The morning call., 1892-06-15
BY WAY OF THE HORN.
Some Pertinent Remarks on
Oceanic Competition.
The Captain of the Minneola Thinks Califor.
MIA Merchants Should Support the
Steamship Line

Captain jenkins of the Atlantic Pacific
liner Minneola, which will leave on Satur-
day for New York by the Cape Horn route,
gave CALL reporter a piece of his mind
yesterday in reference to cheap transp0rta-
tons TO ana from the East.
In the course of his remarks he said: "W e
started in this business year ago and have
come here to stay. All the stories of the
ships not paying and being put into the
coast coal trade are utter bosh. The Min
nicola viii take out valuable. full and
complete cargo of California wines, canned
fruit, etc., for New York. A great deal of
the wine is consigned to Bremen, London,
etc. So far as / know the California wines
are getting popular in Europe, and they
only want to be better known and more
cheaply transported to command a heavy
sale there.
"The passage around to New York by
this steamer is about 65 days The Mime
ola is a 3s0O-ton ship. with 800 nominal and
1900 actual horsepower. The sail is merely
auxiliary. ! have ny choice Of going home
around the Horn OF through the Strait OF
Magellan. Really, it does not make much
difference at this time of the year. when the
days in the southern hemisphere are very
short and we should have to anchor two or
three nights in the strait"
How many steamers has the company
now on the road?'
THREE STEAMERS.
Three. The Minneola, the Progress,
now on her way here, and the Conemaugh
All are of about the same tonnage the
Mnneola being slightly the largest They
are British built ships, but fly the American
flag. am an adopted citizen myself. The
idea of the promoters OF this line was TO
furnish cheap transportation around the
Horn without the risks and delays Of sail
ing ships
"HOw does the idea strike the San Fran
cisco merchants ?"
Il don't think the merchants of Caiifor-
MIA fully appreciate the worth of the freight
steamers operated on an independent basis.
| Before the line can be thoroughly success
| full they will have to realize that they have
! only one choice-a competing transconti-
| mental railroad or a competing line around
| the Horn. The competing transcOntinent tai
road will be a good thing, but to expect the
| Southern Pacific people to reduce rates
| either across the continent or by the Sthmus
route of the Pacific Mail which they con-
| troll is like whisting for the wind"
What about the existing clipper-ship
! lines?"
lit Is a well-known fact that one OF these
! IS working in cahOots with the Southern
Pacific and a second is suspected of doing
so. / do not refer to Balfour, Guthrie IL
Co. or j. w. Grace & Co. am glad to hear,
for California's SAKE, that these people have
| had the courage 10 introduce and charter
new ships on the route. With economical
management and the proper support in this
State there is plenty of room for all of them
and more, too. This State is only in its In
fancy"
What reason have you for thinking the
competition will succeed 2"
THE COFFEE TRADE.
Well. look at the Central American
the Southern Pacific and the Pacific Mail
were glad to shut out the Spanish line
and get the field to themselves. Now the V
have got fresh competition, aud the Sirius,
the Grandholm and the Lakme are all dOing
well, with the prospect OF more steamers to
follow. These stea merS only represent the
thin end Of the wedge The fact is that the
Southern Pacific or the Pacific Mail which
ever you like to call IL, has had fat snap ;
too long. 1t is like a merchant making
cent-per-cent profit and willing to sacrifice
80 per cent for the purpose of blocking out
competition. We are willing to take share
Of the 20 per cent"
How do the expenses Of your line COM
pare as to distance, etc. ?"
I'VE have no statesmen to pay, no news
papers to subsidize, no legal establishments
10 maintain. As long as the Southern Paei-
tic and the Pacific Mail are practically one
concern there will be room for steamers
around the Horn under the American or
any other flag. The regular line now rum
ming around the Horn only makes two trips
year, but monthly service is quite feast
Die with the proper support here"