The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1874-11-25
Port ISoyrl - Tosnt of Con-
centr-atiop


We have heard many and sundry caus
es assigned for tho decadeace and want
ofgrowth ofour Southern scaportp, when
the material which forms the basis IF our
greatest staple exports, shonld uatnr,Tly
build up their comme,cial prosperity,
The fact is until tho establishment Of Port
Royal, their never has been fit and suit
able pert upon his soEth -3i.ant:c coast.
for the conduct OF y gigantic trade.
Neither Charleston or savannah, clF"r
the natural advantages of deep water, 10
cation or hea'thfuncss for the establish
ment of great cities. All Railroad con.
centrations upon either of those are forced
and unnatural exits. fr,m distal extremi,
tics, and upon lines that were made
divergent from their natural and direct
COURSES to the ocean, and TO subserye
some private enterprise, or some specula.
tive object. For instance, the natural and
proper line FOR Ithe South frnroliua Rail
road after reaching Bnsnchvillc should
have been in continuation of it's straight
line to the ocean, and would necessarily
have struck the deep watcr and desirable
harbor Of Port Royal.
1t cannot be denied tlIat but for the
disastrous conccniratiQa of railroad en-
terprises of the State of Georgia, upon
Savannah whose bars are Becoming barri-
ers to the ingress and egrcss of shipping
that the cotton interest would have butt
up an Immense southern city, more profit.
ably at some place like Port Royal, where
the necessity of. shipping to Liverpool via
New York, would have been avoided.
The bur and liarbor or ofCharlcston, even if
it should be drcdgcd out two or three
feet would not enable her to compcte
with Port Royal for direct trade by
ocean steamers that require eighteen OF
twenty fect of water at least, to cross its
baIswhil the expense of keeping it so,
dredged, must entail an,annual tax upon
shipping, equal to an expense of lighter.
age as employ ed in Savannah to overcome
the same difficulty. Had the Railroad
concentrations b,en originally made
upon such port asthis, as they must
eventually he made, in the interest of
commerce instaead of being FILTERED away
upon two imprncticable ports like Savan-
nah and Charleston, Port Royal and not
New York would now be the "Quecn
City" of the Western Hemisphere
shrewd and knowing ones now
predict, that in a few years New York
will no longer be the great shipping point
Of the Southern staple, and since the
capabilities of Port Royal are SO widely
sustained and 30 thoroughly recognized
that the great ware houses and docks for
the conduct of the cotton trade heretofore
necessarily making New York it's enpor
lum because no where ELSE was hitherto
found capable will bc::established at this
wonderfully endowed port, for such pur-
pose.
The advantages which such project
possesses over tho heretofore system of
sare houseing cotton in New York in
stead of keeping it stored and on deposit
Ut southern port subject to order either
Tor foreign or domestic consumption is
engaging the attention of merchants
engaged in the cotton trade. To say
nothing of the saving OF expen.o of
rcshipment and rehsndlii,g, what on
imuonse saving 10 expense Of storage is
to be effected by such plan, when one
considers the valuo OF space in ware.
room and dockage in New York, as com.
pared with the limillcss facilities DOS
scsscd around our Incompatible harIor.
AS to the matt"r Of health.ulnc>s
ncither Savannah or Charleston from the
low fiat hiarshy sites upon which both
cities arc built and surrounded Can over
con'p'te with Port Royal which on &C
count ot It's high and dry situation i,
capable OF the most through drainage
and most unexccptionallc safety from the
dist ass lncident t. cities le,, f,rtuit.
tlou-iy situated. A glance at the map
a.n survey cf the relative distances to
To ;hc various phi Is Co which it was con-
sioSreo u sra'le t" project various lines
OF Railroad would convince the most
pr 'judi"ed that the patural and chortest
routes to al ocean outlet arc to POI:
Roya! all that to roach any other p rt, a
divergence. from sirai5 5ht lines w,r, un.
varia''iy mad. 1hc natural and most
desirable the s!.orle;t ;t anl Int st d:rec,,