his
factory door, receive his export bill of
lading, secured by the United States
government, and forget all worry In the
knowledge that the shipment would be
taken over by the barge at st. Louis
and delivered to the ocean carrier at
New orleans with no added expense
to himself.
None knew that If the lower river
barge fleet was made a success that a
similar fleet upon the upper river would
become a moral certainty, even II pri-
vate capital must finance 1t. None
knew that unless they did contribute
their freight to the lower barge fleet
1t might fail, and with the failure would
fade the whole possibility of use OF
John Pillsbury, vice-president OF the
Pillsbury flour mills, said: We saw
the advantage Of a cheap water route to
the gulf so clearly that we gave a whole
barge load to a ~revivalist who bought
a carrier to Minneapolis. The flour
went south under tarpaulins and We
lost the whole cargo" He knew moth
ing OF steel barges and steel cargo
houses.
Pillsbury traffic manager said; "OuI
product will not stand the rough trans
fer" He did not know that st. Louis
had provided a dock over which q
transfer by mechanical means is as
gentle as the swinging of a hammock II
a zephyr. :,
Minneapolis and the upper valley is
ignorant of the character OF the barge
service now being provided for them OF
the lower river as a ~forerunner OF SIM
lar service to be extended to the uppel
river, thus completing the revival OF tn
river from its head of navigation to thu