The Portland daily press., 1880-05-15
The Grand Trunk.
AN INTERVIEW WITH TRAFFIC MAN
AGER SERGEANT.
With New Elevator Steamer Lines AS
sured all the Year Round.

With New Elevator Steamer Lines AS
sured all the Year Round.
Yesterday morning reporter for the PRESS
called at the Falmouth Hotel upon Mr.. L. ]
Sergeant, general traffic manager of the Grand
Trunk road, to make some INQUIRIES in REGARD
to the proposed movements of the road. and
whether the stories were true as to the pro-
posed removal OF the offices from this city to
Boston.
MIR. Sergeant said that at the present time
every effort was being made by the various At
lantlc ports to increase their terminal facili-
ties; that where the greatest advantages were
offered there, naturally, business would tend.
Montreal has been making great efforts to in
crease her facilities of late, and there was ev-
cry reason to believe that the debt incurred by
her citizens for that purpose would be assum-
ed by the Dominion government There is an
immense amount of trade that must seek out
lets from the West, and that trade is increas-
ing every day. Formerly, as is well known
the Grand Trunk lacked a link to put her into
Chicago under her own control Now that
link has been supplied. The immense carry
ing trade afforded by the Grand Trunk, now
the largest road in this country under one
| ownership-say 1924 miles,-must have the
| greatest facilities for transacting its enormous
business. During the past winter out of the
5000 tons of freight carried by this road, 80
| per cent was shipped via Boston, and vet a
very large business was done by this port
which would have been enormous if there had
| been gufipipnt fan1ifioc w -
an elevator capable of holding 100, 900 bushels
of different kinds of grain. This elevator, at
no one time, is filled to its full capacity, be-
cause the different kinds of grain have to be
stored there, and there may be less of one kind
on hand at one time than another, and the
empty space cannot be filed by mixing the diff
ferent kinds of grail in the different bins
With only this one elevator, with its small ca
| pacity, there have been from 1900 to 1000 cars
| OF freight blocking the company's tracks and
awaiting chance to be put into the elevator,
! thus causing delay to shippers and to vessels,
and productive of unnecessary expense to the
road.
Now, says Mr.. Sergeant, the Boston mer-
chants are alive to the necessities of the occa-
sion. They are making great efforts to induce
the business OF the road to their CITY, Last
winter, of the lines of steamers from that port.
the Leyland, Warren, Allan and Cunard the
Grand Trunk supplied very large proportion
Of the freight for the three first named lines.
The Boston merchants see what is needed and
they mean to secure the traffic if they can get
it, Portland will always remain port of the
Grand Trunk, but its business here will ALWAYS
be limited to the facilities afforded If your
merchants do nothing the probabilities are that
the Grand Trunk will simply ship from this
port what they are compelled to. III your mer-
chants choose to build up the city to twice its
size by making it a great shipping port, attract
ing commercial attention hither, with large.
first-class line Of steamships plying weekly to
London, Liverpool, Glasgow, Bristol and other
great cities, and large freight line also run
ming once week-without considering first
class line OF large iron built clipper ships-and
these vessels running all the gear round, then
they should arrange to erect an elevator on the
wharf opposite the Grand Trunk freight DEPOT
of capacity of 100000 Bushels Such an ele-
vator can be built for from $4,000 to S125,-
600. The Grand Trunk would be willing to
pay rental for such an elevator. With that
constructed there would be no delays no block
ing OF tracks by cars waiting to be emptied.
Then there would be no waste of time to the
western shippers, no demurrage for ships
awaiting chance to load all of which expense
must be borne by the Grand Trunk
There is still another feature of the matter.
OF course the shipments of grain, canned
meats Morris & Co. of Chicago do all their
business by our line-and other freight form
the bulk of the business, but the expectation of
Western cattle from which the Dominion gov
eminent has removed its prohibition as regards
their expectation through the Canadas) will
now be very large, and where the grand depot
OF traffic OF the road is, there the cattle traffic
will surely follow. With such lines of steam
ers established here by the Grand Trunk as
have just been mentioned, Western cattle ship
pers would have their cattle sheds located here
for the stabling of the animals for several days
before they were put aboard ship, making ex-
tenslve cattle yards, with the employment of
people to take care of the beasts
Mr.. Sargent seemed to think that our grain
merchants took little interest in creating a
trade with Europe and thus giving employ
ment to steamers and railroads in shipping
grain. He says that almost all of the business
done here for some time in that respect is the
Grand Trunks own business Any way he
says, ii your merchants, at this time, fail to
display enterprise then rest assured the golden
opportunity will be improved by Others With
such offers as Boston makes, and with the de-
termination she evinces, she will secure her
ends at an expense of thousands, where Port
land has only to put out a dollar to gather the
fruits of her own energy.
MIR. Sergeant says that during the coming
summer new enterprise will be started here
by the Grand Trunk, on limited scale, the
loading of clipper sailing ships for Europe
with grain. He thinks it not impossible that
the scheme of making Sydney, Cape Breton,
port OF call will succeed. and says that already
the Cape Breton merchants are working in the
matter and have got out their circulars
We understand that Mr.. Hickson, the man.
ager OF the Grand Trunk, will visit Portland
shortly. and may possibly be induced to address
our merchants. Mr.. Sergeant, Mr.. Porteous
and Mr.. Harris left the city yesterday noon
The following table of distances from Chicago
to Portland may prove interesting:
GRAND TRUNK ROAD.
Chicago Grand Trunk. $50 miles
Grand Trunk ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 794
1924 miles
VANDERBILT ROUTE.
Lake Shore .......................... $50 miles
New York Central. ................. 400 .
Boston Albany. .........A... ........ s2O1
I1ae'oi ....-.............., lOS
1139 miles
Distance in favor of the Grand Trunk, fif-
teen miles,
Gas and Water for the Public Offices.
Advices from New York state that Post
master James has received and accepted an
offer from the Gas Light Company to supply
gas at its own risk. Similar offers were &C
cepted "Wednesday by the postmasters of New |
Bedford, Newport and Portland, where the Of |
fices are in government buildings. The Bos- |
ton Gas Light CompanY offered to snnnlu the |