The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-08-23
JULY 81:
Deep wafer and D,ree. Tr.do. Il.


Deep Water and Direct Trado. Hi.
It is reported that the Port Royal Rail.
road Is under oontn, Ut and will be compile
ted within twelve months This may not
be strictly true; bat We do not go too far
when we say that there is now some liksli-
hood that the road will actually be built.
We are we'll aware that some sanguiue souls
believe that the opening Of the Port Royal
Railroad will greatly benefit Charleston,
which may be to Port Royal what London
is to Liverpool. This is not .our, view Of the
situation. AL the through business which
passes over the new line must be taken from
existing routes. The gain Of Port Royal
will be the loss Of Charleston, and it is high
time that We should ponder. we'll the bes,
means Of eounteraoting a movement which
threatens, more or less seriously, the trade
and commerce OF our city.
The Port Royal Railrosd, If built at all,
will be built for the purpose Of competing
at Augusta for the trade which now goes
to Savannah or Charleston, while Port
Royal is expected to be made the place OF
import for the whole Of the South and West.
II is not the objact Of the prof eotors, of the
Port Royal Railroad to give greater rail
rond facilities to the country lying betw cen
Augusta and Port Royal. For this they. do
not care straw. What they want is the
business which is divided at Augusta be-
tween the Central Railroad and the South
Carolina Railroad. To obtain this busine ness
they must dght hard, and when they got IL
the rataa will bn low and the -profts :snoll,
for il is certain that the older lines viii no.
allow heir business to DO taken. from them
while II is possible to retain it, either by
increasing their speed or decreasing the
cost Of carriage. But the Port Royal Rail-
road looks beyond this; and its friends ex.
peot that it will command the whole bust
nass Of che West which may come In by the
Blue Ridge Railroad, all the Western bust
ness coming in by the Chattanooga route,
and oil tho business which now comes in
from Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi At
tue same time, by line Of direct steam
ships, the supplies required by the sou,h
are to be brought into Port Royal harbor
and shipped over the new line to their des
nnation. To sum up the whole project in q
few words: Port Royal is to be made great
city aud the Port Royal Railroad is to be
made a aourishiHg corporation, by the very
agenoies which have always been relied on
70 build up and increase. the business of
Charleston. We are, still Of the opinion
that huge land speculation is at the bot
tom Of the PORT Royal Railroad scheme
What we have to deal with, however, is the
actual result, and notthe means by which
It may bs accomplished. AS the matter
now stands, we run some risk of losing
the business and the commercial STANDING
wh'oh We have striven 80 long to obtain
We should, therefore, prepare at once 70
meet our enemy; for as.uredly If we do not
budg until the new railroad be open from
Augusta to the ssa, it will then be all too
ats TO strengthen the position Of Charles
t,n. -
The main. Arguments advanced sIn favor
Of Port Royal are, that II has Deep Water,
and by reason Of ofitsTdsep water can soon 3
have Direct Trade, In the shape of q line .,
0rst GLASS sssamiIips running bstw I'm ia ' Iiy,
erpoOt aud Port Royal This is IL, ,i,ii., essence
OF oil that Gan be said In favor Of the new
scheme. Charleston is gpronou need toe
email Oar wharves. qur. factors, our msr
ehsa'nts. our CON commercial prestige. our .estab
lished reputation as cotton market, count
for naught with these Port Royal people.
Fney dsclsre that it 10 easier to convert a
rice plantation into commercial netropo
's than 70 give Charleston. ,,.Deep Water and
Direct Trade {" Here do we joiu issue with
ne advocates Of Port Royal City and the
PORT Royal Railroad. Vi i4y:f
We 'sks it for granted that with mode
rate and steady ou,lsy Of money .the 8 dep, b
OF water on Charloston bar csnsbs 90 dsepi
sned that ships with frsighs room of 5000
be bales iosn be brought ID upon any, ,ordinsry
tide. All our hftsmatIon points 10 the CON
elusion that we oso, II We are willing 10
Pay for Il, bavs as much water on our bar
a. a ,hs largest ships require, ,Apd We pre-
spme !, that NO one win deny tha, Charleston
a.r y II @ s. ss.s saa az e ia,a ssa
madia4s ssy ssy any eiher hafber on; the south
,Ailsniio q. 'coast With mSnsy, ,Shsn5 sNs oat,,
have DApiws.t,; bus what 'Sit n, n; iiot
Drsct Trad,t Last ssssSn xs sSsd = flns 6
3 as.sahsh,ps running wif6t stuIarsy yana d
disPa,oh bs.ses Charleston and Liysrpo,oi: \, Il;
snd ne SAms ssm,hipt y os g. ssimilsf Z q & 4
y,'ll tph al9 n SO ssn ins ihs AL Tia, T.
however, Is Z, bni I, 4 5 tAmpopayvs I, =, .n..