The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-01-02
A GkAlN BLOCKADE,
The Elevators at Detroit FuIIlS 0v0Ia, owing
with Wheat.

DETRorT, Jan, l.-This city and Stat
are now suffering from the worst grair
blockade ever experienced. The eelsyatori
are full to overhoWing, and hundreds o.
cars stand upon side tracks loaded with
wheat, with no prospect Of being able tc
discharge their load for days II not tol
weeks to come. At this time in 1884 there
we're but 504, ,559 bushels OF wheat stored
in Detroit. Foul times the amount Is re-
sponsible for the existing blockade. The
capacity Of the elevators ia exhausted, and
the only recourse is to supplement II with
some other accommodation acceptable to
the grain owners.
The Detroit and Milwaukee elevator,
which does duty for the Detroit, Grand
Haven and Milwaukee, the Grand Trunk
and the Lake Shore and Michigan South
ern Railroads, is running over, and num-
ber OF Cars are in exClusivs service as
wheat reCeptacles. Rolling stock thus EN-.
ployed is no. regarded as profitable, and
the Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee
authorities have Issued orders to their
agentA to accept no further consiguments
OF wheat until otherwise ordered. The
Michigan Central 10 similarly Affected, and
now has more wheat on its hands than it
can store away. President Ledyard has
given notice through the secretary OF the
Board OF Trade that unless dealers having
wheat stored In elevators A aud b remove
ttwithln reasonable time, round ssor-
age rate will DO charged,
The elevators here contain 1000, ,S65
bushels OF wheat. Michigan Central ele.
vator AContalns to-day 4Os, l20 bushels
elevator B, 52l ,729 bushels Detroit and
Milwaukee elevator, >Sl4,lls bushels;
Union Depot elevator, GR2,208 bushels,
while there are le0, ,457 bushels stored In |
vessels chartered for storage purposes,
making grand total OF 2,l65, ,S22 bushels
ot wheat now placed in elevators and |
boats at this point, In addition there are
hundreds OF cars consigned to Detroit
lying here with no possibility OF the
overtGIed elevators receiving any large
proportion OF 1t unless some plan for
elr'speedy relief is at once devised and
carried out. The Union elevator Ia not
IlIled with wheat and its owners do not
propose that 1t shall be. The Wabash
railroad extends into q rich corn district
which contributes largely To It's carving
trade, II was 10 tap this remunerstive
territory that the Wabash was huilt, and
tho foresight which devised that scheme
will not choke off its immense corn carry.
ing trade hy allirg Its elevator with
wheat. II now has 7G2,30G bushels OF
wheat, and the remainder OF It's immense
capacity 10 sacred 10 corn.
Every elevator In Michigan Ia full to
the roof. From crossroads stations to the
largest interior cities comes notice OF too
much wheat for the elevator capacity pro.
ytded, Outside OF Detroit there are more
than 100000 bushels OF wheat In Michi.
gan elevators, Liberal receipts Of wheat |
and lack OF demand in the East are the
reasons assigned for the blockade. The
export demand Is unusually light, Wheat
here, while regarded rs low in price,
ts relatively high. speculators have
liked tho price and expect tomake money
in the end. There Ia and has been for
some time prevalent opinion that there
will be considerable advance during the
next spring. This conclusion Is based on
suppositltous Calamitles predicted for the
growing crop. Some 100000 or 100000
bushels Of the wheat now In Detroit are
held by Chicago parties to meet their
long futures.
All are agreed that there Is but one way
open for raising the blockade. Boats ly.
Ing Of this port must be brought into
requisition and utilized for the storage Of
surplus wheat. O. NJ. Norton has char.
tered all the vessels TINS far utilized to
store grain. The terms made are cents
per ,bushel, the chaltors running until
April ID and until the opening OF naviga.
tiop, should II occur alter that date. The
wheat now provided for in the boats is
mere drop In the bucket, and Shrewd oh.
servers ofthe situation sly that half mil.
lion more bushels should be placed in
vessels while the river 10 open and the
work Of transfer thus llghtened as well as
greatly expedited,