New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-09-02

terially cripple some of our bankers, By
whom the documentary bills were neg0
tiated on shipment. The disappointments
IN our sugar trade have been even greater
than in cotton, and the losses suffered by a
few factors having been hastily imputed to
the entire trade, even the most solid houses
have felt the depreciating effect upon their
credit While these two leading articles
present such diseeuraglng results, general
trade has suffered by the diversion of bust
ness to Western cities, which have not only
furnished large supplies OF breadstuffs and
provisions, formerly bought exclusively 10
this market but also many imported goods
which could have been had at lower prices
here With such a combination of I'M
toward circumstances the general depres-
sion in our commercial circles is no more
than natural But our merchants should
not be discoura ged and while learning wis
dom from the lessons OF the past, they may
we'll observe a cautious aud conservative
policy; vet t should not unduly check their
IL terpri or reDress their energy
Before we pass TO the iead1ng articles OF
our trade We can not overlook the actual
injury our commerce has suffered from the
outlets to the Gulf atfording insufficient
water for the passage OF The largest steam
ship and sailing vessels. Great as this evil
has undoubtedly been, Il has been unwlsely
exaggerated, preventing shipments of pro-
duce from the West under vague idea that
the river was virtually bieckaded, and APP
prehensions of ruinOus anu prOtraeted stor-
age in our warehouses. The faliaoy of such
views is shown by the fact that when Cap
tain Howell, United States engineers, who
is in command of the United States
dredging service. ordered his boats from
the Southwest Pass 10 the Pass al Outre.
in very short time he deepened the
latter from fourteen to eighteen feet,
and that several OF the largest vessels in
the tIade have since passed out by this Ion g
neglected outlet without detention. More
over. the distractions at the Southwest
Pass were soon removed, and 1t has since
been navigable except, perhaps. by few
ships of unusual draft. With unintermit
ing dredging there can hardly be a doubt
that depth can be maintained in either
outlet for the passage OF vessels drawing
not over eighteen or eighteen and half
feet. which. at present, may be fairly re-
garded as sufficient tor all practical pur
poses. At the same time, this presents no
argument against the great canal at Fort
ST Philip, which, before it can be COM
pleted, will be needed for the increasing
necessities of the West. and ia expected to
furnish channel to deep water OF twenty
five to twenty-seven feet. Underwriting
dredging now, and the canal for the future
should be insisted upon by the imperial
West, as fully as much due to its teeming
population as the Improvement OF the New
York harbOr is to that port and its tributary
districts
Neither of the measures we have so ear
nestiy pressed upon the attention of the
Western people can be regarded as purely
theoretical. The practicability of the one
has been demonstrated by its accomplish
ment: the feasibility of the other has such
a weight of scientific dicta in it's favor that
it can no longer be doubtful. In both cases
it is mere question OF time and money
of the few years required to construct the
canal or the constant application required
by the dredgeboars; of the seven millions. or
at the outside ten millions which the caual
will cost, or the two hundred thousand,
two hundred and fifty thousand. or at the
outside three hundred thousand annually
required to dredge depth IN the channel
of not less than nineteen feet. These are
no new views. They have been advocated
for years. The ship canal was thoroughly
discussed twenty five years ago, the deep
enng of the passes has been eHectually &C
comp!ished. both by private enterprise and
by the government forces. After previous
discussions of it, we returned TO the subject
in our last annual review, when IN
connection with the new lines OF
steamships established between our own
and transatientle ports, we asserted that
the government dredgeboats had eStab-
lished the practicabilty OF deepening the
channel a. the bar on the Southwest Pass
sufficiently for a.! practical purposes. Here
we referred exclusively to the Southwest
Pass, which had for long time been the
tavorite outlet. But the experience OF Cap
tain Howell in the past year proves that
Passa-fOutre is At least equally available.
1t presents, moreover, peculiar advantages
in being stra;ghter and shorter than the
Southwest Pass and giving vessels much
betterl oting, sometimes expedltlng the
voyage to Europe i've to ten days. II the
current of immigration continues and the
population of the West and Southwest in
creases to tie extent anticipated no matter
how many millions of bushels of grain or
pounds of meat they may require tor their
own consumption. they will. no doubt, pro-
Guce large surplus, for which they will be
cOmuelled TO seek a market abroad. 1t Is
to this surplus, on Of the enormous crops
of the future, tie most OF which Will be
needed for home consumption, that we
must look for the basis of our export
trade. We must, nevertheless, not over
look the important fact that the ability OF
| the Western farmer TO supply breadstuf5
in New Orleans the parity of foreign
markets, without which there can be no ex-
ports. depends as much on the improve
| lnent of the rivers as on the deepening OF
| the passes CT the construction OF the an
artificial outlet This has been strikingly
illustrated in the past year, when, notwith-
| ing the extraordinary scarcity OF tonnage
in all the United States ports and the con-
sequent advance in ocean treights, grain
| could be shipped from st. Louis to Liverpool
via New Orleans a. 24e + Dushel; that is &c
| to New Orleans and &c thence to Liverpool
| to which a tIiting must be added for transit
| charges The river freight has since been
| more than doubled. and the ocean rate
| increased about 25.t9 cent. Nor Is 1t any
| less important for the West 10 understand
| that there is no probability OF there being
another scareitT of tonnage such as
has existed during the past year
| The agent of one of our foreign
| liners assures Us that whenever the tonnage
be required i viii be increased accordingly
For every steamship now in the service OF
| his company. they will add ten. And We
| have not the sli 5htest doubt that this assur
| ance will be einphatlcally repeated by every
| agent OF foreign steamers in the trade. The
| wealthy capitalists in these lines ''meau
business" They are ready to employ theil
own capital and the capital OF their frIends
al a remuneration, which would be scorneG
| by American ship owners. They can ruI
| their ships, moreover, at much less tnau tEf
| unavoidable expenses OF American vessels
| Consequently they can carry produce a
| lower rates and make profit where Amer
lean bottoms would suffer an inevitable loss
These are practical questions which can be
readily solved by the sagaclous merchant
and are altogether above the plane and be
You'd the province of Missionaries, who dream
| of improbable undertakings by American
| energy and enterprise. But, IN tact, thf
| practicability of making New Orleans tn
chief outlet for the surplus products OF the
West. depends more on the river and rive
transportation than on the Gull outlet ant
ocean commerce. Until the canal be con
structed, less than the interest ultlmate!,
actruiug on is cost expended for dredging