Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-06-20
TAE BARGE LINE.
More Facts and FigarSs for our mer-
chants.
RumOred Propositions from the
Packet Company.
They are Willing to Lower Rates,
and Wait to Compromise.
30 Compromise the MatchwOFd
for the Barge Line.

SNNN@ N-@ K04N 49, S8@AA ~
six hundred tons of freight 10 the trip.
Fully one-half of the cargo was for re-
shipment over the Memphis and Charles
ton Railroad 10 eli points in the Interior
At that time QS60) the local rates of
freight by the Packet Company were thir-
ty cents per hundred pounds, while the
Memphis and Charleston Railroad were
twenty per cent. lower. In 1862, after the
capture of Memphis, the Packet Compa-
ny had a boat every day@(seven boats a
week., and did an immense Government
business, which was continued 10 them
until '65 or '66. .l@ +FtEM
About this time the Mobile and Ohio
Railroad made contracts with the ST.
Louis packet Company TO carry their
freights at figures to suit the road, thir-
teen cents per hundred pounds, from
St. Louis to Columbus. Also at this
time the Charleston Railroad desired
to make a rate with the st. Louis Packet
Company that they could compete with
the Mobile road. But this the Company
(packet) refused TO do.
Brown. the President OF the Mobile
Road, told Smith, the President of the
Packet Company, that he had canvassed
his route thoroughly, and had promised
low rates of freight to his people, and that
he must have a low rate by liver 20 Co
lumbus, and il the Packet Company did
not give him satisfactory rates, the road
1 vi III VI 10 - E1e - - AAAA0
of boats to St. Louis. This frightened the
Packet Company, for they well knew hat
iii were done their trade would fall off
fifty per cent or more; so to keep out this
opposition the St. Louis Packet Company
entered into a contract with the Mobile
Road TO carry freight at IL cents per one
| hundred pounds, and up to the present
| time two-thirds of the boats cargoes are
put off at Columbus, say 300 or 500 tons
daily.
It can be proven that the st. Louis
Packet COmpaRyin making this rate with
the Mobile Road remarked that they
were afraid of opposition at Columbus,
but boldly defed it at Memphis, and iE-
nored the interest of Memphis entirely,
and that their profits on low rated freight
to Columbus was made out of Memphis,
as rates to that point were three and four
1 times greater. It is known that the st.
Louis Packet Company is now reeeipting
through from st. louis to Knoxville and
Nashville, via the Hickman Railroad at
SOC per 100 lbs, which freight should by all
means, pass through by this port.
The receipts of the St. Louis Packet
boats ut present, or in season, average
$1,000 per trip, running daily boats. The
N~icksburg packets do nearly the same
business as the other boats that make this
their terminus. The stock of the st.
Louis Packet Company in 1866 and 1861,
was at a premium of 450 per cent, or AZ
to l, and was sold for that. The stock is
now in the hands Of only five persons.
As the Atlantic and Mississippi steamship
line was a failure, and the Barge Line
stock between st. LOuis and New Orleans
was depreciating. the St. Louis Company
watered their stock down 70 ~ in
order TO make the public believe that
they, like other steamboat interests. We're
losing or not making money, and thereby
nave the effect of intimidating any one
from embarking in the lower trade.
This Company is the wealthiest on the
river, and when the steamer Legal Tender,
a Memphis boat, visited st. Louis a few
weeks ago for a trip of Memphis freight,
the captain was old by n of
the chief managers of the st. Louis Packet
| Company that he would crush out the
Memphis concern at once by putting two
boats alongside; and that ne believed in
treating The Tender in the manner that he
advocated carrying on the war-put
enough men in the field 10 crush the re-
belliOn at once"
The Company receipts through 10 any
point in the South via Vicksburg ar
much less figures than they charge 10
| Memphis, and every boat of the Nicks-
burg line carries a complete sample room
filed mp with every convenience, and
filed with samples of sugars, whiskys,
~coffees, teas, lead, shot, and hundreds of
other articles to sell below.
By the high rates of freight charged
Memphis merchants, both by the 81. Louis
Packet Company and the boats running
downthe river from Memphis, all The trade
has been driven from below to St. Louis.
Why? We answer because this very ST.
Louis Packet Company will deliver
freight to them anywhere etWee here
and Yicksburg for the same figure they
charge Memphis, In 1867, when Capt.
Duffy was running the steamer Jno. :.
| McCune from st. Louis tOAWhite river, he
was benefitting Memphis. Every trip he
came here he would pat of l500Or 200O
barrels Of flour, at > cents per barrel,
when the st. Louis Packet Company was
charging 10 cents, and TO repl2cc what
freight Capt. Duffy put OF here offered
to our merchants to take their White
river freight at . per cent. less than cur
local packets would. This very steamer,
Jno. :. McCune. which was working to.
the best interests of Memphis, was finally
killed off by a combination of the st.
Louis Packet Company and White River
Packet company.
When this Barge Line was first agitated.
the 81. Louis Packet Company made a
proposition to the Charleston Road to give
them a low rate on their freight. But we
understand that Mr.. Wicks, the President
Of the Memphis and Charleston Road. de-
manded that the st. Louis Packet Com
pany should give the merchants here the
benefit of this low rate as well, which to
this. Capt. Smith, the agent. refused.
Our people here have greatly assisted
this Packet Company in defying or Kill
ing off all opposition. The Corporation
gives them privileges that no other Com
pany OF individual enjoys. The Company
is permitted to keep a wharfbOat here,
occupying with boat and chains
six hundred feet of the very best
part of our leyee, and for this aecomoda-
ton or privilege they only pay $50 per
month wharfage on their wharfboat. when
other wharfboats were compelled 10 pay
500 per month. Thus the city makes its
own citizens paw three times as much as
a foreign corporation. This Company,
whose freights amount TO thousands of
dollars each boat, do not leave one cent
here more than it can possibly help. The
only money they Ieayehere is for wharf
age they buy no stores, etc. and some
times a little for iabor. Their employees
at this port are III brought fronsforeign
points. with one single exception Nheth-
er the Company thinks there are not com
petent men in Memphis to manage their
business, we do not know, but really we
think the canse oftheir bringing men here
10 work for them is that should they en-
rpkoy Memphis men their unjust diserimi-
nations against Memphis might he eX-
posed.
No