Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-03-03
4 RACE FOR COTTON.
How the Crop I'm Charleston Was Cor
net~d'' In the Day of Sailing Vessels.

How the Crop In Charleston was Cor
neted'' In the Day of Sailing Vessels.
Edward Knight Collins was a great
naval architect as well as shipping mer-
chant, whose career was, on the whole,
more noteworthy than that of any man en-
gagged anywhere in similar pursuits. This
public spirited citizen, son of Captain
Israel G. Collins, the owner and commander
of ship that traded between the United
States and England, was born on the 5th
of August, 1902. His mother, Mary Allan,
niece of Admiral Sir Edward Knight, of
the British navy, dying ten days after the
birth of her only child, the infant was
reared by his aunt, Mrs. Elizabeth Small,
of Truro, Cape Cod, whose kindness and
affection Mr.. Collins remembered with
gratitude TO the DAY of his death In his
fifteenth year, after II course of study at
Sandwich, Cape Cod, and Elizabethtown,
y. j., he entered as Il clerk, at fl South
street, New York, the store of Messrs.
McCrea & Slidell the latter gentleman a
brother of the Confederate minister. John
Siidell, who was captured on board the
Trent by naval officers of the country he
had disowned
Five years afterward Mr.. Collins was
making trips to the West Indies as super
cargo for John 2. Delaplaine sharing in
the profits of the ventures of his new EN-
ployer and experiencing several hair,
breadth escapes from pirates and two disas-
| trous shipwrec6s on the coasts of Cuba and
| Florida so that when in 1925 he became
| the partner of his father in the firm of
| Israel q. Collins & Son, on the north cor
ner of South street and Burling slip, he
| was fully equipped for notable CONNER
| cial performance which may be called the
| foundation of his subsequent prosperity.
| The ship Canada, Il regular Liverpool
| trader, had arrived in New York after
| short passage, with the news of u great rise
in the price of cotton in England, and a
number of specul Itors forthwith combined
to buy all the cot on they could find.
Several merchants also seized with a
similar purpose, determined to send an
agent to Charleston, and at | o'clock
on the day of tie Canada's arrival pro
oeeded to the Office of |. G. Collins & Son,
and asked the junior member of that firm
to act in that capacity a few minutes
! reflection was enough to enable him to
accept the appointment, and in reply to
| their question, Il Ow soon can you start?"
he said quietly: AS soon rs can charter
"A pilot boat and ship provisions and crew
about three hours. | will be ready to
sail at o'clock this afternoon
But the regular Charleston packet
leaves at that hour, and the spectators
will go out by her and get there before
! you"
! Gentlemen" was the reply, Il will 90
| in the way have named or not ut all"
| Enough said. At precisely o'clock. from
| the pier ut Burling slip, the packet hauled
( in her hawsers, and the pilot boat, under
| command of +. X Collins, cast loose her
mornings, the vessels proceeding down the
| East river togeti er, much TO the amuse
! nent of the spectators on board the
! packet, who mere lessly chaffed the ''bov, >"
rs they called him, for his temerity in at
| tempting to beat them But Collins, being
| an accomplished navigator, and sailing in
boat of so light draft that it could
| keep close to shore and take full advantage
of tides, currents and land breezes was
soon out of sight of the merryandrews
and reached Char eston long enough in adj
! vance of them to buy all the cotton in that
/ city and on the Cooper and Ashley rivers,
| to arrange his exchanges, make out his in
voices and set sail for New York in his
saucy little craft
! She was crossing 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 othe- side of their mouths
! That was certainly Il splendid start for
! young business man of twentythree years
| George w. Sheldon in Harper's.