The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1888-03-02
Commerce OF Wilmington.

Commerce of Wilmington.
We have Two commercial nOdiea here:
The PRODUCE EXCHAAGE, and the CHAM
BER OF oMMERCE, composed OF active aud
enterprlslng men VINO are dong much 10
extend the trade OF the place,
Wilmington is very quiet place. One
III goin- about lis streets is not aWare of
the real activity and extent OF its trade.
Two years ago the export trade of this city
amounted to $. ,009, ,000-if one MAY cr. lit
the statements OF our city papers u is
largely more than that now At one TIME
during the busy cotton season last Fail.
there were eight large European steamers
III port, each capable of trans lsorllng from
three to five thousand bai"a Of cotton
Three OF them were loading at one Of the
three GOmpresSes OF the city at the same
time. and the large increase OF our foreign
trade may be seen from the fact that NOR
than ) ( 0GU bales of cotton have been re
celved here Ill excess of any previous year.
Two wears ago, the entire tra'te OF y Ill
mington amounted to S2S, Geo, ,G00. | do
not know the amount for the !aSr year, but
it must have been considerably more than
that.
What Wilmington needs at this iunclure
of her history to make her great com
mercial centre are enlarged views. eularg-
ed liberality and a quickenrd activity aud
enterprise on the part of her citZ.ns 10
seize and improve her present opportuni-
ties. We now have a good port OF entry,
and il viii soon be better. Il | am cor
rtctlv informed. We have greater depth
of water Oh our bar than Charleston.
Yeas before the war there was depth of
water on the bar of % feet. Then there
came a storm, which opened what is known
as New Inlet, several miles further up the
| 1, x-xNl, =
the river two outlets, instead of one,
and caused the channels to shoal, so that
| there was . channel Of ten feet ut the new
| exit aud t. elye at the Old. For several
| year the government engineers have been
| clio ,ln- az the neW lnltt. Capt. w. ii.
! BiXly, the chief engineer, state that up TO
| 1885. the government had expended on
| this work 81 632, 335S. 93 Immense beds
| of rock have b, en laid for more than two
miles along the river side, and the result
is that We now have Il depth Of IS feet of
water on the bar, and those competent to
| know, declare that when this work is fin
| ished we will have not less than % feet,
as of old With such port Of entry. why
should no; Wilmington become a great
| city! Why lould not such port b. Il
| cOaling station for ocean steamers more,
| accessible than New Port News nON the
| great resor! Vessels have to sail three
| hundred miles out of their course 10 get
! to New Port NeWS--they would have to 90
| but forty miles out of their direct line of
| sail to reach the mouth of Cape Fear. and
the great coal mining companies OF the
| West are cianIoring for other outlets for
| their immense output than are now fur
nished them In the "keview," of our
city, | notice in yesterdays issue, a stirring
appeal from the eloquent pen of Mr.. J. H.
| on n
the Iadkin Valley and Onslow Railroads.
| wish We had a hundred men Of like spirit
with Mr.. Currie. He says:
"We also expect to see Raleigh the capi-
tai city of our State, bending her energies
| to build a railroad from Raleigh to Fay
etteyiile that she may reach the sea through
Wilmington and thereby break the shackIes
that the Associated Ra lWays have had
upon the business of Raleigh SO long. And
last but not least Charlotte, the Queen
City of our State. for the same reasons
that actuate Raleigh, will lend her aid in
building a road direct to Sanford to con
meet with the G. F. Il Y. Y. Z. r.
''Wiimngtou ia, tirt,n II stranger to the
people OF her own State long enough.
What could Wilmington be to-day If she
could have controlled the trade of her own
legitimate territory ever since she lost 1T
She would now be a city of 15, 900 inhabi-
tants, and the wealth that this territory
has been pouring into other cities would
be yours. If you want to bring back the
South American trade, and T., claim your
lost territory, vote for the subscription
We are nearer South America by 500 miles
than New York or New Orleans either are
We see no reason why we can't draw trade
from South America for the West. While
we are enjoying delightful and healthy
summer it is winter in South America, the