The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-06-29
ooEIx STEAM TRANSPORTATION.

Tne LI8VSllST III tuS SOubu 10 oAVoyS NPpA>SS
"a bythS comparative scarcity of passengers
in the cars; but he must be reminded OF ner
valuable freiQhts In the great products OF ner
soil. In q period of time equal In duration to
the one hundred days Of Napoleon's great cam
paigh, the Southern cotton belt alone furnishes
10 the world 3,600Q bales ofcotton, OF say tour
hundred pounds weight, equal to Seuen nun
dTed thousand tons, swhica furnishes tonnage
for one hundred and twenty-five thousand or.
dinary railroad cars, and cargoes to an annual
feet OF fourteen hundred steam SHIPS ana pdcG-
sts, Of the capacity Of yfue hundred tons Of cot
world at about $500 ,000, 600 Of money.
This enormous bulk of raw material enters SO
largely into the thousand and one wants OF
mSpkint, that the question Of Its cheap and
expeditions handling from the Clubhouse to The
most distant points Of the compass Is becom-
-lng4 season! by season, a question OF imporI
% No element Of Southern strength is SO hope
sfnl as the facility and cheapness with which
railroads can be built over her tat country,
exDeciaIly across her cotton fields, and as the
fcufrent OF trade from tho interior naturally
/. Aow to The sea by the shortest or most conYe.
'nfent lines. the success of any Southern seaport
Its interior railroad facilities secured-must
depend in a considerable degree upon Its sea
facilities.
twenty-five years ago, the first successful
coastwise steamship was constructed. Ihe
'SOuLleEQGI,"., 6O wei rISmcluuSICut 1unliou
her mission "a quarter Of q century ago. New
York was reached soonest by sea voyage OF
SIXTY hours, and thisp pioneer steamship (which
ne ispeak was built for those long-ago times,
bad extensive passenger accommodations and
only limited frefght-room, and 1t was INTENDED
sfo attraett travel from tiresome and longer
:. overland route to this new sea-line, and to
furnish to small cargoes Of expensive mer--
,,chandise hlgh.priced, but speedy delivery.
Thfs enterprise was 80 successful, that up to
the time. ,of. thew all coasting steamships
were built upon this idea ofhigh-priced freights
happened that such vessels, occupying the
Southern ports, and in the hands Of capitalists
unwilling. with their old steamers on hand, to
recognize the ne,o situation developing around
: them, have kept back that progressive spirit IN
: steam service on the coast which has caoled
vtna atlantic, cut the Suez Canal, built the Pa
: cific Railroad, and has, up to recent date.
left untouched the grand scheme of improved
steamships tor the great Southern cotton
trade. We are glad to see men OF action are
now moving on this neglected subject OF I'M
proved steamships.
- Twenty-Five years ago, the wheat crop OF the
Northwest was cut with reaping hooks; today,
twenty times the area is harvested by improv-
: led, Implements, and at a 1.-THE OF the COST;
ana ga In the matter of harvesting crops, the
njmOdern farmer takes advantage OF tWenty-h
siySHfsf experience In science and machnerles,
80 in the field of sea-transpOrtation the intel
lioent merchant has achieved results which
are really marvellous, both in respect to the
material Of construction and In model. Twen-
ty-iiye years ago. ,oood was the only material
used In ship building; 0-ddy, science, adYanc-
1ifinS froni triumph to triumph, proclaims that
tfon is the best and most economacdI nadteTldt.
Twenty live years ago, deep draft vessels, now
supposed to be necessity ior saiety anu @ speeo, a.
and steamships were constructed On dralt OF
f6feet Ito make the run from New York TO
s Charleston llghtship in 1fty-rwo hours, there
to walt eight hours for the tides to cross the
bar; today so wonderfully have our processes
been Improved, that iron steamships, drawing
lO3 feet water, loaded with 500 to 600 tons OF
merchandise or cotton, which IS TOUR tunes the
capacity of the old "Southerner," come and go
without waiting inside or outside the bar on
old Neptune.
The presence In our port of the new
and elegant side-wheel steamships "Ien-
nesseeu and ''South Carolina" inaugurates
q new era in ocean steam Transportation;
here are brought into unrivalled combination
First, ore1t security, by reason of water
tight compartments; second, ureQuatted freight
c0Dacisy, each ship being able to move 26OO to
5000 bales of cotton; third, passenger acconnao-
datsons, In elegant suites OF state-rooms, all ON
deck, no descending by awkward slaircases
into small, hot berths, with six inch diameter
npening for ventilation, and that likely to be
closed II light drizzle sets In; fourth, tight
draft Of ,odter, which avoids all detention at
:. the entrance to this port. Water-nght COM
partmenss bring low rates of insurance. Large
capacity guarantees low rates Of freight. State.
rooms on deck invite travel. Light draft of
water avoids all possible chance OF delay.
These are some of the qualities which these
new iron steamships possess Every farmer,
who raises bale OF cotton or brings to his
service new implement for his crop, is inter
ested Every consumer of dry goods, cloth
ing, hats, shoes, groceries and provisions
should be In alliance witha line of steamships
to the great metropolis of New York, which
carries, In It's progressive career, such ele-
ments of economy and succor as these steam
ships evidently combine.
We commend them to the public, and need
only mention in connection that this line Is
managed In Charleston by Messrs. Wagner,
Huger d Co., and Mr.. VIM. A. Courtenay,
Union wharves, as all who read this must
.know-the always present ''red and white"
posters, displaying flag with strange de-
vice, at hotels, depots and corners, on tele-
graph posts and fencing, reminding the public