The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1892-02-18
A RACE FOR COTTON.
An Incident OF the Old Shipping
Days In New York.

An Incident OF the Old Shipping
Days In New York.
Edward Knight Collins was great
naval architect as we'll as shipping
merchant, whose career was, on the
whole, more noteworthy than that OF
any man engaged in similar pursuits.
This philosophical citizen, son OF
Captain Israel G. Collins, the owner
and commander of ship that traded
between the United States and Eng
land, was born on the 5th of August,
1902. His mother, Mary Allan, 81
niece of Admiral Sir Edward Knight,
OF the British navy, dying ten days
after the birth OF her only child, them
FAINT was reared by his aunt, Mrs.
Elizabeth Small, of Truro, Cape Cod,
whose kindness and affection Mr.. Col
Inns remembered with gratitude to the
day OF his death. In his fifteenth year,
after a course of study at Sandwich,
Cape Cod, and Elizabethtown, New
Jersey, he entered as clerk at No.
IL South Street, New York, the store
of Messrs. MCCrea and Slidell, the
latter gentleman brother OF the Con-
Observation-Disclosures John Slidell, who was
captured on board the Trent by naval
officers ofthe country hehad disowned.
For five years afterward Mr.. Collins
was making trips to the West Indies
as super-cargo for John +. Delaplaine,
sharing in the profits OF the ventures
of his new employees, and experiencing
several hair breadth escapes from
pirates and two disastrous shipwrecks
on the coasts OF Cuba and Florida, so
that when, in 1925, he became the
partner of his father in the firm of
Israel G. Collins and Son, on the north
corner of South Street and Burling
Slip, he was fully equipped for not
able commercial performance which
may be called the foundation OF his
subsequent prosperity. The ship Can
ada, regular Liverpool trader, had
arrived in New York, after short
passage, with the news OF great rise
in the price Of cotton in England, and
number of spectators forthwith
combined to buy all the cotton they
could find. Several merchants, also
seized with q similar purpose, deter
mined to send an agent to Charleston,
South Carolina, and at one o'clock on
the day of the Canada's arrival pro-
ceeded to the office of /. c. Collins
and Son, and asked the jun
ior member of the firm to act i'll
that capacity. A few minutes re-
Election was enough to enable him to
accept the appointment, and in re-
ply to their question, "How soon can
you start?" he said, quietly: GAS soon
as | can charter a pilot-boat and ship
provisions and crew-abOut three
hours. will be ready to sail at four
O'Clock this afternoon"
But the regular Charleston packet
leaves ut that hour, and the specula-
tors will go out by her, and get there
before you"
Gentleman" was the reply, 81 will
go in the way have named, or not ut
all"
Enough said. At precisely four
o'clock, from the pier at Burling Slip,
the packet hauled in her hawsers, and
pilot-boat, under command of q. K.
Collins, cast loose Ter moorings, the
vessels proceeding down the East
River together, much to the amuse-
ment of the spectators on board the
packet, who mePciIessly chafed the
hoy, as they called him, for his temer-
ity in attempting to beat them. But
Collins, being an accomplished navi-
gator, and sailing in boat OF SO light
draught that it could keep close to
shore and take full advantage of
tides, currents, and iand-breezes, was
soon out of sight of the merry
andrews, and reached Charleston
long enough in advance # them to
buy all the cotton in that city and on
the Cooper and Ashley rivers, to
arrange his exchanges, make out his
invoices, and set sail for New York in
his saucy little craft. She was cross
ing the bar homeward bound, with
her whip at the main, when the packet
and the spectators hove in sight, and
as the two vessels passed each other
within speaking distance, an eye
witness relates that the would-be-
cotton-buyers on board the bigger
one laughed this time the other side OF
their mouths. That was certainly
splendid start for young business
man OF twentY-three years.-Harper's
Magazine.