Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-03
Mobile and New Orleans.

The two southern cities, Mobile and
New Orleans. are now at odds in the
matter of coal and fruit handling. The
latter city has the greatest waterway in
the world and handles coal from Penn
sylvania very cheap, but the former city,
by its magnificent harbor and direct rail-
way facilities, to say nothing of free
wharfage, has held the edge on the
fruit. 1t seems now that hot contest
is on for the fruit trade. The Mobile
Register has the following in regard to
this matter:
Mr.. Charles Marshall superintendent
of the New Orleans and Mobile division
of the Louisville and Nashville railroad,
arrived in the city yesterday. and in an
swer to a query put to him by a promi
nent merchant in the hearing of a Reg
lister reporter he said that the coal
freights of the Louisville and Nashville
have fallen off some on account of the
big fight that the Pittsburg operators
are making in New Orleans. He said
that the operators. mine owners, middle
men and al were into the combine, and
that it was the first big fight that the
Pittsburg people had made. They had
cut the price of Pittsburg coal in the
city below cost and were making the
sugar plantations in the interior and
along the river pay for their losses in
the city.
"He said that the sugar plantations are
along the river and completely at the
mercy of the Pittsburg operators, be-
cause there are no railroads by which
the plantations can be reached which
carry coal. Steam Pittsburg coal can
be bought in New Orleans for $2.35 per
ton, and the fight has resulted in caus-
ing the Southern Pacific, which has been
using Alabama coal for long time, to
quit the use of that coal in favor of Pitts
burg.
in discussing the fruit trade he said
4
vested $150,000 in betterments in New Or
leans, among which were some new
wharves, and these had been made free
to the fruiters and Mr.. Marshall gave 1t
as his opinion that Mobile will eventually
lose all the fruit trade she has acquired
from New Orleans. He said that there
were many advantages at New Orleans
which the trade did not enjoy here, but
he did not detail what these advantages
are. Hs.rtt.55#s
1.-THE prominent merchant to whom Mr.
Marshall was talking said after he left
that If Mobile did lose her fruit trade 1t
would be due to the death of L. II. Helm
and John Wilson, both of Bocas del Toro,
who were mair1y instrumental in forcing
the vessels to come to Mobile. A New
Orleans firm had contracted to take the
output of both the Helm and Wilson plan
itations at so much bunch, and OF
course they would run their steamers to
New Orleans.
"Mr. Marshall also said that the Illinois
Central had also spent quite large sum
preparing to handle coal, but as yet she
had had no use for these facilities. He
said there are no mines along the Illinois
Central, but she can get coal from one
of her branches.
"There seems to be no doubt from the
statements made by Mr.. Marshall that
the railroads in New Orleans are doing
all in their power to enable the fruit i'm
porters of that city to move back to New
Orleans the boats that have been put ON
in that trade at Mobile"
DIR. J. H. Garner, formerly freight