The morning news., 1889-03-15
TO LOOK AFTER THE NEW SHIP.
Gen. Sorrel to Leave for the North
To-Day-What He Saw in Florida


To-Day-What He Saw in Florida
General Manager Sorrel Of the Ocean
Steamship Company returned yesterday
from four days trip to Florida, and will
leave this morning for New York. He will
stop over at Washington to attend the
meeting of the interstate commerce com
mission. His business in New York will be
to push on the work OF the company's new
steamer, some Of the details Of which are
awaiting him. The steamer is under con-
struction at Roach's yards, at Chester. Gen.
Sorrel will also look after the passenger out
fits Of the City of Birmingham.
THE new Ship Gen. Sorrel said, sis pro-
crossing and is to be delivered Nov. l. The
passenger additions and outfit of the City Of
Birmingham will be ready by April Is, at
which time the vessel will be prepared to
take her place on the line. The company
will use her, however, to give each Of the
five New York steamers lay off of eight
or ten days for docking, coating the bot
toms and a general overhauling."
This overhauling," Gen. Sorrel said,
Twill be completed without interruption to
the present schedule, by June 1, and then
the company expects TO be able to put into
effect the schedule of four saillngs a week
between New York and Savannah, the
City Of Birmingham forming one of the six
ships of the liue. When the new ship comes
out in the fall she will, of course, be one of
the six. The City of Savannah will then be
transferred to the Boston line, performing
with the Gate City and City Of Macon a
service of every four days between Savan-
nah and Boston. Every indication points
to good results to both the Central railroad
and the Savannah, Florida and Western
railway, and the steamers, which have
brought this increased schedule to New
York and Boston"
In speaking of his Florida trip Gen. Sor-
rel said that he just visited Brunswick, and
then went to Jacksonville, Fernandina, St.
Augustine, stopping a day at the Ponce de
Leon. He found the hotel mon very blue,
and travel very light Two causes operated
against the seaso in Florida-the memory
of the fever, and the excessively mild winter
up to a late date at the north Gen. Sorrel
said that everybody is looking for
a very large tourist travel next year,
and he thought with good reason. The
freight movement, he said, has been very
large. The orange crop, he thought, is not
over estimated at 3,250,00 boxes. This
great vie d has found generally good mar
kets. Instead of Cutting the eastern mar
kets, as in the past, large western move
melt has developed and the shipments there
have been heavy. Every town and almost
every station has had Florida oranges.
Fl )rida people sometimes ask, knowing the
poSslDlllUeS OF Wnab uney can grow, are
there mouths enough for our oranges"
There can be no doubt about the answer.
Good carrying service from the groves to
the east and the west will, firmly believe"
Gen. Sorrel said find a market and good
distribution for all that Florida will grow
for some years. There has been an attempt
made to find all outlet by export from the
north aud our steamers have carried some
for our foreign connections with good re-
suits" Gen. Sorrel added that with the
Ocean Steamship Company's connection
with the Savannah, Florida and Western
railway. he intends TO give the export idea
fair test t. see what can be made out of
1t. He is of opinion, however, that the
western, eastern and middle states will con-
sumo all the oranges that Florida will pro-
duce in the immediate future.