St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-12-28
NO WAR SHIP NEEDED,
One Could Not Garry All the Flour
Collected by the Miller.

Telegraphic advices from Washing
ton yesterday morning stated that
through the fundamentally of Senator
Washburn, the navy department at
Washington will probably detail a man
Of-war to transport to Russia the ship
load of flour now being collected by the
Northwestern Miller for the famine
stricken peasants of the cars domin-
ion. w. c. Edgar, manager of the
Miller. was asked about that feature
yesterday. He could scarcely under
stand why the government hOuld send
war ship to carry this flour, nor could
lie see how any such plan could be
made to work well. AS matter of fact,
this scheme of sending over load of
flour to the Russian peasants is neither
the United States governments
scheme nor Senator Washburn's scheme
but the Northwestern Miller's scheme.
Mr.. Edgar conceived the idea, and i'm
medlately set about putting it into prac-
tlce. He asked for contributions from
the millers of the country. All those
contributions will be consigned to Mr..
Edgar. LII the whole transaction AIR.
Edgar will deal with the Russian gov
! eminent. The flour contributed for the
starving Russians belongs to him until
turned over to the Russian government.
The question of how much a man-of- war
can carry also arises.
ut is my opinion" said Mr.. Edgar
yesterday, THAT a warship will not be
able to carry enough cargo to take this
flour. There is not near the storage
capacity on man-of-War that there is
on regular merchant vessel. | don't
believe warship can take more than
100000 pounds. That is only
one sixth of the cargo we
| shall send over. Our plans
call for 100000 pounds of -four. l
think we will have no difficulty in get
ting that amount. The government
WarShipS cannot carry the whole con-
signment without dividing up the ship
ments. And that we have no intention
of doing. Hhe flour consigned 10 the
Northwestern Miller must all go to-
geth9.
Inen there is the item of expense.
1t will cost a man-Of-war 5000 to make
the trip to Russia and back. Estimat-
ing that such vessel could carry .OOO.-
600 pounds-and lido not believe it could
carry more--that would be only S2O,0 900
worth of flour. 1t seems foolish to
spend $1,000 for transporting $40. 900
worth of goods when it can he carried
for half the money. But Senator Wash
burn will be here in a day or two. and
then we will probably know more
about it,"
Kansas and Nebraska men have been
talking of adding corn to the cargo.
They will labor under difficulties. The
| corn cannot be sent in the car or shelled,
tor the recipients would have no means
of grinding it. COrnmeal will not keep
long enough to allow of its being trans
ported so far.
Mill men tell me-" said Mr.. Edgar,
'that cOrnmeal will spoil before it can
be laid down in Russia. They say that
most hOuseholderS find the last of even
one sack of meal spoiled before it can
be used, And since my attention has
been called to it, l know that that is so.''
1t is possible that there may be some
clash of authority before this shipload
| of raw bread material is distributed i'm
Russia. w. c. Edgar and c. Nee.
Reeve will accompany che cargo as COM
missioDerS appointed by Gov. Merriam
to Superintend the distribution.
If the Kansas and Nebraska corn
men conclude to send supplies it is
possible that the governors of those
states may want to send commissioners
to look after the distribution. Mr.. Ed
gar and MIR. Reeve will not
allow those men to interfere with
the Miller's porti0n-the larger portion
of the cargo. That may lead 70 the
sending of the Kansas and Nebraska
contributions in a separate consign-
ment. To the Northwestern Miller, to