Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-06-16
VALLEY NAvIGA-
TION COMPANY.
Meeting at Chamber of Com
merce Yesterday.

Pursuant to a resolution OF adjourn.
ment of the meeting held on Saturday
evening, and a call issued in the APPEAL
of yesterday morning, there was an as
sembIage of the merchants and bankers,
railroad and steamboat men at the
Chamber of Commerce yesterday. The
meeting was called for noon, but at half
past twelve there being only some forty
or fifty present, il was thought advisable
by T. A Nelson, Esq, President, to call
the meeting to order.
Before proceeding with our report OF
the proceedings, we will state that as the
meeting called on Saturday evening, and
the adjourned meeting yesterday, were
purely and solely to consider, report on,
and take action on the project Of the
Mississippi Valley Navigation Company,
and examine the plans of Capt. Della
ven, we shall publish nothing that is not
directly concerning or Immediately ger
main to the subjset. The several speeches
and hsrsngues that had for their object
anything else than the subject in discus
sion, have been purposely omitted
The meeting having been called to Or
der, the President, T. A. Nelson, Esq, in
trodueed the subject by saying that " the
present is an adjourned meeting, whose
objects can best be understood from
Capt. DAeHaven. That we, of Memphis,
have been asleep is evident. We must
wake up, if we hope for any commercial
prosperity. II we can, by aiding Capt.
DeHsven, benefit ourselves, let US do So
We have lost great portion Of our COM
merce by railroads running to the east
of US, and we must counterfeit that. If
we lay still our commerce must perish
Here, too, Is the Selma road-a question
that is now being discussed. We must
do something to counterfeit that infu-
ence. We must encourage the steam
boats of the Western rivers, and our
Western railroads"
The first thing in order is the report Of
the committee that was appointed on
VIII the gentlemen please
report?
The report OF the committee was then
read, which is as follows
To the Chamber of CJmmsrce, Memphis:
Your committee appointed by the
Chamber of Commerce, on Saturday
evening last, to present to 8 subsequent
meeting Of the Chamber of Commerce
the practicability OF the plan OF the new
of Capt. DeHaven for building
and establishing in the New Orleans
trade a line of low pressure steamers,
built upon new and improved models
and also to reportupon the probability and
hffffrr Of rraffirlr~ csrPFi
amount of stock TO complete said enter
prise, beg to report upon its entire fea-
sibiIity; and that after looking into the
plans and explanations fCapt. DeHaveu,
after carefully Weighing the advantages
which must accrue to the city of Mem
phis, and the entire country tributary
thereto, have no besitaHcy in confidently
advising the cordial co cooperation OF
every member of the community inter-
ested in building up the interests of our
city and section, and of expressing our
faith in its ultimate and certain success;
and we most cordially invite the taking
Of at least a portion OF the stock by
every business man in this city and vi
cinity. We beg also; Furthermore, to re-
port the special Importance of the enter
m ise 20 each and ali the Railroads CEN
rering iI Memphis, and to enjoin upoR
them the Importance OF owning 8 fair
= iSifs EN- d. - WM. Il. MOORE,
JNO. r. WATKINS.
II gss ns2yed and seconded that the
- pc receiYeG.
T ~ D. ~sident pat the question whether
l ne : ~ ~al3 be received or not, and
ne Lspoi , sh nc affirmative unani-
nOusly. ~ Y9.Eayor 70
The chair called on c.. ", - eit C' ~
address, the assem- blsge, anu
in the following WORDS
GENTLEMEN 1t is evident that .ue
commerce of the Mississippi river has /
or a long time been gradually disappear !,
ny. It is apparent that in our age we
rave overleaped the study Of rivers, and
rave turned our attention to artificial
means of transportation.
Your geographical position gives you
he advantage of four or five feet Of
water between here and the Gulf, over
hose cities that are situated above you
,u the river. Much talk has been made /
about direct trade with Liverpool, Paris,
West Indies, etc, and to run vessels
directly from here to these ports. This
dea is impracticable, in the present state
# river navigation. There is no boat /
hat runs the river that could comnuni-
ate with any foreign port. a boat COM
tructed on nay plans can run as well /
rom New Orleans to Galveston, as
rom here to New Orleans; or
reight shipped by boat made /
to my plans, can be
transferred into q vessel ct New Or
cans by the improved machinery, much 1
more readily than ever before thought of.
Your geographical position has much |
o admire. It is . centering point for /
ailrOads; there is a difference OF water /
of which have befora sp0ken) which Is
n immense advantage, Md yet cereals
rom the West pass you anu 90 not Louch
our door. Your merchants receive but
title from anywhere. To bring them
ere in quantities you must have grain
levatsrs, SO that they can be receiv sd
nd reloaded, and carry them to New I
orleans. Your city has every sdvan-
age that could be wished to build these
cry vessels that we are trying to get
our subscription to. No better but
lcks (steam bOstmen will understand
hat l mean, no longer planks
an be found anywhere than in the
foods across the river. There Is another
uNautdRt ludb you nave noIc-NHtu
eezing weather comes on in the lati-
lde where the steamers are generally
uilt-yOu have no ice here. The finest
ine timber can be just as readily landed
t your wharf as at Evansville, or New
.lbany or Jeffersonvills.
You should not only become q railroad
enter, but 3 center where mechanics of
II sorts should eongregate-some TO
rork on the bulls, others to Join the
abins, others to make the engines, etc.
here is not only feasibility In all these
nings, but an absolute necessity that
hey should be. You must not be
cities are struggling for
his supremacy.
! only wish l could more fully explain
be enterprise, and descant fully on the
position Of your city. But,
you must not be asleep and
7ait for nature to do more than she has
one for you. There are other cities on
be Mississippi. PsdGcah is even now
making arrangements and efforts to take
hese advantages away from you.
You have advantages that other places
ave not. You have 40 ice to contend
With. You have eight to ten feet Of
vAfar the wear around. other Dlaces. |