The Superior Inland Waterway of the Yangtse.—The Yangtse River, more than any other inland waterway, fulfills all the condi tions mentioned in this chapter. It is generally so broad and deep that even without artificial improvement ocean steamers of 6000 tons can usually reach Hankow, about 700 miles from the coast. In this stretch the windings are not particularly troublesome, and the current is negligible, for the river falls only an inch per mile. Al though floods raise the river 40 or 50 feet at Hankow, they do not seriously hinder traffic. In fact, for these 700 miles, the ad vantages for navigation are little inferior to those of the Amazon, while the hinterland is far superior. Above Hankow small steamers can go another 300 miles to Ichang, where the river is still only 130 feet above sea level. Then rapids intervene for 350 miles, but so large is the river, so excellent its direction, and so rich and populous the Szechuan hinterland that much traffic is carried even here, while higher up the stream is again easily navigable.
Everywhere for nearly 2000 miles the Yangtse flows through a region full of industrious people, so that its hinterland is one of the best in the world. It contains more people than the entire western hemisphere. If ever these should become as energetic as those in the hinterlands of the Rhine and the St. Lawrence, ships might pass as frequently as at the Straits of Dover. The direction of the Yangtse is ideal, for the river runs through the heart of the most fertile part of China directly toward the part of the coast where the greatest cities are located and where trade is most active. The importance of the stream is still further increased by large navigable tributaries, the chief of which join the main stream near Hankow, and by the Grand Canal, which connects the mouth of the river with Tientsin and the great cities of the Hwang Valley.
The Great Difficulty of the Mississippi Waterway.—In proportion to its size and length the Mississippi River is used far less than the St. Lawrence, Rhine, and Yangtse. In fact, the tonnage carried by the Mississippi is less than that of many far smaller rivers like the Elbe. This is surprising in view of the many advantages of the river. The channel has a depth of 9 feet to St. Louis, 1270 miles from the mouth, whereas the Rhine has an equal depth for only a quarter as far, to Mainz. The length of the Mississippi is a wonderful advan tage, for with its main ranch, the Missouri, it constitutes the longest river in the world. The current is also comparativelthyerable, for though it is rapid in places, the river falls only 4 inches a mile from St. Louis downward. Finally, the hinterland is ideal, for it includes the most fertile parts of the United States. these advantages
stand two minor and one main disadvantage. The disadvantages of the may windings of the river's lower course and of the...was:Ina floods could be overcome without undue 'expense. The main dis advantage is the insurmountable drawback that the river does not flow toward the east "n I . .stri • &Europe, which are t e great markets for the food and raw materials.of its rich hinter land:Th the Mississippi flowed from St. Louis to Baltimore or Philadelphia many people believe it would pay to spend much more than the hundred million already spent in improving navigation, and the river might carry far more freight than any other inland waterway. Unfortunately, however, the Missispsi jies..a.Lright..angle&-to the ma_inlitieLof_traffie. Thus, like the railroads that cross the continents from north to south, it cannot vie with lines of communication that run east and west. Only when the trade of the United States with South America and the Orient by way of the Panama Canal develops to large proportions will the great river come into its own as one of the world's main inland waterways.
(8) Why a Large Water Supply is Needed.—As people become more civilized, the need of a large water supply steadily increases. It is needed for three main uses: (1) domestic; (2) municipal; -and (3) industrial. The domestic uses begin with drinking, which de mands only about half a gallon per person each day on an average. Cooking requires a larger amount, while washing and bathing demand many gallons per day. To this must be added the water drunk by domestic animals, and that which is used for watering plants, gar dens, and lawns.
The municipal uses include all that is needed for fire protection, public fountains and drinking places, street sprinkling, and the flush ing of sewers. This amount varies from nothing in small villages to many gallons per person in large cities. In the same way the amount of water used for industrial purposes varies from nothing up to a quantity much larger than for the domestic and municipal purposes combined. It includes the water used for engine boilers, for con densing steam, and many special industrial purposes like washing cloth and cleansing hides.
For all these purposes together, an ordinary town in the United States requires from 50 to 150 gallons of water per day for each per son. Usually this supply is obtained so easily, by simply turning a faucet, that people do not realize how important it is. They feel the importance of the matter, however, when there comes a drought, as occurred in New England in 1911, and the lawns must be allowed to dry up, the taking of baths is restricted, and some of the factories have to shut down for a few weeks.