RIVER INDUSTRY GEARS UP AFTER NEARLY TWO MONTHS

The reopening of the Mississippi River will provide an economic shot in the arm to the flood-ravaged Midwest, and the rest of the nation, which depends on river transportation. It's good news to a $3-million-a-day barge industry that has been dry-docked for nearly two months.

The upper reaches of the Mississippi were closed in late June due to high waters. The reach of the river between St. Louis and Cairo, Ill. was closed in early July as the floodwaters threatened levees. After successful test runs by the Coast Guard on Saturday, the river reopened Sunday between St. Louis and Cairo. But restrictions remained on speed, size of the barge tow and cargo. It marked an end to the longest shutdown that workers at area river industries could recall.

The Mississippi River closing took its toll on many businesses - not just those located along the river. Barge lines and dry dock companies were shut down for nearly two months. Many people who worked on the river were laid off. Some towboats and their barge tows were trapped on the river, above and below Cairo, for over 40 days, waiting for the river to reopen. Each day, the time clock was ticking because the towboats had to be manned and crews paid, even though they were not moving.

A number of Cape Girardeau businesses were directly affected, including several barge lines, dry dock operations, sand company and quarry operations. But many area businesses also depend on the river to bring supplies in, and ship products out.

One of those hardest hit was Lone Star Cement. They ship out about 900,000 tons a year by barge, which represents about 85-90 percent of all its product. With the river closing, the company boosted truck shipments, but was still down 45-50 percent in volume. Lone Star loaded up its first barge Monday, and a second Tuesday. The Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority was also back in business Monday, after nearly a two-month shutdown.

The river provides an economic means of moving vast quantities of product. One barge carries 1,500 tons of bulk commodities, which is equivalent to 15 train cars or 60 semitractor trailers. Many products depend on river shipment including coal, gasoline and heating oils, construction products, chemicals, and agricultural commodities.

Although the river has opened, it will take some time before normal traffic resumes. High waters had grounded more than 2,200 fleeted barges moored in the Ohio River from Metropolis to Cairo, and on the Mississippi River from Cairo to Hickman, Ky. And that has created a real bottleneck. Along the entire Mississippi, it's estimated more than 7 million tons of cargo were stranded.

Restrictions remain on both north and south bound traffic. The restrictions change daily as the waters change. One Coast Guard official likened the traffic movement to a fire drill - moving safely and quickly, without running. As such, hundreds of tows are still waiting their turn in line. Coast Guard officials say that by the end of the week, the wait should be drastically reduced if traffic proceeds without incident.

Restrictions may remain for some time since many of the navigational buoys have been washed away. In some cases, floodwaters may have altered the channel. The Coast Guard has established a traffic control center to monitor sensitive points on the river.

We're confident the river industry will bounce back from this shutdown, but it won't happen overnight. Some experts say shipments could be backed up for the remainder of the year. Fallout from the great Flood of '93 continues as the waters recede and the people and businesses get back on their feet. We welcome back the river industry, and wish it a speedy recovery.