Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1865-11-16
New Shipping Route,

Notwithstanding tire effects of the
war, the agricultural and commercial
interests of the Northwest were still
progressive, The crops of Iowa this
year were above the average for Sc
ries of years. The vexcd question of
how the products shall be profitably
marketed still continues. The impor-
tant subject was agitated and discuss
ed last winter by over three hundred
shippers and merchants, whose business
and interests arc more or less connect
ed with Dubuque railroads, and de-
pending on shipping facilities east of
the Mississippi.
The Shippers and Merchants Con-
vention of March last resulted in some
good to the grain trade and mercantile
business men of Northern Iowa. One
result was a reduction of the transfer
charges across the river and more
accommodating spirit in the manage
ment OF that business. But that is q
triile compared with the loss that Iowa
now sustains on account of the high
freight tariff charged by the Lake and
Railroad routes eastward for the ship
ment OF all western products to the
Atlantic cities. What profit is left to
the Iowa farmer, or to the Iowa grain
dealer, when it costs sixty-five cents
to ship bushel of wheat to New
York p? What this portion of the
Northwest wants is produce ship
ping route by way of New Orleans to
New York. The re-shipping Of grain
in bulk at st. Louis in the summer
season, or at Cairo in the winter,
would add only two or three cents per
bushel to the freight by that route. 1t
has recently been shown in our col
umns that at the present rates wheat
can be shipped to New York by way
OF New Orleans seventeen cents cheaT-
er per bushel than by the axe route
"a sufficient margin to add |; bout
onefourth to the value of all the wheat
that crosses the Mississippi. We are
informed that the shipment of lot of
flour has been contracted for, by New
Orleans to New York city, at ST. ,25
per barrel. At this rate it would even
pay shippers to barrel wheat and send
it by that route. AS soon as Eleva-
tors are constructed at Cairo, St. Lou
is and New Orleans, the immense
grain trade of the Upper Mississippi
will find new outlet, and then for the
first time Iowa products will begin to
command the price they should, and
be independent of Chicago and the
monopolies of Pennsylvania and New
York Railroads, and the excessive tri-
butte Of New York canal tolls. With
the political, social and commercial re-
generation Of the South it will not be
long before grain elevators will be
built at New Orleans and most of the
grain Of the west will from that day,
pass through the southern metropolis.
Some of our readers will be surprised
to know that there is not an elevator
at Cairo, the terminus of one of the
longest and most important and most
crowded railroads in the west Nor is
there an elevator at st. Lous. But
that il is now becoming prosperous
and progressive city. The custom
there of having negroes tote sacks
of grain will soon disappear and one
small steam engine will do the work
of thousand negroes. If the com
mercial men of st. Louis are half
awake to their true interests and half
appreciate the value of Iowa and other
Upper Mississippi trade they will see
that such facilities as are afforded by
Chicago, Milwaukee, Prairie du Chen.
Dubuque and Dunleith are speedily fin
ished.
And we suggest to all the grain ship
pers in this part Of the country to con-
suit on this subject, compare rates by
the different routes, collect facts as to
the freights, all the way by water To
New York, and on part rail and part
lake and canal routes. and set forth
the facts as inducements Cor enterpris-
ing capitalists TO enter into the eleva-
tor business at Cairo, St. Louis and
New Orleans. This portion of the
northwest has suffered long enough
from deprecated prices. Our grain