Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-19


Maj. Alfred f. Sears lately read an in
teresting and instructive paper before the
American Society of Civil Engineers on
Commercial Cities; the Land of Their
Birth and Growth" Maj. Sears shows
pretty clearly that it is not in the power
Of capitalists to build commercial cities
wherever they may wish. They can
choose sites and erect buildings, but if
these sites have not the conditions neces-
sary to the growth of commercial cities
no cities will ever adorn them.
There are hundreds of people in all
parts of the country who have failed in
attempts to build towns. There is hardly
an important railroad in the country that
isn't marked by stunted-loOking villages
which, at one time, were believed to pos
sess all the conditions necessary to be-
come large towns. Maj. Sears says that
the "Atlantic coast is strewn with ruined
hopes in the shape of stillborn cities, hay
ing excellent harbors and abundant water
'front.'"
Less than half a century ago Boston
merchants felt certain that their city was
10 be the great commercial city Of the
country. They had the necessary capital
for handling a great business, and their
port was "a hours nearer Europe than
New York. That they were mistaken all
the world knows. The advantage which
New York has over Bostonis that it is 200
miles nearer the heart of the country.
Maj. Sears refers to three well known
attempts to build commercial cities in
this section of the South. He says: "Cir-
cumstances of the civil war led to the de-
velopment by Northern capital of one Of
those enterprises on the Southern coast
that was to revolutionize the commerce Of
the region, and destroy the two old cities of
Savannah and Charleston. A harbor nearer
the sea and accessible to vastly greater
ships than can enter Charleston was
found at Port Royal, which, it was be-
lieved, would drain both those towns Of
their wealth and population. Capital
seized the point and tapped the neighbor-
ing country with it's railroad. Streets,
wharves, warehouses, corner lots and adj
vertisements flOurished for time. But
Port Royal is a dull, insignificant ship
ping station, while Charleston and
thirty years capital has struggled 10
build a commercial city at Brunswick,
Ca, in rivalry with Savannah. The CAPT
tai and the superior facilities, and the y
feet of water on the bar, all exist there,
but as yet no important port has arisen
from their ingenious combination. A
rather interesting experience of SINH
lar character is found in the history of
Jacksonville and Fernandina, on the
coast of Florida. Jacksonville Is on the
st. Johns river, twenty-five miles from
its mouth. At the best of times, thirteen
feet of water can be found on the bar, but
vessels often have to wait the abate-
ment of a gale before attempting to enter
the river. 1t would be difficult to find
a more dreaded bar on the coast.
When the enterprise which located itself
at Fernandina was begun in 1857, Jack
sOnville had a population not exceeding
1900 souls. FernanGina was sixty-fve
miles farther north, and by so much
nearer the world. Ships drawing nine
teen feet entered there on ordinary tides,
while twenty-five feet can be carried in
during the spring floods of each month.
Few enterprises have had the advantage
of more distinguished advertising than
Fernandina."
BY reason Of her railroads Jacksonville
was brought % miles nearer the heart of
the country than Fernandina, and, as the
result, Fernandina is a respectable viii
lage with a population of $500 souls, while
Jacksonville has already $4,000 inhabi-
tants.
From the many examples which he pre-
sents Maj. Sears deduces what he calls
the immutable law in the worlds econo-
my-"that commercial port of a re-
gion will be as close to the producer as
it is possible to go, and obtain reasonably
good facilities for the class of transporta-
ton demanded by the producer OF the
country"
This law does not appear to have been,
and does not now appear to be, under
stood. Failures follow experiments now
as frequently as at any other period of the
worlds history. Corporations and CAPT
talists who propose to build commercial
cities would do we'll to study Maj. Sears
paper.
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An Important SOcIal Fact.