The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-07-07
Ocean STEAM rRANsPoRrArIoN.l

| OCEAN STEAM TRANSFORMATIONS
The traveller in the South is always oppress-
| cd by the comparative scarcity OF passengers
| in the cars: but he must be reminded OF her
valuable treiqhtS in the great products OF ner
soil. In period Of time equal in duration TO
| the one hundred days Of NapOleons great CAM
paicn. the Southern cotton belt alone supplies
tothe world $500 900 bales cotton, of say four
| hundred pounds weight, equal to Seue1l h'rn-
,l,ed thousand tons, which furnishes tonnage
| for one hundred and twenty-five thousand or,
dInary railroad cars, and cargoes TO an annual
fleet of i0urfeen hundred sfeam ships and pach-
els, of the capacity OF IRE hundred tons OF col
ton each and is valued in the markets Of the
world ut about $500, 100000 Of money.
This enormous bulk of raw material enters so
largely into the thousand and one wants oi
mankind, that the question OF its cheap and
expeditions handling from the gin-house to The
most distant points of the compass is becom-
| ing. season by season, question OF impor-
| tance.
No element OF Southern strength is so hope
fnl as the facility and cheapness with which
railroads can be built over her fiat country,
| eIpecIally across her cotton fields, and as the
currents of trade from the interior naturally
flow 10 The sen by the shortest or most conVe-
nient lines, thesuccess of any Southern seaport
its interior railroad facilities secured-must
depend in considerable degree upon It's sea
facilities.
Ifthe reader will cast his eye along the con-
cave line of Southern Atlantic coast, between
Hatteras and Florida, he will be struck with
the advantageous location of Charleston.
Truly n .tCity by the Sea-" and with such an
outlook on the broad Atlantic and splendid
all-rail connection with the OHIO, Tennessee,
Alabama and Mississippi Rivers, the wonder Is
why that port does not advance more rapidly.
| Ir,,.s f,,,1t ovidont1y Iioe-in the
lence on old ideas-not only In politics, odt IN
business.
TWENTY-FIVE years ago, the first successful
coastwise steamship was constructed. Ihe
'tSoutherner" so well remembered, fulfilled
her mission. A quarter OF century ago, Me-"
York was reached soonest by sea voyage OF
sixty hours, and this pioneer steamship OF which
we sneak was built for those long-ago times,
had extensive passenger accommodations and
only limited freight-room, and 1t was intended
to attract travel from tires0mc ana longer
overland route to this new sea-llne, and TO
furnish to small cargoes of expensive, mer-
chandse a hlgh-priced, but speedy dellVery.
This enterprise was SO successful, that up W W
the time of the war all coastiDg steamships
were built upon this idea ofhigh-priced freights
and stylish accommodations, and hence 1t mas
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,c situation developing around
them, have kept back that progressive spirit In
steam service on the coast which has caDled
the Atlantic, cut the Suez Canal, and built Inc
Pacific Railroad, and up to recent date has
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 ocean steam transportation.
Twenty-Five years ago, the wheat crop OIL llle
Northwest was cllt with reapinS hooksi to-ddy'
twenty times the area is harvested by lmprov-
ed implements, and at 1.-THE of the cost;
and as in the matter Of harvesting crops, the
modern farmer takes advantage OF twenty-five
years. experience in science and mechanics,
so in the field Of sea-tranSp0rtatlon the INTEL
ligent merchant has achieved results which
are really marvellous, both in respect to the
material Of construction ana IN moael. wen
ty-tiye years ago, ,oood was the only substance
used in ship building: today, science, advanc-
iuG from triumph to triumph, proclams that
iron is the best and most economical material.
Twenty-Five years ago, deep draft vessels, were
1 supposed to be necessity for safety and speed,
and steamships were constructed o. on nraIl OF
Is feet to make the run from New YORK TO
Charleston ightship in tifty-two hours, there
TO wait eight hours for the tides 10 cross the
bar: to-ddU. so wonderfully have our processes
been improved, that iron steamships, drawing
lO4 feet water, loaded with 500 TO 600 tons OF
merchandise or cotton, which is four times the
capacity of The old ''Sontherner," come and go
| without waiting inside or outside the bar on
old Neptune.
The presence in Onr port Of the new
and elegant iron side-wheel steamships "Ten-
nessee" and "South Carolina" inangnrates
new era in ocean Steam Transportation; ;
here are brought into nnrivaed combination
First, great security, by. reason ol wafer,
tight compartments; second. oneTtnied freight
cdpacify, each ship being able TO move 25OO TO
5000 haies OF cotton; third, passenger dccOmmo-
dahonS in elegant suites OF state-rOons. al on
deck, no descending By awkward slaircases
into small, hot berths, with q six inch diameter
opening for ventilation, ana that likely To be
closed il light driZzle sets in; f0Ilrth, nam
draft Of qcatsr, which avoids all detention al
the entrance 10 this port Water-tight COM
rartments Induce 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 delav.
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 with line OF steamships
to the great metropolis of New York, which
carries, in its progressive career, such ele-
ments Of economy and success as these stean-
shins evidently combine.
We commend them 10 the public, and need
only mention in connection that this line is
managed In Charleston by Messrs:. Wagner,
Huger & Co., and Mr.. Vim. A. Courtenay,
Union wharves, as all who read this must
know-the always present "red and white"
posters, displaying "a banner with strange
device al hotels and depots, on corners, tee
graph posts and fencing, are the constant re-
mindcrs of that intelligent enterprise which
point with certainty to great and successful re-
suits, and at an early day.