Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-02-11
INLAND WATERWAY
TRAFFIC BOOMING
Pittsburgh Now Second Port
in U. S. in Point of Tonnage.
Barge Fleet Growing.
BY J. c. R0YLE.


Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, February lit Is
lust beginning to become evident what
progress has been made in the past
year in inland waterways transport
alton in this country and the effect
it is having and will have even on
tho most arid regions Of the coun-
try.
Thus as a result Of this progress
Pittsburgh today is the second port
in this country il tonnage is the basis
of computation. This statement has
been confirmed by the chief engineer
Of the Army. who said: Figures
of the United States engineers show
that New York harbor alone has ex-
ceeded Pittsburgh in water-borne
tonnage: The harbors of Philadel-
Boston each are reported as having
moved from 100000 to 100000 tons
less freight than Pittsburgh in 1928"
Enormous Barge Tr.mc.
The case of Pittsburgh is empha-
sized not because the improvement
in water transportation, was confined
10 that section, but because progress
and can be done in other sections.
Pittsburgh handled 31,44S.660 tons OF
freight by water last year. OF this
amount 21.44S.660 tons were moved
in barges on the Monongahela river,
6,460.555 tons on the Ohio and $780,
$40 tons on the Allegheny.
= large portion OF this tonnage was
coal moved from the mines to the
steel mills and coke ovens. Sand and
gravel also played large part in
this movement but for the last three
years there has been constantly in
creasing volume of steel products
moving by the rivers. Now the oil
industry has turned to inland water
way transportation, using tank
barges to carry the crude-and refined
products.
Great Boom to South.
This traffic from the steel mills by
water has had a tremendous bearing
on the development of the south. west
and southwest. Practically all the
big, steel makers of the Pittsburgh
heavy deliveries of their products
INTO that territory at a price which
would be impossible were it not for
use of barges to ST. Louis, Memphis
and New. Orleans. and railroads from
those points to cities in the interior.
From gulf ports the steel is advan-
tageously reloaded on ocean going
steamers to Central and South Amer
lean countries. and to the Pacific
coast and orient via Panama.
There are ninety steam towboats
now in operation out of Pittsburgh
and over $500 steel barges of $50 to
1000 tons capacity each. These
fleets are constantly being augment
dams in the Ohio seems assured,
thereby guaranteeing through
water route from Pittsburgh to the
gulf all the year round. And now
the Oil companies are taking steps
which will permit California Oil to
compete on excellent terms with Pc
troleum produced in Pennsylvania
ITSELF.
Ono large oil company is building
fleet of 5000 to 10000 barrel tank
pose OF using them to transport
California oil and gasoline brought
by tank steamers to New Orleans
through the canal. up the Ohio and
Mississippi rivers to the Smoky city.
Cairo Big Distributing Point.
Several of the Pittsburgh barge
compa mics have effected agreements
with the Mississippi-Wa service,
the big barge line operated by the
government, by which tows are deliv-
cred to the federal line at Cairo for
delivery to destinations up and down
The Jones & Laughlin Steel corpo-
ration was the first concern to make
use of river transportation in the
steel industry, having; secured its
coal supplies in that way since 1892
and starting river delivery of steel
in 1921. Other concerns now using
the rivers are the Carnegie Steel.
American Steel ard Wire, National
Tube. American Sheet and Tinplate,
Pittsburgh Steel and Wheeling Steel.
The big mills in the Youngstown
district. such as Youngstown Sheet
and Tube and Republic Iron and
steel. take advantage OF the rivers
by shipping to Cairo or ST. Louis by
rail and thence by water.
Ii is claimed faster time Is made
on large deliveries by river than by
rail. ToWs of six to twelve steel
barges carrying as high as 10000
tons have repeatedly run the 1900
miles from Pittsburgh to Memphis
or st. Louis in eight to ten days and
to New Orleans in fourteen to sixteen
days. One Pittsburgh company has
recently established a record by run
ming between Pittsburgh and Cairo at
the rate Of 21o miles a day.