INLAND BOAT SEEVICE. 13 



RAIL AND WATER RATE COMPARED. 



Some important routes and commodities are selected for comparing 

 rail and water rates in Table 3. Between Hartford, Conn., and New 

 York City the rates on apples, eggs, hay, and potatoes, as well as other 

 commodities, are the same by rail as by water; that is, the rates paid 

 by the shippers. Reduced to cents per short ton per mile, the rate 

 by water appears much less, since the distance by water is 62 miles 

 greater than by rail. 



Between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh the actual as well as the ton- 

 mile rates are much lower by water than by rail on the commodities 

 represented in Table 3. These are not exceptions; lower rates by 

 water than by rail are general over this route. However, between 

 Charleston, W. Va., and Cincinnati the steamboat charge per package, 

 when reduced to an equivalent cents per 100 pounds, indicates higher 

 rates for apples and eggs by boat than by rail. The rate on hay, 

 however, by boat over this route is 12|- cents per 100 pounds for either 

 small or large lots, while by rail 22 cents is charged for less than car- 

 loads and 12 cents per 100 pounds for carloads. For potatoes the 

 boat charges per package is equivalent to 13 cents per 100 pounds, 

 while the railroad charges 15 cents for less-than-carload lots and 12 

 cents per 1 00 pounds for car lots. The steamboat rate applies to any 

 quantity. Between Cincinnati and Memphis and between Memphis 

 and St. Louis the boats quote higher rates than the railroad for eggs, 

 when the boat rates are reduced from cents per package to cents per 

 100 pounds. In practically all other rates shown in Table 3 between 

 Memphis and the two cities just named the charge by water is less 



than by rail. 



DISTANCE AND TIME OP TRANSIT. 



It is convenient to express the average rate of transit in miles per 

 hour, but it should be distinctly understood that this rate should be 

 applied to a number of hours — say, 12 or 24 — in order to make a satis- 

 factory application for practical purposes. The rate itself has been 

 computed by dividing the total number of hours in transit into the 

 total miles run, and includes aU stops at landings. Thus, if an average 

 rate is given as 4 miles per hour, it means that a day's run of a vessel, 

 say, of 12 hours, will cover 48 miles; or, if the rate is only 2 miles per 

 hour, the day's run wiU cover possibly 24 miles; or, with 24 hours for 

 the unit, a local boat making various landings and averaging 3 miles 

 per hour will cover a distance of 72 miles in the 24 hours. It wiU be 

 noted that the average rate of transit is subject to wide variations, 

 some as low as 2 miles per hour and some reaching 15. This is gov- 

 erned partly by the speed of the boat while under way, but largely 

 by the number of landings made in transit. 



