Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-02-16
THE MAYORS REPLY.
PETITIONS

FROM THE MISSISSIPPI ELEVATOR COM
PANY.
To the Honorable General Council:
Unto your Honorable body, your petit
TONERS, The Mississippi River Elevator
Company and the Memphis and st. Louis
Packet Company, would respectfully
show that they are DESTROYS of erecting a
building on the levee front of the city, at
q convenient and appropriate point, the
locality OF which would in no way inter
fere with the business privileges Of the
city, in which to construct an elevator
for the purpose Of a more rapid and con.
venient handling of freight, and with less
labor to move and transport the same;
and while attaining by the means OF the
steam elevator an increase in the rspidity,
convenience and safety of handling, to
active at the same time, a great reduc-
ton in the price OF labor. as compared
with that now expended for transpOr-
tRtion.
The advantage which viii accrue to the
city of Memphis from the erection Of such
works are too varied, in the judgment
and opinion of your petitioners, to be
specifically enumerated in this petition,
but are, as they respectfully submit, capa-
BILE Of satisfactory demonstration by a
slight investigation. Petitioners, how
ever, will state q few Of the benefits which
they consider viii flow from the erection
Vi Dull improvements as NnEN pLODLSda
To make Memphis q great commercial
depot, to create it a grand center of trade,
TO attract the buyer and seller, it Is abSO-
lutely necessary, among other things,
that the price Of labor in handling freight,
and in the transfer thereof, should be
lessened very materially from present
rates; for as these rates now exist. thew
are exceedingly high, and hence must
necessarily Affect, In n incOnsiderabi8 /
degree the commercial prosperity Of the
city. The Mississippi River Elevator
Company propose to attain this result BY |
means Of their elevators and buildings. 4
Now the expense of handling local
freights, to say nothing now of through
freights, which is greater, amounts to
from fifteen to twenty per cent on the
freight bills. The said company propose
to reduce this cost from fifteen and twenty
per cent TO three per cent. Respecting
through freight, we would transfer i'd
with greater rapidity, with more ease and
safety and with a saving of cost and ex-
pense OF 81 20 per ton less than It is now
handled. In thus lessening the cost of
handling and transportation, shipments
larger and more valuable would neesssa-
rily be drawn to this point, which now
seek other thorOughfares; for we will
take the freight from of the boat, by
means OF our elevators, and place it i'm
mediRtely upon the car; or, on the
DkLGE unuQa AduQ ~ LTOu EU6 car /
board the boat. II successful in
our application the Memphis and Charles
ton Railroad Company and the Mississip-
pi and Tennessee Railroad Company will
unite in common point of meeting, at
the foot OF Beale street, forming 8 common
depot with US, when, as before stated,
their vast freight will be transferred with
q speed, safety and convenience not wit
messed in this city before, to say nothing
Of the material lessening of expense, It
will be readily perceived how we lessen
labor and Chespen it at the same
time, and any bushes man can as easily
see how the city's commercial Importance
Is increased and its commercial RdvRn-
improved and enhanced. We have,
n his petition, thrown out but a few
hints as TO the Importance TO the city Of
Memphis Of u proposed improvements,
and the wisdom OF your honorable BODY
easily pursue them to their legitimate
results. Your petitioners further respect. ]
fully show, that there is q certain
portion of the levee lying farthest q
the river, from the south line of
.he city river front three hundred feet
north, and from low water line two hun
ired feet east, including the foot OF
Besle street. This property, as it now q
les, is of very little use, II any, TO the
as q steamboat landing, as Il is !
and in ordinary stages Of wa
gAb hAhAAb4 1851 Oh ~ Is covered I
With water which Is not of a sufficient
for bOsts to land over the flat.
Vow, with our elevator building we will C
over the whole with our Wharves and q
approaches, and consequently use but & &
'ery small portion of the present avail 8
bile leveef front. Now, yOur petitioners b
propose to erect all these wharvss, the {
buildings and machinery, and h
,ut the elevators in complete working 9
rider at an outlay of from $50, 900 to S6O,- v
90, and to do such improvement on the b
aid front, il same shall bs granted to a
petitioners, at their own expense, i
soliciting any further assist 81
from your honorable body G.
the grant of said front. 81
be Memphis Packet Company would re- c,
their whsFfboat, thereby giving o.
reRter portion Of the Improved levee "
ont to transient steamboats, and other n
'ater crafts. 8
Petitioners further show unto your hon "
rsble body, that they 90 not desire or In a
70 DO a compassion or storage bust b.
sss, and expressly guarantee not to en- IN
age IN the samei their only design and W
9ject being to erect 3 depot for their els- M
stors, Cor the purpose OF thereby trans "
Orting freight. th
Premises considered, your petitioners Ok
1mbIy pray your honorable body to st
rant unto them the use Of the aforesaid pa
5scribed levee front for the period OF be
years for the purposes herein th
this petition set forth, believing that hs
10 same viii enhance the interests OF the bu
ty Of Memphis, meet the appreciation no
your railroad and steamboat inter-
Is. as well as the sanction of the citizens =
Memphis, as has been the case in the J..
ties ofSsint Louis, Missouri, and Vicks- Of
irg, Mississippi. And as In duty bound, IN
petitioners will yer pray, etc. Pr
Received by Council, and referred to
scial committee OF ten members Of
,~uneil-one from each ward; when the Ba
appointed Couneilmen Amis,
Lightburne, PettigreW, Bachman, S