Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-03-05

|. For the Patriot
Mail Contract-River Service.
|, EDIroRs PATRIor:-I see. through the Post
master Generals advertisement, that the
Cairo and New Orleans route is re-opened for
Department had given the route one trial,
that it would have been satisfied. for it must
be obvious not only to every thinking man,
but to the Department itself, that the present
contractors have only made contemplate
farce of the attempt to carry daily mail.
Then. having the past for criterion. can we
look for anything better in the future? Can
the Department hold out inducement sufficient
to cause a company to be formed that can,
with their own boats, take such contract
This must be done, or the mail will not go
punctually; past experience teaches too
plainly that Cairo cannot, at present. and in my
opinion neverc CAM hold out inducements suffi-
Gent to cause company to be formed. But
look, for a moment, at simple fact: To form
a line sufficient 10 transport the mails daily it
would take lat least. twenty-four boats.and they
Of the first order, whose average value, to say
the least, would amount to fifty-thousand dol
lars, or one million two hundred thousand
dollars in the aggregate. The expen-
ses of such boats would be, at the lowest
figures four hundred dollars per day. allowing
the twelve days to make the trip, and we find
that each boats expenses would be forty weight
hundred dollars per trip, to say nothing of
wear and tear on boats, and interest on the
the face, and the fact; that to take the average
amount of shipping of both freight and pas
sengers, it will not amount to two hundred
dollars per day, since the mail service COM
menced, can the Department expect a COM
pany to be formed with sufficient capital to
make a complete daily line from a place that
can in itself offer no inducements at all. I
predict that it cannot past history confirms
The prediction. There may be, in all proba-
bility, viii be proposals made to carry the
mail at less figures than Messrs. BRANNoN, PAT
TERsoN & Co., now receive for the same services.
L. the Department willing TO allow itself to
be so completely humbugged; is the Depart
ment ignorant of the manner in which Messrs
BRANDON, PATTERSON & Co, ARE complying with
their contract Look at the history of their
operations; IieyO,cR tioo steamboats,, they promise
TO carry the United States Mail Daily, from
Giro 10 Ne,o Orleans, a distance of over eight
hundred miles, with these two boats, and yet,
We see that these two boats go 10 ST.
Louis, or Louisville, to get freight every
trip. What renHkaIfy fast steamers they must be-
But whose business is it whether they carry
one mail or seven per week-the Department
is able to pay them three hundred and ttoenty
nine tio'@aad dollars per year, and no body hasa
right to complain. / am willing to admit that
it is wrong to grumble; but the question has
r.en asked, Can this Uhoiesale sac1ndle of the
II partment be remeded? To this am drifting
'lad not Intentionally complaining of the
present contractors. / see through the same
advertisement that the Department proposes
to have u mail carried from Louisville to
Cairo three times a week, and from Nashville
to Cairo three times week. Can Cairo sup
port either of these routes? The objections
that are urged to it us starting point of the
New Orleans route, are applicable to the
smaller routes. Messrs. A. l.. DAVIS & Co.. of
the Nashville route, gave the thing fair trial.
What was the result: Il speak unadvisedly.)
They either lost money or made none, for we
see they are now continuing their line on to
Memphis. If Cairo will not answer as start
ing point, where are we to look for a remedy?
do not set myself up for the purpose of
debating TO the Department, but to give few
candid conclusions and suggestions as to the
hoo ~ he 7
vile, Nashville and Cairo to New Orleans,
with speed and economy. Memphis is now
and has for years past supported a tri-weekly
line of packets, this has been done without
any Government patronage whatever. With
two-thirds Of the money that the Department
gives Messrs. BRANNoN, PATTERSON & Co.,
Memphis would support a daily line of boats,
while the service between Cairo and Memphis
could be made daily by extending the Nash
Vile and Louisville routes to Memphis: for
instance let the Nashville mail leave Nashville
every Monday, Wednesday and Friday,
Tuesday, Thursday. and Saturday, thus
making boat pass Cairo every day, con-
Meeting at Memphis with daily line from
there to New Orleans Forthese routes compa-
MES owning their own boats, will take the
contracts, and the Department can depend up
on the punctuality of their mails; there to1H
be no chance taking, no waiting for boats, but
the mails will go punctually upon the boats
owned by the companies, contracting to per-
form the service. There is another advantage
the Government may obtain from these routes.
They could dispense with all such side service
as from Evansville TO Paducah, Paducah TO
Cairo Memphis to Napoleon, Napoleon to
Vicksburs, and all other such short side SER
vice, rs tue contractors in these routes would
supply the places of all such service.
Trusting that this communication NAV bring
into consideration the Importance of such
contracts, | remain yours, NERO.