The morning call., 1892-12-28
READY FOR CARGO.
Panama Steamers Will
Soon Do Business.
JUDGE INGRAHAM'S DECISION.
1t Does Not Greatly Affect the Project
of the North American Steam
ship Company.

Judge Ingraham of New York and the
Pacific Mail Steamship Company will not
have it all their own way after ALL
Meetings held yesterday by local mer-
chants developed the fact that the merchants
and shippers of San Francisco will continue
to encourage the North American Naviga-
tion CONF pany. recently organized and man
aged by the Johnson-I.ocke Mercantile
Company.
The purpose of the new corporation is TO
navigate steamers between Panama and
San Francisco and between Aspinwan and
New York in opposition to the Pacific Mail
Company, which for many years has. in
conjunction with the Panama Railroad Com
pany, monoDolized that line of travel.
Frank johnson, one of the directors of
the new opposition line, will soon be on his
way TO New York, where he Will confer
with General Newton, the representative of
the Panama Railroad, and it is hoped in
this city that he will obtain at least equally
favorable terms from the isthmus railroad
people as those enjoyed by the Pacific Mail
Company.
If SO the North American Navigation Com
pany will be powerful competitor for the
patronage of local shippers, and freight
rates will be lowered as they have never
been lowered before. The decision rem
dered by Judge IDgraham, although not
ludi. DecduS6 coming ITOm an lUIerlOr
is open to various interpretations.
One of the directors OF the North Ameri-
can Navigation Company expressed himself
as follows yesterday when talking about
this decision:
I'VE read the decision to mean that the
Pacific Mail bought only the good Will of
the railroad cOmpany's steamers, and while
the Panama Railroad Company cannot give
preferential rates to any other company it
| will be able to give any other company than
a M1i &c rufQ hot 80
ship company has.
I'VE are proceeding on the basis and
| understanding that we will be able to do
| business with the Panama Railroad Com
pany IN Central American ports on the
| through line between San Francisco and the
| lsthmus. The Panama Railroad certainly
| could not sell the business Of Central Amer
| lea, for the people down there can trade
with whom they wish. The Grace line can
| not get preferential rates under this de-
| cision, nor can any one else, but il we can
| make the arrangement we wish with the
| Panama Railroad Company we feel sure
| that we can do business on even terms with
! the Pacific Mail and that large business
! can be developed"
| At the headquarters of the North
| American Navigation Company, located at
| 204 Front street, the lngraham decision had
| been received in full when CALL reporter
! wanted to know the latest Developments
| yesterday.
The following statement was made in
response:
''We are just in receipt of dispatch from
New York informing Us that the future of
| this company and its contract with the
| Panama Railroad Company is not III any
| wise affected by the decision of Judge H.
! graham in the case of the Pacific Mail
| Steamship Company against the Panama
| Railroad Company. On the contrary, the
| decision eHlarges our sphere of action. The
| controversy between the Pacific Mail Steam
| ship Company and the Panama Railroad
Company was to restrain the Panama Rail-
road Company from making contract with
Chilean line, giving them the sole right of
trading with local ports between Acapulco
| and Panama to New York and vice versa
| This is class of business that the North
| American Navigation Company had not at
| any time considered, because it had not
been offered us and the Panama Railroad
Company had already made contract with
| Chilean line before negotiations were
! opened with us here.
''Ihe Panama Railroad Company some
| time ago entered into an agreement with
! the JohnsonLoe Mercantile Company,
| by which they undertook TO give TO them or
| their associates q contract by which the
| North American Navigation Company was
| 10 form, III connection with the Panama
| Railroad Company and their line of steam
ers on the Atlantic Ocean, through freight
| line between San Francisco and New ork
| and vice versa, and between New Orleans
| and San Francisco and vice versa concedmg
1
| Company of forming connection at Colon
/ with the Italian line of steamers for Italy
| and Mediterranean ports, with the French
| line Tor France and with the Royal Mail
| line Tor Southampton. cOnreding also the
| right to stop at Mexican and Central Ameri-
/ can ports to deliver California products
| and v hen bound north to receive at Mexican
| and Central American ports the products
OF those countries for delivery in California.
| In other words, our company has the
! right, the sole right, in connection with the
| Panama Railroad Company. under through
| bills OF ladlng. for through business between
| New York and San Francisco and New
| Orleans aDd San Francisco and vice versa,
with the further privilege of connecting at
| Colon with European steamers. and also
| carrying the local freight to points between
here and Panama bound south and between
| Panama and here bound north.
This is all the service this company has
| contemplated performing up to this time
| but The decision of Judge 1ngraham now
| nullifes the contract between the Panama
| Railroad Company and the Chilean line, by
which the Chilean line had the sole right of
| taking goods from Central America, in con-
nection with the Panama Railroad Com
pany. and delivering these Central American
products to New York and taking New
| York manufactured goods and delivering
| them to Central American ports.
| This contract has an injunction placed
| upon it and now throws open TO all COM
petitoTs the right of performing this ser
| vice. and thus our sphere of action is en-
| larged. should we desire to take this busi-
ness up. We retain our original conces-
| siOns, which have at no time been under
| controversy. and will now have the eppor-
| tunity OF competing with the Pacific Mail
| Steamship Company and the Panama Rail-
| road Company on business originating in
| Central America and extending to New
| York.
"The Pacific Mail will not be a competitor
with the North American Navigation Com
| pany for through business on through bills
| of lading, for they will not be allowed to
issue through bills of ladng, and our line
will be the only line In connection with the
Panama Railroad Company on through
| business and on west-coast business be-
tween here and Panama, and our steamers
will be the only steamers allowed to per-
form this service under through bills of
| lading"
1t has also been learned from other
sources that the Panama Railroad Company
will give the exclusive privilege of through
| bills of lading between San Francisco and
| New York TO the North American Company,
which latter company has already assur-