Port Royal commercial and Beaufort County Republican. [volume] (Port Royal, S.C.) 1873-1874, 1874-01-08
Port Royal.

The arrival at this famous harbor OF
the first Of a line Of steamers from Liver
pool; affords an opportunity for our i'm
porters and wholesale merchants which
should not be allowed to PASS uninprov-
ed. g..
The line differs from other attempts at
the direct trade with England so much
desired in the South, in few points not
clearly understood among our merchants.
In the first place, the steamers do not
depend altogether on their treights via
Port Royal They run to New Orleans,
and touch ut Port Royal to land and re.
ceive freights and coal. Four thousand
tons of coal passed through Atlanta with
in the last few weeks for their use: Thus
their freights are lower than could posi-,
bly, be afforded if they ran only to and
from new place which has its business
to make. -,
Next, there are no charges for wharf
age or drayage at. Port Royal. The
steamers load directly into tho cars. after
making the usual entry at the Custom
House. Freight thus de livered may be
,ceived b. through fr, light cars in At
lanta in twenty. four hours, via the Port
Royal and Georgia Railroads. What
these charges may amount to is illustrat-
ed in the case of large ship load of cot
ton ties which Was imported for Augusta
and Savannah. The ship drew too much
water to 60 to Savannah until she had
been lightencd by the delivering of
part of her cargo at Port Royal. But
She came alongside the railroad wharf
ut Port Royal, at nearly low tide. and
discharged the portion Of her cargo in
tended for Augusta directly into the cars
and then proceeded to Savannah. 1t
has been stated, and not contradlcted to
our knowledge. that the Augusta portion
of her cargo cost no more after paying
freight over one hundred miles OF railroad
than did the Savannah portion delivered
at her wharves, after paying all local
charges. >
1t is difficult to direct the current OF
trade into new channels. Our merchants
in the interior, long accustomed to I'M
port through New York, Charleston or
Savannah merchants, are shy of setting
IN as importers themselves, although 1t
is evident that to do SO successfully will
be to put into their own pockets the
profits now paid to the importers at our
scaports.
Again all other Southern scnports arc
limited in the size and draught of YES el
frcquenting them by the depth of water
which may be brought to them. How.
ever, there Is no such limit at Port Royal
1t is the only first-class Atlantic port
South of Cape Hatteras. iut0 which any
vessel yet butt may enter. But frclghts
and insurance rates are less on large YES
sells, rating A !, than on smaller ones,
thus offering another saving.
Port Royal has to fight its way into
notice aud Importance in spite Of the OPP
position of the well known cities Of
Charleston aud Savannah, lying Oh either
S de of it. The local interests of those
cities, opposed and rivals in all else, are
interested in keeping down and throw
ing diScredit upon the commercial value
of any intermediate port however great
may be its natural advantages.
The city ofSavannah might, with great
advantage to her merchants, use Port
ltuA dl IOI SuIpo VI lOO b GOV "i""Su' w
come to her wharvcS, precisely as Lcith
is the seaport of Edinburgh. The en-
trance to Port Royal is but eleven miles
from the entrance to Tybee Roads, and
the pilots and steam tugs of one place
could also be those of the other. Why
not?
But the main roint for the interior
cities Of the South and Southwest to con-
slider is, how can their grain and cotton
be got to market in the least time and
for the least money, and how can they
obtain in return those articles of foreign
production which they need for consump
ton at the least expense and in the
shortest time.
May not this problem find its solution
at Port Royal, and is it not worth while
for the merchants ofSt Louis, Memphis,
Nashville, Atlanta, and other cities lying
near the great routes Of interior railroad
communication with the Southern sea.
ports to look into the mattcr?-Attanta
CUnstaUtion.