The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-01-06
NEW ORLEANS AND HER COTTON
TRADE.
why Our Receipts are Increa sing

perhaps In no branch Of trade have improve
ments been more marked and effective within tn
past ten years than in the handling and com
pressing OF cotton.
Competition between inland rail lines and tn
great water routes resolved itself into q question
OF New Orleans Vs. Eastern seaboard oities Gu,
it's trial found the Crescent City abundautly ab
not only to defend the trade she possessed, but
once aroused, to make inrosds into that OF he
competitors.
The tendency OF the age to curtail expenses II
handling merchandise IL fully shown In The rapit
strides made In COMPRISING cotton aud we ven
| ture to say that had the increase made thereby
In The carrying capacity OF ocean vessels beer
predicted few years back, few would have been
| found TO have given II credence.
The substitution of iron bands In place o, fhe
| od style OF tying with ropes was the first step
toward the accomplishment of these results-
aud, strange TO say, the change was made with
| reluctance.
With the introduction of iron hoops came the
| various improvements 10 ties, and for time 1t
| seemed that the amount OF inventive genius ex-
| pended upon the problem OF how to tie an iron
band around bale OF cotton securely and expe-
ditously was inexhanstible. Hundreds of differ
ebt ties were invented and patents applied for.
but OF all these only two or three now remain the
others having proved vslueless from the start OF
having had TO give way before the improvements
In COMPRISING.
In relation 10 the latter New Orleans is proba
bly, more largely indebted to Mr. J. B. LATTE for
the revolution that has taken place. Tbs introduce.
tion OF his champion Press" with its enormous
power, led TO general improvement, and, In
fact. complete change In sll the compresses Of
New Orleans; 40 much has this been the case
that hardly a vsstgs OF the old style compress
remains.
We do not propose to go into the minute details
Of the changes here noticed, merely desiring. for
0fl ns ana nd efoa Ms
her trade, TO keep before the world the actual
facts In brief, as will be seen BY the following:
We take the ship Minnis H. Gerow as an exam
PIE; her various cargoes probsbly showing most
clearly the advantages we now derive from the
present system OF COMPRISING and tying, and
the facts relative thereto being most familiar to
tbs public.
In June, 1877, that VESSEL was loaded from The
Champion Press with q 48l 100 pounds OF cotton,
against 1,s25, l49, average Of the three previous
osrgoes, gain on this average OF CSC $50 pounds
Ii we are correctly inform d, this handsome gain
was not due alone to the powers Of the press bu
was greatly assisted by the use Of Mr.. Laftes
grip tie and dilmsn's puer.
The Gerow is 1904 ton ship, and copse |
quently the cargo OF June, 1877, averaged 1908
pounds per ton.
Large az this wss, however, we find IL has
since been exceeded, the Gerow clearing from
this port 10 December, 1877, with the uupreceden.
ted load OF $3.50 bales, Weighing GA 904 gain on
her previous cargo of 1631i4 pounds, and on the |
average OF the three osrgoes above noted of
Sl9,755 pounds, and an average per ton OF 202s |
pounds. This time the work was done BY the |
international traylor's Hydraulic) Press, Just |
erected, using 1000 tons pressure and the large ct
ever In operation in New O1eans.
Here also band tightener was used $50 bales |
OF the cargo being tied by hand and 1909 by O. II. |
Chsss's patent "Poneer" band tightener. The
work OF the IuterDa tionsl Compress is uudoubt-
edly OF the finest order, but the loading OF the
derow shows beyond question the absoine ne
,essity for band tighsners TO take in the slack Of
The hoops and retain the full benefit OF the enor-
nous pressure. How far Mr.. Chase's eight.
sner" and the use OF his tie contributed
towards tshe results obtained cannot
% precisely calculated, but Ii certain that the
Of gain In the aerow cargo would
nave been materially lessened without their aid
u is estimated that the gain through their means
vas 25 to 30 per cent.
1t il gratifying to note these evidences of adj
which indicate the true spirit OF
Sew Orleans merchants, and show that they are
ully alive to this necessities OF the hour,