New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-12-18
WHARF REFORM.

WHARF REFORM.
We copy the following from the Price
Current of the fourteenth instant:
In the earlier days, when New Orleans
was the sole port Of clearance and entry
for the Mississippi Valley, there was the
most enormous and heterogeneous c0nglom-
Grafton of commercial contradictions that
was ever seen. Thirty parallels Of latitude
brought their products and took away for
eign commodities in exchange. This I'M
mense amount and indescribablc variety of
consignments, made it very difficult for the
factor to do justice to the receipt, storage
and delivery Of the articles. The streets at
that day, unpayed or paved with cobble
stones, wer- inadequate to bear the vehicles
employed in the transfer, and the careless
and reckless drivers, often upset6r strewed
with produce the broken thOrOughfare.
The crowded state of the levees. produced
the same confusion, and the crash OF drays
employed in getting this commerce out and
in, resembled the efforts to save property
from fire, ship wreck. or any other imml-
nent danger. The width Of the levee rem
dered it difficult to protect this accumula-
ton from the injurious effects of rain, sun,
dust and wind, each Of these elements, IN
our very fitful climate, would have an OPP
cially sensitive to its effects.
But il at that day q shipper of Western
-four complained that his consignment had
been reduced grade or two by an inoppor-
tune shower or that the too amOrOus sun
had melted his lard; if lines Of yellow
grain had trickled from the perforated sacks
Of Illinois, or casks OF Bourbon whisky
moistened the cobble stones of TchOupitOu-
las, the sole indemnity for the damage
a
closed possibly by q change of factors on
the part OF the aggrieved shippers. But
the torrent of produce came and dashed
upon our shore. fOr>then there was no other
outlet to the ocean than by the Balize.
Such was the position of New Orleans from
the date when Intendant Morales suspended
the right of the Western people to deposit
their produce upon 1.-THE istard of New Or
leans" until modern enterprise. succeeded
in getting the first communication between
the Mississippi Valley and the ATLANTIC
coast, by canal and railroad. The Ailegha-
MES were then in effect leveled, and cOm
merce flowed in direct current between
the East and West. Practically, then, the
Mississippi has about eight principal rival
cOnduits, which convey much Of that stream
of trade which once could have had but one
outlet. The effect of this rivalry upon our
imports and exports need not be
here shown in detail. The sudden stag
nation of our city, and the unprece-
denied growth of those cities seated and
thriving upon this commercial intercourse,
which had fostered New Orleans, furnishes
evidence of the fact. We are now to con-
slider how this diversion Of our legitimate
trade may be cOunteracted. 1t is not neces-
sary to recapitulate the measures which We
have heretofore indicated as tending to
effect this desirable result. 1t will be suffi-
cicnt at this time to note certain facilities
for the transfer and protection Of cOmmOdi-
ties which have been adopted by the COM
peting routes to which we have referred. and
which are also employed upon all the most
transit and transfer lines of mod
ern commerce. London has built extensive
warehouses on the borders of her numerous
and magnificent docks. The rail is laid
along the opposite walls of her warehouses,
so that Oh either side of the Thames any
commodity, howsOever bulky, can be trans
ferred by machinery, and almost without
manual agency, from the vessel that may
have borne it across the Atlantic to the in
terror store or workshop where it is to be
subiectedstO use. The same may be said of
Liverpool, of Bremen, Antwerp, and other
port cities of Europe. In the United States
there are some splendid examples Of this
system. The New York and the Hudson
Railroad occupies with its elevators, depots,
tracks, and turntables, several acres Of
ground i'll the heart Of the city. With the
aid of these agencies, a case of merchandise
from the Pacific ocean may be placed on
board the steamer for transatlantic port.
The facilities for conducting this through
trade or travel are such that the dis
lance around the world by the route of
Hong Kong, San Francisco, New York
and SueE, is stated at $4,000 miles, and
the time guaranteed at seventy-eight days,
by rail and steamer, nothing except the
the principal points of junction could
insure this extraordinary undertaking. We
refer our council, merchants and others,
whose duty it may be to consider this sub
1eet, to the proper authorities. 1t would be
improper, however, to pass without especial
notice the complete system Of transfer
adopted in Chicago and in Baltimore. The
president of. the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road, in a series of speeches made in the
Western cities, has attributed the growth
and greatness Of Baltimore to the wise ad-
ministration Of it's municipal and railroad
interests. After describing in detail the
shelter afforded to commerce in transit by
two immense wharf warehouses, which con-
meet the ship and car, he asserts that chiefly
through this agency the receipts of the road
have advanced from $500, 0OO.to 81 ,0OO, 600
per month st. Louis and Cairo have like
wise combined the wharf and warehouse
After unprecedented opposition the Jack
son Railroad has reached the levee, it is met
there by two other roads and union
freight and passenger depot is proposed,
Just as has been done elsewhere. The princi-
pal steps have been taken, then: to effect the
transfer and dispatch Of commodities
arriving at or departing from New Orleans
by rail. Nothing then is wanting except
wharf warehouses to shelter and transfer
this commerce.
We do not affirm that the foundation will
be sufficient to bear high or heavy super
structiOn, we shall not anticipate the
opinions of the engineer, but assuming that
it is possible to construct such works we
will proceed to explain the legal and me
chanical principles upon which it should
authorized. just here we come upon a
petition addressed to the Common Council
and bearing the names of several merchants
entitled to consideration; the petitioners
set forth the damages done by natural
agencies to commodities landed on the
levce; it affrms that such commodities suf-
fer more at this than at other ports. 1t
justly criticises the fimsy Profession
afforded to valuable articles by tarred sail
cloth. The petitioners then offer to cover
with sheds the whole wharf between Com
mon and st. Joseph streets. They also pro-
pose to maintain the wharves in good con-
dition at their own expense without inter
fering with the jurisdiction Of the city on
wharfage and port charges. In compensa-
ton for this concession the petitioners ask
!. The exclusive right to impose upon ar
ticles landed on the wharf charges accord
ing to tariff fled by them but not pub
lished.
g Exemption from municipal taxes upon
their property investment.
g. That the city shall, at the expiration OF
the lease, pay half valuation for the build
ings erected upon it's own property.
a. Some guarantee against future munich
pal legislation.