New Orleans Republican., 1872-10-01
Grain by the Water Route

During the first years Of the ''grain move
ment'' from this city to Europe via New
Orleans every cargo shipped had to be
forced. New Orleans commission mer.
chants were totally Indifferent about hand.
ling it, and the ships plying between New
Orleans and the European ports equally in
different about carrying it. Iu order to
take grain in bulk it became necessary for
them to procure. clear flooring and seal up
the holds of their ships, and as this involved
some trouble and about 5000 expense, most
of the captains preferred to lay their vessels
up for months waiting for load of cotton,
rather than accept this, to them, novel
cargo. But now and then boat could be
found willing to try grain, and with every
year this special tonnage was increased
until quite little fleet were properly rigged
for this important traffic.
Now there is quite willingness on the
part of ocean-gOing vessels of all classes to
take at least half load of grain in bulk
every trip and fill out with cotton A yes
sci thus loaded is better trimmed than if
loaded altogether with cotton, and will
make quite as much money on the trip.
Last spring the river tonnage of tl6s city
was laid up by ice for period of fifty days
or more, and when business southwark
opened, package freight rushed upon the
tonnage in such quantities and paid such
high figures for transportation that bulk
grain had to stand aside, and no little com
plant was urged on the part of the New
Orleans commission firms who had orders
for grain for Europe, and could not get the
grain carried from here to fill their orders.
Ocean tonnage willing to carry grain was
quite abundant just then in New Orleans,
and quite clamorOus, too, and derided the St
Louis barge line, the great water route, and
the through grain movement without stint.
But the avalanche of southwark bound
freights subsided after bit, and bulk grain
flowed on to New Orleans once more, and
now continues to flow on.
By our last New Orleans papers we note
the arrival of the towboat Bee and barges
with 81 900 bushels of corn in bulk, besides
a large amount of package freights. Super
intendent Haarstick is now signing through
bills Of Iading from here to Liverpool, and
from here to New York via New Orleans,
at low rates of freight, and, altogether, the
through grain movement is able TO report
satisfactory progress How the continued
rise of coal may affect ocean freights via
New Orleans we are not at this moment
prepared to state, but it is stated that the
advance in this article has already affected
a number Of ocean going steamers leaving
the Mersey. 1t is also understood that one
Of the Oldest and most influential of the
steamship lines have already made arrange
ments and entered into contracts to take
all their coal for use on board their vessels
on the American side-in fact, they will
shortly commence to load at Picton, where
the coal can be put on board at eight shil-
lings per ton, the present price of steam
boat coal at Cardiff being thirty-fye shil-
lings per ton, which is certainly a great diff
ference when compared with the quotations
at Pcton.
The same firm have also determined to
Law up, until better times, four or five of
their steamers, and many other small firms
intend to follow the action of the larger
ones until the price of coal will permit them
TO run their steamers to advantage; the
enormous advance in the price of coal,
combined with the increased rates of dues
for the passage of the Suez Canal, have had
! most detrimental effect on the number of
steamers leaving Liverpool for the East, via
the canal. The number OF steamers at pres
ent in berth, for India and China, IS remark
ably small. We shall not be surprised,
therefore, if ocean rates advance. New Or
Ieans. is not an economical port to coal ID,
and it may be that the rate from New York
will be steadily maintained at about the
usual per cent below the rate from New Or
leans as it has in years past. NothWlth-
standing this, there will be eight to ten
cents per bushel on grain saved by ship
ping to Liverpool via the great water route
from St. Louise