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PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



Estimating the reduction to be effected by the 

 Hennepin Canal upon the same basis, namely, 6 mills 

 per ton per mile down the Mississippi } 8 mills up the 

 river, and at one cent per ton per mile througn the 

 canals to Chicago, the saving is shown by the follow- 

 ing table : 



Table showing the actual cost of transport by rail to 

 Chicago in 1872, and the estimated cost from the 

 ports named, by the proposed water-route. 



If the river charges be estimated at the rates which 

 actually prevail on the Mississippi during high water, 

 or at the average rate charged from St. Loui* to New 

 Orleans, the average saving would be about 9i cents 

 per bushel. With the Mississippi improved and the 

 use of steam on the canal, I have no doubt the reduc- 

 tion will average at least 10 cents per bushel from all 

 the river points named, and that competition of the 

 canal will largely reduce the railway rates as far south 

 as St. Louis. It is therefore safe to say that the con- 

 struction of these two improvements will reduce the 

 charges from all points on the Mississippi Eiver 

 above Quincy, Illinois, from the present average of 

 17 cents to 7 cents per bushel. 



It is believed, by those who are best informed on 

 the subject, that the enlargement of the Nw York 

 canals so as to pass boats ot 600 to 1,000 tons will re- 

 duce the cost of transportation on that part of the 

 line 50 per cent. The eifeet of the former enlarge- 

 ment of the Eiie Canal was to reduce the cost of 

 transportation one-half, and, as the proposed improve- 

 ment will more than treble its capacity, and permit 

 the passage of boats of 690 tons instead of 210 tons as 

 at present, there seems to be no reasonable doubt 

 that the anticipated reduction will be accomplished. 

 The establishment of reciprocal trade relations with 

 the Dominion of Canada, which shall induce the con- 

 struction of the Caughnawaga Canal (if such an ar- 

 rangement can be made), and which will encourage 

 Canadian ship-masters to compete for the carrying 

 trade on the lakes, will also materially cheapen the 

 cost of transport to New England. The evidence taken 

 by the committee fullv justifies the opinion that by 

 the enlargement of the New York Canals, the construc- 

 tion of the Caughnawaga Canal, and the use of the 

 enlarged Canadian canals, the cost of transport from 

 Chicago to Burlington. Vermont, and to New York 

 Cityj will not exceed from 12 to 15 cents per bushel, 

 making the entire cost from the Mississippi Eiver to 

 Burlington, Vermont, or to New York, not more than 

 22 cents per bushel, against the present cost of 43.6 

 cents by water and 50s- cents by rail. We may, 

 therefore, reasonably estimate that by the proposed 

 improvements upon this route a saving can be effected 

 of 20 cents per bushel, or $6.70 per ton, on all the 

 vast tonnage moved between that river and the East. 



BENEFITS AND ADVANTAGES ANTICIPATED FROM TUB 

 CENTRAL ROUTE. 



Assuming a charge of 4 mills per ton per mile on 

 the Mississippi Eiver and on the improved Ohio and 

 Kanawha Eivers, a charge of 8 mills per ton per mile 

 on the James Eiver andKanawha Canal, and 6 mills 



per ton per mile on the slack-water improvement. 



the following statement will represent the cost of 



transport from Cairo, Illinois, to Bichmond, Virginia, 



by the central water-line : 



Cairo to Great Palls of the Kan.iwha, 790 miles, 4 

 mills per ton per mile $3 00 



From Great Falls to Richmond, the distance (equa- 

 ting each lock at one-half mile of canal) is 509 

 miles, of which 348 is canal (equated), and 161 is 

 slack-water : 



Canal, 348 miles, at 8 mills per ton per mile 2 78 



Slack-water, 161 miles, at 6 mills per ton per mile. 99 



Total per ton for entire distance $6 80 



Equal to 20.4 cents per bushel of sixty pounds. 



If the freight railway from the Kanawha to tide- 

 water be adopted, instead of the canal and slack- 

 water improvement, the cost of transport from the 

 Ohio Eiver to the ocean will, it is believed, be sub- 

 stantially the same as above stated. 



The Central route would be closed by ice only 

 about thirty days each year, and hence it would be an 

 active competitor with all the railways from the Mis- 

 sissippi Eiver to the Atlantic, at times when compe- 

 tition is now suspended, by reason of frost, on the 

 northern water-route. The eifeet of such a regulator 

 of railway charges would be to greatly reduce the 

 present winter rates, and, by the constant competition 

 it would maintain, to compel uniformly low charges 

 on all rail and water-lines from the interior to the 

 Eastern and Southern seaboard. Its advantages would 

 be greatest, however, to the central tier of States. 

 Four of the largest interior cities of the continent 

 St. Louis, Cincinnati, Louisville, and Pittsburg 

 are situated directly upon it. The trade of these 

 cities, together with the other towns and cities on the 

 Ohio Eiver, is now far in excess of our entire foreign 

 commerce. A vast area of the richest agricultural 

 and mineral country in the world is directly tributary 

 to it, and onlv awaits reasonable facilities for trans- 

 portation to develop a commerce the magnitude of 

 which it is difficult now to conceive. 



It is due to this route to say that the estimated cost 

 of transport is fully 50 per cent, higher than the fig- 

 ures relied upon by its special advocates. The com- 

 mittee have adopted them from superabundant cau- 

 tion, preferring to understate, rather than to risk an 

 exaggeration of its advantages. 



The evidence taken by the committee shows that 

 the average charges on the Ohio and Mississippi are 

 only 31 to 4i mills per ton per mile, and in some 

 cases only 2 mills. The estimated cost for the Cen- 

 tral route is lower than has been assumed for the Fox 

 and Wisconsin improvement, or for the Hennepin 

 Canal, the reason for which is that the season of navi- 

 gation will be much longer, and hence vessels can 

 be more constantly employed. 



The saving to be anticipated from the Mississippi 

 Eiver to Eichmond, Virginia, as against the present 

 water-route to New York, estimated upon the basis 

 just stated, is 23 cents per bushel, and against the 

 all-rail route about 30 cents per bushel. 



BENEFITS AND ADVANTAGES ANTICIPATED FROM THE 

 SOUTHERN ROUTE. 



Assuming the same rate of charges as in the esti- 

 mate just made for the Central route, namely, 4 mills 

 per ton per mile on open river, 6 mills per ton per 

 mile on slack-water navigation, and 8 mills per ton 

 per mile by canal, the following will represent the cost 

 of transport by this route from Cairo to the ocean : 



Open river, 980 miles, 4 mills per ton per mile $3 92 



Slack-water, 70 miles, 6 mills per ton per mile 42 



Canal, 325 miles, 8 mills per ton per mile 2 60 



Total per ton for entire distance $6 94 



Equal to 20.8 cents per bushel of 60 pounds. 



It is believed that a freight railway from the vicin- 

 ity of Guntersville, Alabama, or Chattanooga, Ten- 

 nessee, would enable this route to accomplish very 

 nearly the same results. This route will never be 



