The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-12-15
The Road to Prosperity.


In another column OF this edition OF the
MORNING NEWS will be found a very inter
esting and encouraging letter from Mr.. A.
J. Valandingham, commissioner of the
Kansas City transportation bureau. The
letter is full OF suggestive and valuable sta
tistics. Il leaves the impression that with
deeper water 10 the sea Savannah will have
1t In her power to become the seaport Of q
very large part Of the west
Commissioner VaIardingham has given e
good deal Of attention TO the question OF ex-
porting grain, live stock and provisions by
way Of Savannah. he has collected vast
amount of information bearing upon II, and
the conclusion az which he arrives Is that
Savannah has a splendid future. He points
out the advantages as a ssaboard outlet for
the west which Savannah has over New
Orleans, and shows that they are very much
greater.
When Galveston was seeking the deep
water appropriation for her harbor which
she finally obtained, the Kansas City mer-
chants were inclined to believe that that
city would eventually become tho seaport
OF that part of the west Of which Ksnsa 8
City is the chief. commercial center, but
since they have had their attention drawn
10 Savannah. they are satisfied that Savan-
nah Is the port through which very large
part OF the business of Kansas City will be
done in the near future Commissioner
Valandingham says that although the dis
lance from Kansas City to New Or
leans or Galveston Is greater than to
Savannah, nevertheless Liverpool can be
reached from Kansas City by way OF Sa-
vannah niue days sooner than by way Of
| the gulf ports. An advantage of nine days
is an immense one. and one that neither
New Orleans nor Galveston can overcome.
A very large part Of the products ex-
ported from Kansas City now reach their
destination by way of New York for the
reason that there are regular lines OF Eu-
ropean steamers from that port. But In
the opinion of Commissioner ValandInGham
there will be regular lines of European
steamers from Savannah just as soon as the
projected improvement in Savannah
harbor is completed. Twenty-six fest Of
water will be sufficient to float the largest
ship in the United States navy and will ac>
comodate about the largest steamships.
Commissioners Valandingham has in
| spected the grain elevator of the Central
railroad, and finds that for 81, 900 il can be
put in good working order. Just as soon,
he says, as deeper water In the harbor is
1 obtained, and the railroads connecting
Kansas City with Savannah are ready to
| handle grain, the movement of grain from
| the west to Europe by way of Savannah
will be begun. The shipment OF live stock
| and provisions would have been begun be-
fore this time if the railroads had been
equipped for handling freights Of that kind.
A vast amount OF merchandise for west
ern cities from New York now passes
| through Savannah. The western merchants
find it 70 their interest to ship by way of
Savannah. And the shipments of this class
of freight by the Ocean Steamship Com
pauy and the Central railroad are steadily
increasing in volume.
Nothing that Capt Purse has received
from the various sources indorsing the
deeper water movement shows so fully the
far reaching benefits of that movement as
this letter OF Commissioner Valandingham.
The movement affects the interests of al
most half the country. It is therefore really
national In its character. It is not a move
ment solely to help Savannah, although
Savannah VIII reap some of the benefits il
it is successful. 1t is a movement that APP
peals strongly to millions of people, and
that Is why 1t is getting such O general
support