Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-08-12
OHIO RIVER CITIES
COMING To LIFE

EVANSVILLE, Ind.-Like a Rip
Van Wrinkle waking from a twenty
years. sleep, the Ohio river has
come to life again.
From Pittsburg, with its mills, to
southern Illinois and western Ken
lucky, with their coal mines and
| their rich grain fields, the broad
| stream once more is breasted by
boats.
AS the chief tributary of the Mis-
| sissippi river, the Ohio has for more
| than century furnished the largest
| amount Of tonnage to the Father of
Waters.
Coal and steel have moved south
from Pittsburg in great lows Of bar
ges. Until fifteen years ago, the
lows went to New Orleans and car
| ried coal, with only a smattering of
| other products.
Then the industrial regions along
the banks OF the upper Ohio expand
ed and coal could not be spared.
| Tows came no farther south than
Louisville or Cincinnati and then re-
manned in Pittsburg harbor for shift
ing to big plants. Cincinnati and Lou
isville got West Virginia coal by wa
ter and cities farther south had to
depend on railroads.
In the meantime, the shipment of
steel by river became an important
| movement. But it, too, Stacked up.
Railroads, thinking the river dead,
abolished differential rates which had
been granted to cities having river
competition.
The United States government had
spent millions in constructing locks
and dams in the Ohio. One Of the
great dams-eighteen miles below
Evansville-built on shifting sand
foundation, required ten years to
build. It is said to be the longest
movable dam in the world.
Business men began to see that
the government had placed at their
disposal a rejuvenated water route
with which to fight high railroad
rates.
So there were orders for boats and
barges.
And corporations tried to obtain
wharves and waterfronts.
Cities began talking Of municipal
rail-river terminals, following the
construction Of a large municipal ter
m1nal at st. Louis, on the Mississippi
| Eyes, too, were turned to a gov.
eminent barge line which had been
established on the Mississippi be-
tween st. Louis and New Orleans
with hopes that it would be extend
ed up the Ohio river. This line prob
ably will handle more than 1000, 00C
tons Of freight during 1922.
| With the resumption of activity
Henry Ford stated he was consid
ering a boat line on the Ohio river
from the terminus of his railroad
at Ironton, o. He hoped to obtain
Muscle Shoals power dam on the
Tennessee river to manufacture nj
trates and operate his line to that
place.
Those who had doubted at last
realized that the Ohio had awakened
Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Louisville, Ev
| ansville- the four largest cities or
the river-began to discuss and con
slider plans for terminals. Ever
while they talked, business continued
to climb. Although the coal strike
caused a temporary drop in river
traffic, predictions are today that the
Ohio soon will be burdened with
scores OF heavily ladened boats anC
barges, carrying millions of tons.
AT Evansville, the Evansville Press
called upon the city to build a river
terminal at once. The city planning
commission now is studying the
river terminal problem, with hopes
OF making an early report, so that a
| terminal can be gotten under way
| within a few months.