VERSUS FLOATING BRIDGES. 21 



The average Mississippi River boats cost $70 per net ton carrying capacity and 

 are of obsolete construction. 



"No," the river man objects, "our boats are not obsolete; we have kept pace 

 with the times, and our boats are to-day a great improvement on those of the 

 fifties." 



The other day a river captain said to the writer: "You are not famihar with 

 the improvements we have brought about on our river craft; our steamers are 

 now ahiiost fireproof; we have patent tapered floors, balanced rudders, steel and 

 asphalt decks ; we have improved tandem-compound or cross-compound piston-valve 

 engine, steam capstan and steering machine, a locomotive type of boiler, wire rail- 

 ings and tiller ropes, electric lights, combined breeching shield and furnace damper, 

 insulated pipe coverings, and many more important improvements that substanti- 

 ate the statement that our present side and stern-wheel steamers are the best type 

 of boats for river craft in the world." 



This enthusiastic description of the important improvements of the present 

 Mississippi River boat, from one of its ardent champions, illustrates better than 

 anything the writer can say their total obsolescence and inefficiency. 



This preamble will serve to make clear to you why I believe that navigation 

 upon our rivers is dead because, to some extent, of the fact that you naval 

 architects and marine engineers have permitted the mechanical engineers to steal a 

 march on you by improving their locomotives while you have been blind to one of 

 the largest fields in the entire country for your endeavors — that of our inland 

 waters, the largest of which contains a channel navigable for the entire year, with- 

 out ice, at a draught of 8 feet for a distance of 1,200 miles. 



We must seek, after this war is over, a firm foothold on foreign trade or pre- 

 pare to face a period of hard times. How could anyone think for a moment of the 

 possibility of seeking and holding foreign trade when lacking efficient methods of 

 transportation at home? The non-use of our rivers, which would permit freight 

 to move at one-fourth of the present rail charges, is a voluntary handicap and 

 penalty which we place on our foreign exports many fold. This war will be decided 

 by the business men of each of these fighting nations upon the markets of foreign 

 commerce and trade. That nation which, while buried under the heavy taxes it 

 must face, can still hold its foreign market — that nation will be the victor in this 

 war, and this is the fact that should earnestly interest us here in this country. This 

 part also afifects navigation upon the rivers, and as such directly concerns us, be- 

 cause the sharp competition which will come forth from this war between the victor 

 and the conquered will force upon us an equally severe competition, first to hold our 

 foreign trade and then to hold our home trade. For such competition we must 

 have the highest efficiency at home. 



While this country has reduced its rivers and harbors improvements because 

 of the foreign war, Germany, France and Holland have increased their rivers and 

 harbors improvement budget because of the war. We will find these two conclu- 

 sions, so much in opposition, to be the foundation in time of peace on which we will 

 have to base our fight for the trade of the world. 



