Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-23
THE NEW LINE OF STEAMERS.
What the Business Men OF Savannah
saw About the Enterprise-The scheme
Refne Pushed in Augusta.

river, with view to lncreas-
ing her cotton trade and securing cheaper
facilities from the
coast. A meeting of the citizens
Of Augusta was held recently, and the
project was discussed by leading mer-
chants and business men. In Savannah
there is a diversity Of opinion as TO the
benefits to be derived from the enterprise
If inaugurated. A MORNING NEWS re-
Dorter called upOn a number Of leading
cotton merchants and wholesale dealers
Yesterday with the inquiry as 70 What
was the general opinion IN regard 70 II.
r.. NJ. Butler, Of the firm Of Butler
stevens. said: Il have not read what ne
Augusta merchants have done 70" aIus
the move. and hence am not pre-
Dared perhaps to speak as lull4
ss I nirht in regard TO the enterprise.
one question suggests itself 70 me at tue
outset. and that is; May not the Cehtral
Railroad allow the proposed cOmpan!
certain sum per annum Ior WhaIeIer
tbrougb cotton might be offered at Au-
'rusta. the road only 10 bring the cotton to
fhis pointg The Central has made similar
arrangement with other boats running
from Augusta to Savannah, and the con-
sequence is that all the through cotton Is
brought here BY rail, the boats only hand-
ling such cotton as is offered at the inter-
mediate landings. If tie new boats
should enter into the arrangement
the through freight would hhely
remain as il is, or about 81 . per bale.
Under the suppOsitiOn that the steamers
should oblfgate themselves for cOnsld-
Grafton not 10 take through cotton, the
first cost Of one boat would be paid back
10 the company within a couple OF
wears. while the boats would have
whatever other business between the two
cities that they could drum up. Nearly
am Of this slOcaP business would, how
ever. have to be worked up. As Tar back
as nv knowledge Of the river carrying
trade extends the boats have had their
patrons or friends who would not ship by
another boat. or permit Savannah mer-
chants to send their goods except on
particular boat 10 the exclusion OF the
others. If you were requested to send
foods TO a certain landing by, for illus
tratratiOn. the Katie, and should for
ward by the Mary Fisher, or wee
versa. there would be trouble.
Hence. / say, the business OF the
new boats would have TO be worked up
and might be made to pay the stock
holders. lou will observe, therefore, that
the question whether the Centefal Rail-
road will buy them OF on the through
cotton is an important one, when you
come to ask the question whether the en-
| terprise will be remUnerauFe TO the
/ owners Of the line"
..Would not the Eew boats lead to a
competition for the carrying trade and a
/ reduction in freight"
at is probable that competition would
| follow. and that if the boats failed TO re-
munarate the stockholders the shippers
would at least be benefited. l remember
| that soon after the war when two or three
| boats were running the river between
| Augusta aud Savannah through cotton
was brought here for % cents bale. AT
! that rtme one firm in the city received
/ over 6.O00 bales, the greater part OF II
coming from NOrtI and South Carolina
! A large number Of bales we're then re-
ceiVed here from Ralei2h, \
| G. But all that business goes
! elsewhere nov. 4 decided change
| has taken place, aHd a great deal
/ Of cotton which used to come by boat
| from Augusta to this point now goes tc
/ Norfolk. Charleston, or Port Royal. But
/ | should like to see the new boats run
/ ming. because they would probably
/ benefit Savannah merchants, if they
/ failed to profit the stockholders"
! s.May not the Augusta merchants be
/ working a scheme TO tap the trade on the
| river above Savannah in the interest 81
/ Augusta houses? p
They couldn't carry much cotton tC
] Augusta. The staple naturally tends II
/ this direction. They might obtain some Of
( the local trade of the intermediate land
/ iugs some distance up the river near
| Augusta. but that is ALL
One of the largest cotton factors in the
| city, who declined to permit his name tC
| be used, SAID: ''While L cannot permit
my name to be mentioned am free to say
| that l think the new boat or boats which
! il is said are to be constructed by Au'
| gusta merchants viii benefit every Sa
/ vannah merchant more or less. The
| greater number OF facilities we may nave
/ for doing the carrying trade the better
| Competition is the life Of trade is a Ia
1 miliar and true SAYING
| sMay not the Augusta merchants dl'
/ vert business from Savannah by means OF
the proposed line:"
Il don't think they can. Cotton, es
| pecIally. will come this way. However
| If Savannah cannot induce cotton to come
/ in this direction, then she ought to lose
the business"
] Henry Solomon, of the firm Of Henry
| Solomon & Son, said:
Il read the account of the meet
\ ing of the Augusta merchants, and
I from nv personal acquaintance with
1 two or three Of the gentlemen who took
/ an active part in the proceedings, am
/ satisfied that the proposed company
/ will be no benefit whatever to Savannah
| Now let me give YOU a piece of history
/ bv way OF illustration. In 1851 OF
/ 1852 gentleman named Schultz
/ employed large number Of carpenters
| and other wOrkingmen and very quietly
| proceeded to hnish the frame work fol-
| several wooden buildings. As soon as
| everything was in readiness he had the
| frames moved one night to the site of the
| present town of Hamburg, opposite
| Augusta, and erected them. Early the
next night he built a number of bOnfres.
/ and the people OF Augusta, attracted by
/ the illumination over the river, saw sew
| eraI rows of new houses in position. That
| is the only town / ever heard of in this
portion Of the country being built
/ in one night. For ten years
Hamburg tapped all the trade in that
portion Of South Carolina, which formerly
/ went to Augusta. The Hamburg Bank
was a flOurishing institution, and the
business of the place during the pc
| Rod referred 10 was prosperous. You
couldn't get a CarOlinian to deal
in Augusta after Hamburg was founded.
Now the Augusta merchants believe that
all the business on the Savannah river
from Broad river up, and from Ellenton
on the Carolina side, belongs to Augusta,
and they mean to control it. The
new boats will not make a busi-
/ ness of bringing cotton from Augusta
to Savannah. and it is not the
intention Of their owners to run them in
that way. They want an appropriation
from Congress to clean out the shoals
below Augusta, and they know that then
there will be enough business to keep
their boats employed on that portion OF
the river in a carrying trade that will not
be interrupted by low stage of water
during certain portion Of the year,
Mr.. Fest, of NJ. Ferst & CO., said: 1--WE
have a very good trade up the river,
though we have never sent a drummer
there to work it up. Whether the new
boats would benefit US is question we
are not prepared to answer
J. X. Germany said: "Hhere is no
doubt that the Augusta boats will be
built, and that they Will benefit Sayan-
nah merchants, but whether the capital
invested in them will give profitable re-
turn TO the stockholders is another mat
ter. dependent in a measure upon the
terms. il any. that may be made with the
Central Railroad on through cotton.
There is a great deal Of business on the
river which would be benefited if num-
Der Of competing boats were run"
UARBOR IMPROVEMENTS.