The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-04-16

aud It's river have been concerned,
There have been ups and downs
cross currents, oddics, and changed
courses. both iu river and city. In
that pcrlod. And now the turning
| point has come. once Tor an has tho
way been opened up to steadily bet
ter things for both city ana river.
Tho city is Mcmphis, itA river ,s
the Mississippi. the two are iuPcpd-
rpblc. ono cannot Eo TO the Mvm-
| phis postufnCc without looking out
ON q broad cxpauso OF the river; he
cannot pass q Corner on tho long
stretch % Main street without get
ting "a glimpse ~ the river. II he
would turn TO soma Of tho leading
banks 90 Memphis. he will find him
self 'HrlnE tho river. For blocks
from tho main business district OF
Memphis. and anywhere for some
distance ono may walk straight
down to tho waters edge without
leaving the pavement. at least. n
pavement OF tuhblc-stuucR.
Memphis today liz not the cnsy-
going, southern river city that one
might imagine from earlier accounts.
Tho skyscrapers Of Memphis look
very much like those OF any other
American city. there being n ro-
hinder cvc OF New York as one
thinks Of the Views both cities pres
ent from tho water front. In short.
Memphis hRs Joined tho whirl OF
American business life. and what
ever It's past or the past OF its river.
Il il pointed straight ahead rs n
great industrial center. Tho city's
population today IL 10000 M
against 1871 900 In 1910, and the
place In steadily growing.
And the rlyor2 Wen. the business
men Of Memphis believe their river
IN TO have n prominent influence
In all tho future commercial great
ness. These men. including traffic
officials ~ tho Merchants Exchange
and tho Chamber OF Commerce, do
not fail TO tell you ~ tho rail line
advantages Of Memphis, OF the two
big passenger stations, tho ample
freight terminals ana the immense
100000 Harnhan railroad bridge
across tho Mlsslssippl. But they al
ways come back 20 tho river, the
possibilities ~ developing the river
and lts traffic, when they talk OF
the Memphis that IL to be n decade
or two hence.
Kansas city IN Same System.
Just now tho big thing at Mem
] pms W. lhN w INV llNFI ~ AbIl'NIflfNlt
is tho construction OF an immense
terminal for use. In corporation
with tho railways, OF the federal
barge limo which operates from 81
Louis 10 New orleans. Kansas CitS
IN Interested In this barge line. too
Tor the success OF It's operation will
have much 20 do with the develop
ment OF tho entire Mississippi vallel
waterways system, the Missouri rive
being included. And when KansnI
city again has n barge line OF III
own and thus ome a link Itself
with tho waterways system of IA,
middle west. ~ viii want 10 build
"A river and rail line terminal. also,
and thus Join moi only Memphis but
st. Louis. New Orleans. Cairo, Gin
cinnati, Paducah. Nashville. Match
az, and all the other cities on tho
Mississippi. tho Ohio, tho cumber-
land ana other rivers OF the valley
system.
Lot Mayor j. Rowihtt Paine OF
Memphis. a towering, alert man
with n keen business sonse, tell you
OF tho city's river terminal. II IN
u OF tho mayors principal inter-
eats ana. through delays because .of
litigation with tho railroads over a
portion OF the terminal site, az well
az q lack OF cooperation OF certain
business interests. the mayor and
the terminal commission have push
ed forward with tho project.
what are we doing about the
barge line ~terminAl2" repeated May
or Paine, In answer to a query.
why. just look here" and he reach
ed for n roll OF blue prints. Right
here. Just north Of the Harahan
bridge. was the old river terminal.
Three years z tho city OF Memphis
bought and improved this old termi-
nal for half n million dollars. II
has been used by the barge line.
But II " too small for the river traf-
Tic Of the present, 10 say nothing OF
the future. II stands on a 90-foot
bluff overlooking the river; It has
no rail line connection ana the ex-
pense or loading and unloading the
barges Is heavy.
New Terminal Nearer Water.
wow, the city OF Memphis, ~
cooperation with the government.
proposes to build n new and larger
terminal; In fact. has already begun
tho work. This will be south oil
the Harahan bridge, on a level al
most with the river. II will hay,
ample rail line facilities. 10 that th'
freight cars and the barges can b,
loaded and unlondod directly, on'
from the other. Thus. a cargo fOl
Memphis from Corinth. Miss. or ana
other point, can be unlOadod and
whlsked right out on the rail linc'
10 It's destination. Where there n
necessity for storage, the termina
Will meet tho need by tho construc'
tlOn, probably, ~ warehouses"
For tho building M tho new ter
minal tho city of Memphis already
has appropriated half "a million doll
lars. a ike amount Will Doe fur.
nished by the government, tho city
agreeing no llquldato the loan With
In 80 years.. This Will be the start
or FOR the terminal not IN Itself a
highly expensive undertaking, but
because Of its nature, fun OF posi-
bllitlcs for tho speeding up and
chcapCuiuR Of river transportation
and linking that transportation with
the railway system leading 20 and
from the city,
But this rs not all, Remember
that what Memphis In doing Is what
other river cities are doing or have
already done, and that all the ter
mIual Improvement II just ono I'M
portaut step IN the development OF
an immense rail and waterway sys,
TEN Of transportation.
Federal Bargcs May Revise Traffic
This awakening 10 river traffic ha.
been ocCasioned largely by opera.