East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1865-04-05
Bay City Board of Trade---Address
OF Hon. A. G. Maxwell.

|
Bay City Board Of Trade---Address
Of Hon. A. G. Maxwell.
GENTLEMEN:-It affords me much
pleasure to meet you after my winters
absence attending to your interests in
the Legislature. / am glad that you
have organized this body. Repre-
senting, as you do, much of the wealth
and intelligence of our County, it is
eminently proper that you should meet
to discuss the great interests of our
trade and commerce, and should watch
over our material interests. / am sat
isfied that much good will come out
oft, and believing those great inter
ests are safe in your hands, 1 bid you
God-spoed in your enterprise.
There are four great interests to
you and all our people, about which 1
propose now to address you moro par
ticularly, and l assure you that tho
views which I here express, have been
formed after severe and mature delib-
Grafton. First, and most important of
all, is the removal Of the bar at the
mouth of the river. The time has
como when this great work should be
done. We are able to do it, and our
necessities demand that it should be
done,--and done nop. Delay on this
subject is particularly dangerous
We live on the banks of great and
noble river. 1t drains large tract Of
country full and overhowing with nat
ural wealth. The commerce Of this
great Valley must pass in and out Of
our river, and always will, if we do
Justice to ourselves. z-t4
The existing cities and villages in
our County will always form the har-
bors within which the shipping of this
great Valley will find its supplies, and
weather, if We do but our duty. In
the Northern tier Of towns of our
County, we have an exbaustless sup
ply Of Plaster, and Michigan plaster
is of such superior quality, that the
demand for it is on the increase, and
can now be supplied. The freight on
it from Grand Rapids to Central Mich
igan and Indiana is so great, that
companies have been formed 10 build
Railroads to II, from Jackson and
Albion. These roads will be built,
and ut least one Of them speedily, and
it dremnins p with ,ius to determine
whether these roads shah connect with
our river hero, and communicate from
here to tho plaster beds by water, or
whether they shall pass by us and
Ileaye,. us asa, Way Station. 60 If tho
former, it employs our docks, our
water-crafts, and onr iaborers, and
gives to our merchants tho trade of
supplying them with their food and
clothing. The trade Of the Northern
part of tho Lower Peninsula and of
the Upper Peninsula, during the win
ter season must pass around or near
the head of Saginaw Bay, and will
pass through Bay City if we are alive
to our interests; if not, it may pass
over our borders and they may build
a second Chicago or Syracuse on the
marshes at the mouth of our river Z
understand that Congress has al
ready passed the Bill chartering the
Northern. Pacific Railroad,a making q
large grant, both of land and money,
to aid in its construction from Port
Huron ra the Straits Of Maokinaw,
which it is proposed to cross by q
Tubular bridge above the shipping,
and run thence Westerly along the
South slroro Of Lake Superior by
way Of the. settlements on Red River
and McKonzie's River to the Pacific
Ocean. The British Government pro-
pose to aid in its construction, in order
to reach this settlement and to open
up South Central British North Amer.
lea to settlement, and to the world. j
have no doubt but that a considerable
portion of this road will be construct
cd, in few years. With this same
state Of facts in view, wealthy parties
propose to put a large iron foundry
in operation on the, river. &, If your
bar was removed, its construction
would have, been already commenced
With n railroad forty miles south.
west, we would be in connection with
the coal fields of Shiawassee County
4 and with the channel deepened, ouI
river would be capable of receiving
the orc. The freight on coal is the
great eexponse9 connected with iron
manufacture in tho West. 1t is diff
1llerent in Pennsylvania, where the Goa
land iron are taken from the same
mountain. In many places coal Il
\ mot worth one dollar per ton at thu
mine; but its value is enhanced to ter
times that amount by freights. Vas
amounts Of charcoal are used in th'
! manufacture of iron, and there i ~
better opportunity than in the tribu
taries to Saginaw river, or in the mum
tberless streams putting into LAX
. Huron, accessible to It for the manu-
facture Of charcoal. - ~, ...., q, > :
Dredge out the bar, and horeafte
the whole shipments Of this ,gyep
,tvalloy must be made from you
wharves; vessels will cease TO go fur
ther up the river; The salt and lumbe
|, from above us will be freighted her
on lighters and landed on cur docks
II making use of f9every foot Of, rive