BULLETIN OF THE 
No. 14: 
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, Daturally, 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 
