BULLETIN OF THE 



No. 74 



Contributed by the Bureau of Crop Estimates, L. M. Estabrook, Chief 



and by the Office of Markets, C. J. Brand, Chief. 



December 19, 1914. 



INLAND BOAT SERVICE: FREIGHT RATES ON FARM PROD- 

 UCTS AND TIME OF TRANSIT ON INLAND WATERWAYS IN 

 THE UNITED STATES. 



By Frank Andrews, 

 Chief, Division of Crop Records. 



PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF INQUIRY. 



The purpose of this inquiry was to collect information relative to 

 freight rates and time of transit of farm products carried on inland 

 waterways of the United States. It being impracticable to collect 

 complete data, the inquiries were made to cover a large number of 

 representative routes and commodities. The freight rates apply to 

 September and October, 1912, when a large part of the agricultural 

 products of 1912 was moving to market and, naturally, traffic on 

 waterways would be relatively large. The freight rates by boat 

 were obtained directly from captains, agents, and other officials of 

 steamboat lines. Some reports for distances were also obtained 

 from these persons, but mostly from the Chief of Engineers of the 

 United States Army, who has charge of the improvement of water- 

 ways. For minor items and for verification other sources were used; 

 they included notes made by the author at various times in the course 

 of field work, information received through correspondence, and data 

 gathered from various printed matter. 



RIVER TRAFFIC DEFINED. 



River traffic as discussed in this bulletin is to be distinguished from 

 the traffic by coastwise vessels and on the Great Lakes. Conditions 

 are different in many respects between the river transportation and 

 that conducted by the large vessels on deep water. One point of 

 difference lies in the size of the river boats as compared with the 

 lake and coastwise vessels. A large freight steamer on the Great 

 Lakes will carry as much as 400,000 bushels of wheat at one load. 

 On June 30, 1912, the average gross tonnage of vessels on the Great 



62705°— 14 1 



