Modern business geography

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 1830562916

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-217337

Document type:: Monograph

Author:: Huntington, Ellsworth http://d-nb.info/gnd/117070092; Cushing, Sumner W.

Title:: Modern business geography

Place of publication:: New York [usw.]

Publisher:: World Book Company

Year of publication:: 1930

Scope:: VIII, 352 S.; Ill., graph. Darst.

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

Usage license:: Get license information via the feedback formular.

Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Part two. The field of transportation

Collection:: Economics Books

The Use of Ships 1983 and the limestone reefs of the Detroit River have been blasted out to form a deep ship channel. Hence the lakes can be navigated by large ships from Duluth at the head of Lake Superior, or from Chicago near the head of Lake Michigan, to the foot of Lake Ontario. From Buf- falo the Erie Barge Canal makes connections with the Hudson River, while from the foot of Lake Ontario the St. Lawrence River connects with the Atlantic Ocean (Fig. 137). The value of the Great Lakes as a waterway is increased by the fact that from their eastern end commerce finds an easy outlet through the Mohawk-Hudson valley to New York City. As far as the Hudson the valley contains the Erie Barge Canal, four tracks of the New York Central Railroad, two tracks of the West Shore Railroad, and two high- ways. These easy lines of communication have made the Great Lakes an important contributor to the growth of New York City. Why more freight moves east than west on the Great Lakes. The movement of freight on the Great Lakes is largely from west to east. Not far west of Lake Superior, in Minnesota, Manitoba, and the Da- kotas, lie some of the world’s greatest wheat fields (Fig. 28). Around Lake Michigan are similar fields where corn as well as wheat is grown (Fig. 81). The grain raised on these western farms is carried eastward to be consumed in the Atlantic states or Europe. It forms a large part of the freight on the Great Lakes. Iron ore also goes eastward. The richest and most extensive iron mines lie near Lake Superior, while vast beds of coal are found not far from Lake Erie in Pennsylvania and Ohio (Figs. 88, 98). Since about two tons of coal are needed to smelt a ton of iron ore, it is cheaper to carry the ore eastward to the coal than the coal westward to the ore. Moreover, the chief markets for the smelted pig iron and for the steel made from it are the Atlantic states and Europe, which is another rea- son for carrying the ore eastward. In order that the ships which bring grain and ore from the west may have cargoes on their return voyages, the westward freight rate has been reduced until it is only about half as much as the eastward. This makes it worth while to carry millions of tons of soft coal to the Lake Superior region for use in smelting iron near the mines, and of hard coal from the eastern anthracite fields for house fuel through the Mid- dle West. Yet in spite of the reduced rates, many of the westbound vessels go empty to the ports of the upper lakes where they get their grain and iron ore. Why the cost of transportation on the Great Lakes is low. In order to get as much ore as possible into each vessel, special steamers are

Access restriction

Copyright

fullscreen: Modern business geography

Monograph

Chapter

Table of contents

Download

Monograph

Chapter

This page

Image fragment

Citation links

Citation recommendation