Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1854-01-28
THE INT LTGENCER55..
sATuRpAY MORNING. lANuARY7 IS. ls54.

nptN I, NdohNtNG. JANUARY %, 1854.
Qua RIVER rRADE--lv,l 4 m 3 ,7-s .,,.e,,
The Pittsburgh Journal must find ii y.rv t,y,a
work to make !. show of n!ausibili,y.in nm.
swenng the c!incher which we gave the other aav
on his false comparison of The rates of freight -
Pittsburgh and Wheeling, and the alledped snne,,.
GRITTY; of Pittsburgh DIS a point or sb;nnosn,t n.
must find 1t Uery hardio get over the :nbborn facts
we presented, and we are not therefore s,,,nr,sed
that he should devote three long, labot.l f,pyy r
ticles, full OF nothing, 10 the subject. We nre
aware that we should tIeat his loouncitv With he
coming respect, as lie is an ex-Mayor entitled,
make long winded speeches. and sueat,sof tr,s
T. apPertanlng TO himself only in the dignifed
manner OehttIng an eN-aiayor. We wonId moi for
the world lmPeact his 'Seracity,', nor talk Of i'll
"fIprantiy'" but would modestly suggest that il
he makes many more Solemn asseverations of his
''veTaclty',, accompanied by threats Of avensine
terrorSlo 'aggreSsors,'' we shall begin TO tlink
he needs such aids to bolster up his .tyeracity.
We think we can answer all his points in lexs
than four columns. 1t will be remetnbered that
as inducements TO shippers 10 send their goods for
the west anu South by @ayof Pittsburgh, instead
OF Wheeling he assumed the position that river
frelghtS exceptin low water were Mt all times chen
Perat Pittsburgh than Wheeling, and gave MS f,ets
suoStantiatlng tins position, that Pittsburgh helm.
the largest port was always crowded with steamers
packets Tor GAINESVILLE. Cincinnati, Louisville.
Nashville, st. Louis. New Orleans--and a feet of
ira nslent steamers--@hile Wheeling will hay. Mt
Tue utmost bruce of boats (Which, means t,co. w.
SuNpose) receiving cargo" This was his positiou
we quote his own language-if we misrepresent
nm We ask to be corrected. And, 10 sum mn mn,
prone the whole matter, by what he calls s.or
ARRAY OF facts and figures that could NOT he
IT approached at ALL" lie gave The folIou,;n., :.
the eristing eurrent rates of ftesLt at wb.sI;n.,
and Pittsburgh: s5
heeilng TO Cincinnati per 100 lbs sOc.
do Louisville PER 100 lbs 4oc.
Pittsburgh to Cincinnati per 100 lbs i 5a2oc.
5.g. do Louisville per 100 lbs 20a25c.
In reply 10 his statements as to the mice of
heights at Wheeling. we stated what the rates
were, we cited sixteen steamers then at our nor. Nc
proof OF our statement, that the following were
the rates of freight at Wheeling. We stated so
emptstlcally, and defed. as We now defy. $ lcce>s
ful contradiction, aud said that we must reyers.
his table and place it thus
Pittsburgh to Cincinnati, per leo lbs l5a2oc 90
do Louisville. per 100 lbs ooa25c.
Wheeling to Cincinnati, per 100 lbs 12.u2oc.
do Louisville, per 100 lbs 15a25c.
Was not this satisfactory Was this not prov
ing our position and exploding his2 If was no,
satisfactory to the editor of the Journal we cam,
help it. Iii satisfactoryto any candid, intelligent
reader; and particularly 20 10 Eastern MERCHANTS,
as the crowd of freight at our wharf attests.
In reply 10 his statement that flco steamers
the utmost ever receiving cargo at one time al,
Wheeling, we referred 10 the fact that there were
then, while we were writing, sixteen steamers at
our wharf receiving aud discharging freight, hail
ing fIom and bound 10 all and more ports than
those so Wanting aIrayed his list of signs then
up at Pittsburgh, and that the amount Of fre.ght
brought 10 our wharf by those steamers was not
lsss than four thO.s sand tons. This we nov 10 be
fact, every man about the river could see it, and
the manifests OF the boats proved it.
81 Was not this too satisfactory (? Did it not
stamp his statement about the dininutIye size of
our por, and The amount of business done al it, as
ttcool, unnitisattd =Lalsehood1" sz5a
III If it was not Satisfactory 10 the editor of the
Journal, again we say we can't helpii 4
In teplyto this ''array of facts and figures" tile
editor Of the journal groaus out nearly four col
umns,
''Fullo sound and fury, sisnifytng nothiug,"
except his liabitual assaults Wheeling and her
business, in which he evades The great point a,
isSue-the price of freightS-or only doggedly ret-
crates, like the man who said the horse wss six
teen feet high, his first assertion, and endeavors 10
entrap'us on some minor points, such as the time
at whichthre or four boats arrived, or the time at
which the gorge of ice broke. &c. 81
He endeayors to fortify his statement of the
high rates which he ascrihes in the above table
to Wheeling, ny saying that such rates have once
been charged here, and cites the steamer Falls City,
We are by means positive as to- this but admit
ting that the Falls City at time, owing to the
difficulty of navigation, her superior accommoda-
tons, the character of her freighto other causes
could command so or 40 cents, what has that 10 do
with the eristing current rates, or tue rates that
existed when we lpennet the article which the
Journal SO stoutly lntroYeTts2 If she could get
such prices, ii was natural for her 10 take them,
for the position OF a boat in this matter is precisely
that of dealer in any OF our markets. whose pro-
vince is 10 get the highest prices he can. But can
the als City sustain those ptceSf Most certain
ly not and she IS compelled to adopt the curren:
rates, which, we repeat, we have correctly stated
above. Against the prices which he says the Falls
City a. one time charged he pitts those charge al
the same time by the a ltoo,ta! Spirit OF Neptune!
what a comparison! II merchant could get his
freight safely carried the little, dilapidated stern
wheel craft Altoona, amid current of wreck- ma
king ice, at smaller, price than on the huge and
magnificent steamer Falls CITY, and not have 10
pay more than the difference for insurance, the in
surance agents at PittSbu1gll not sharp we
take them 10 be. 81 ~. conc 5sfs i
ii On the subject of insurance, he takes advantage
of our fairness when we took the anean rate, il-
stead of the in stating The aoe,age cot Of
insurance. including all classes of freight, all con-
ditioas of navigation, and all classes oGboaS, and
thus makes a flourish over his unfairness: