2 BTTLLETn? 74, TJ. S. DEPAKTMENT OF AGEICTJLTTJEE. 



Lakes was 876 tons of 100 cubic feet, while the average for vessels on 

 the western rivers was only 78 tons measurement. The carrying 

 capacity of river steamboats is increased by the use of barges. This 

 is especially true in the shipment of coal from the Pittsburgh region 

 to New Orleans. From 30 to 50 or more barges, each carrying about 

 1,000 tons (of 2,000 pounds), may be moved by a single towboat. In 

 ordinary river freight service, one or more barges may be taken, 

 especially when a lot of lumber or brick is to be carried. The use 

 of a large number of barges is not practicable in the Great Lakes or 

 the coastwise traflEic, because the rough water would make it difficult, 

 if not impossible, to handle them. Towing is done on the Lakes and 

 ocean, but the vessels towed are larger in size than the river barges 

 and only a few are taken at a time. 



RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF RIVER TRAFFIC. 



The relative importance of receipts by river as compared with the 

 total receipts by rail and water of various farm products at leading 

 river ports is shown in Table 1. A considerable fraction of the wheat 

 and corn received at Baltimore, Md., comes from landings along 

 rivers which are tributary to Cheapeake Bay and is carried partly by 

 steamboats and partly by sail vessels. During the five years ending 

 with 1912 these receipts by water at Baltimore ranged from 10 to 

 nearly SO per cent of the total receipts of wheat and from 3 to nearly 

 15 per cent of the total receipts of corn. 



Cincinnati, Ohio, also has a large river trade in some products, 

 notably tobacco. Of the total receipts of tobacco during the five 

 years ending with 1908, from 10 to 20 per cent came by river boats. 

 This applies to tobacco packed in hogsheads, which formed all but 

 a small fraction of the traffic in that commodity. For other articles 

 the relative importance of the river trade was not so great. During 

 the five years mentioned about 5 per cent of the total receipts of eggs 

 were brought in by steamboat. Apple receipts averaged from about 

 one- third of 1 per cent of the total to more than 12 per cent. Rela- 

 tively little of the grain brought to the city came by river, the aver- 

 age being considerably less than 1 per cent of the total. In regard 

 to live stock, the river traffic in cattle constituted 1 to 2 per cent in 

 each of the five years in question, while for sheep the average was 

 between 2 and 3 per cent, and for hogs the average was about 4 per 

 cent of the total receipts from all sources. Statistics of the river 

 trade at Cincinnati have been given by the Cincinnati Chamber of 

 Commerce for a long series of years, extending back at least as far 

 as 1845. These statistics show the river trade when it constituted 

 practically aU of the commercial movements to and from Cincinnati, 

 except produce hauled in wagons and live stock driven on foot; and 



