19¢ 
Modern Business Geography 
1G. 140. Locks at Waterford, the eastern terminus of the Erie Barge Canal. The old locks of 
the Erie Canal are seen at the richt. Note the difference in size. 
nearly 2000 miles from the mouth. Nevertheless, in commercial im- 
portance among our inland waterways it is exceeded not only by the 
Great Lakes but by the Erie Barge Canal and the Hudson and Ohio 
rivers. 
One difficulty with the Mississippi River is that it flows in the wrong 
direction. If it flowed eastward from the heart of the United States 
to the Atlantic Ocean, it might be one of the busiest rivers in the world. 
As it is, it gives relatively little assistance to the interior states in 
marketing their products or in bringing manufactured goods from the 
northeastern United States and western Europe. 
The work of connecting the central plains with the eastern part of 
the United States is largely done by railroads which cross the Appala- 
chian Mountains. The railroads are assisted, however, by the Erie 
Barge Canal and the Hudson River, both of which run in the right di- 
rection for commerce. As far as Albany the Hudson River is an al- 
most ideal waterway even for large boats, while the Erie Barge Canal 
is deep enough so that with the Hudson River it stands second to the 
Great Lakes among our inland waterways. 
The Ohio River and its two tributaries, the Monongahela and the 
Allegheny, are also of some importance as waterways. Their impor- 
tance springs chiefly from the presence of enormous deposits of coal 
near their banks and the great demand for this mineral in such river 
cities as Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. 
Why canals are numerous in Europe. The American traveler in 
Europe is surprised at the number of canals. As he rides in a swiftly 
moving train with its load of passengers. mail, and express. he not in-