════════════════════════════════════════════════╤═════════════════ TRANSPORTATION BY │PER TON PER MILE. ────────────────────────────────────────────────┼────────┬──────── │ CENTS. │ MILES Ocean—long voyage │ │ 1 Ocean—short “ │ │ 2 to 4 Lakes—long “ ┐ │ │ 2 Lakes—short “ ├ U. S. │ │ 3 to 4 ┘ │ │ St. Lawrence River │ │ 3 Hudson River │ │ 2½ Ohio River—long voyage │ 1 │ 1.54 Ohio River—short “ │ 1 │ 3.6 Missouri River—long voyage │ │ 8.37 Missouri River—short “ │ 2 │ 0.1 Mississippi River—long voyage │ │ 5.07 Mississippi River—short “ │ │ 8.50 Erie Canal enlargement │ │ 4 Railways transporting coal │ 1 to │ 6 Reading Railroad transporting coal │ │ 9.71 Reading Railroad transporting merchandise │ │ 4.468 Railways—ordinary grades │ 1 │ 2½ ┌ ┐ │ │ Pacific Railroad ┤ for transporting different ├ │ 3 │ 2.8 └ kinds of freight. ┘ │ 6 │ 0.6 Suez Canal—$2 per ton, transit of 100 miles │ 2 │ 00 Proposed Panama Canal—$1 per ton, │ │ transit of 50 miles │ 1 │ 00 ────────────────────────────────────────────────┴────────┴──────── The railroad rates above given have been established upon thoroughfares favorable for the attainment of a minimum. But upon all roads to be constructed between the Atlantic and Pacific, much higher rates must prevail for many years. Hurried construction, through a wilderness deficient in material and obstructed by hostile savages, must increase the cost of construction. For the same reason, the execution of the work is likely to be defective and the location of the route imperfect. The expense of alteration and repair must be proportionately increased. The cost of stations, machine shops, depots of fuel, and supply of water must far exceed the disbursements for the same objects in a settled country, possessing the advantages of skilled labor and convenient transportation. To meet the additional expense, the rates for passengers and freights will have to be increased to probably six or eight times the value assigned for ordinary grades.