Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-10-11

Cfty-The Steamer Route to the North
Inducements to Come to Jacksonville
Prospects of Deep Water on the Bar
Direct Trade Necessary.
JACKSONVILLE, Oct. :, 1884.
To the Editor Of the Times Union: In
one important respect our rival sister city
of Savannah has great advantage over
Is. and that is ir her splendid line of New
York steamships that, like a great
Alachua, stands with open mouth, swal-
lowing up the floods of freight that,
through artificial channels, flow into the
Georgia port, not from its own State
alone, but from all over Florida.
We are Jealous and fearful of poor little
Fernandina; we are timid of distant Pen
sacOla, and we pluck the flower safely
from the nettle danger of such rivals as
thesa by throwing ourselves upon Savan-
nah's ever welcoming bOsOm Into Sa-
vannah we pour all our wealth; We have
built her docks and warehouses, and the
imposing statistics of Florida freights
have secured enormous appropriations
for the Savannah river. We see our own
river blocked, and Fernandina unable to
provide a wharf suited TO the urgent ne
cessitles of steam navigation, so that rail-
road iron cannot be taken out OF the ships
ports, but must be raised through her
matches.
But we are able to console ourselves
with the thought that FernandIna's loss is
Sayannah's eternal gain. We deprive
ourselves of harbOr towns and harbOr i'm
prOvements, and 90 on from year TO year
with merry hearts and cheerful counte-
nances, paying tribute TO the growing
greatness Of the city Of Savannah and the
sovereign State of Georgia.
The wharyes and warehouses, depots,
yards, railways, sidings, property i'm
prOvement. increase Of population, board
lighthouses and stores created bV our pa
trOnage, pay taxes TO the Georgia Treas
urv. A line of steamships TO our own
ports is, after years Of strenuous endeayOr.
and OF fair, efficient and honorable deal
inc with the Florida public, still a weekly
line. pick up the crumbs Of our patronage,
whiie-Savannah all the time has
fed on the roses, and lain IN the lilies Of
life.'
ssFIorida is our back yard" observed
Mr.. Editor Estill, Of the Savannah MORN
ING NEWS. some few years ago; yet, al
though the Times Union has buried our
tomato cans and old boots of journalism,
and put the back yard where the front
ward used to be, we, in many very i'm
Dortant respects, remain GeOrgia's "back
yard"
we need. and we can have if we will it,
n double weekly line of steamships be-
will run to Jacksonville the moment the
vvav is omen. The line we have now, the
Mallory line, is capable of almost instant
exhaustion if any reasonable assurances
are given its prOpTietOrs that it VIII pay.
The Mallory steamships to Key West and
Texas are not excelled for beauty, speed,
safety. comfort and luxury by any that
aoat the ocean. The finest European
steamships that sail out of New York har-
HIT 81. ~
Texas steamers. And so much cheaper
are ocean than railway freights that coal
and iron are brought from Pennsylvania
ana shipped by Mallory steamers to Gal
n costs about $500 to make round
trip of the steamship City of San Antonio
10 Fernandina and return to New Ork.
To make up this expenditure and any
margin of profit besides, requires the car
riage of a large amount Of freight and
many passengers.
To nut on a double weekly line two
new steamships must be built, requiring
an outlay of nearly $500, 000 doubling cur
rant running expenses, dividing the bulk
Of freigbts, and mourning probably war
Of rates at the very start.
Still. Mr.. Mallory IS willing TO incur the
enormous risk if only reasonable assur-
ances of patronage are given him. Of
late the patronage of the Mallory line has
increased faster than ever before, and ne
has extensively and extensively RENTED
and improved mis- steamships. Inc City
of San Antonio is just out Of dock with
new boilers and machinery and new Mt
tings and furnishings. Travel by the
Mallory line Is comfortable. Clearly and
passengers are as well cared for and well
led as by other lines (the dudes only de-
claring that it is not as heightened as
travelling from SAVANNAH J, and then, too,
the Savannah boats charge more, and the
rail connection costs more beside.
With no i'll viii toward any other line,
ought not our own State line be support
edg Should we not recommend it TO trav-
elers and shippers. and should not mer-
chants give special Instructions in New
York that goods shipped on Thursdays
and Fridays at least, be sent by the NAL
lOry line! The moment his treights be-
come greater than he can handle with
present equipment Mr.. Mallory will
double his line. Let US give him the &C.
casiOn be desires.
The contractor at our jetties, it is stated,
asserts with the pOsitiyeness of earnest
conviction that with the completion of his
present contract he will have fifteen feet
Of water above the st. Johns bar. Let
us rejoice!
l am a firm believer in the ''inside
route,- but if the other is practicable let
rs have that: with either, the Mallory
steamships viii run to our own docks.
JAx.