Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-04-03
BIG CONFERENCE
TOBE HELD HERE
[Continucd from First Pagc.l

Moore, Congressman from Philadel-
phia and head of the Inland Deeper
Waterways Association, and met
with instant approval.
Last nights meeting was held
under the auspicess of the Mer-
chants and Manufa cturers' Associa-
ton OF Columbia and was attended
by twenty-eight members of the
Harrisburg Rotary Club, including
Eli \. Hershey, the president, who
is also chairman of the Susquehanna
Deeper Waterways Committee and
who was one of the speakers.
RousinS addresses We're made by
Congressman L. S. Brooks, of York;
Major William B. Gray, OF the
United States Army. and Congress
man Moore. ]. II. Ostertag. of Co
lumbia, presided.
Promises Support
Congressman Brooks said he came
to the meeting seeking information
on the subject, which had been but
recently brought to his attention.
Nevertheless, he said, he was con-
vinced that the improvement is
practical and desirable from a busi-
ness standpoint. His address
showed that he had given the sub
ject considerable study and he
brought out the new thought, it be-
ing acknowledged the railroads can
no longer bear the burden of com
mercial requirements during rush
periods and that some new method
of getting goods to market must be
devised, it would be just as cheap
to develop waterways as to build
railroads nXtan Sinng of old
ones at present prices of labor and
materials and much more desirable
from the standpoint of upkeep and
lower freight rates. lie promised
TO do whatever he could to assist
congressman Krcider and Griest in
the enterprise.
Major Gray Speaks
Major Gray. who resided at Co.
lumbia for two years during the
time when he was engineer in charge
of the building of the new low grade
Pennsylvania freight line, received
an ovation at the hands of his old
neighbors. Major Gray said that
as railroad builder he has been
able to study at close range and
from carefully compiled data the
possibilities of the Susquehanna,
and he ventured the estimate that
to canaliZe the river would cost less
than has been found necessary to
develop the Mohawk, the Ohio or
other streams now carrying freight,
and that the returns would be much
larger. Contrary to general belief,
he said, it would not be difficult
engineering feat to make the Sus-
quehanna navigable.
"The base is right and you would
not have to go deep for founda-
tions. eve went down 100 feet on
the Mohawk) while you have five
times as much water to carry your
traffic as there is in the Ohio and
better commercial field to draw
from, for you would ship directly
by water from your coalfield, your
farms and your factories to Balti-
more. Philadelphia, Norfolk and
points along the South Atlantic
coast, if not across the water" He
dwelt upon the possibilities of US
ing the dams for water power.
Congressman Moore spoke for more
than an hour and received great
ovation. He outlined the necessity for
supplimenting the rail transportation of
the country by something cheaper and
said the winter of 1913 had shown the
people of New England the necessity
of finding a way to get their coal to
them when the railroads failed and
he predicted that a deeper river would
greatly lessen the price of fuel to every
body enjoying the lower rates the
deeper river would afford. He said the
people of the East had let the people
of the South and West run away with
millions of dollars of government funds
for the deepening of rivers far less inn
nortant that either the Susqnehanna
or the Delaware, while we had been
content to take little or nothing.
'And they will continue to do that un-
less we bestir ourselves" said he.
''NVhat you folks in the Susquehanna
Valley must do is TO get behind your
CONGRESSMAN in the creation of
healthy public sentiment for this de-
yelopment. and then I am sure you
will get il. Hold big conference of
ali the people of the river towns and
give the government all the assistance
you can"
Congressman Moore said that he with
Congressman Greist and Congressman
Ereidler had called on the War De-
nartment official in charge to ask for
prompt consideration of the survey
made possible by the recent act of
Congress and found that having just
made a study of the waterways of
France he was in very receptive mood
and the survey will be started at once.
Mr.. Hershey. representing Harris
burg. outlined the history of the move
1nent so far as the Rotary club is con-
cerned and promised Harrisburg's sup
port in the plan as outlined.