The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-12-07
IS THIS PORT
LOSING GROUND?
Drops TO Third Place in
the Matter Of Oriental
Imports.
Tacoma Has Reached Second
Place and Is Steadily Gain
ing Ground.
Report of Produce Exchange Shows a
Healthier and Stronger Market
Than Last Year.


MERGE, the Chamber of Commerce of San
Francisco and the business men Of the
City must take cognizance of the fact that
in the oriental import trade San francisco
is not gaming any ground. AS matter
of fact, she has been losing ground year by
year, until, from the second place in the
matter of imports into the United States,
she has dropped in 1896 to third place.
Tacoma, Wash, which last year was in
third place, has superseded San Francisco
IN second place, and from the rate of in
crease in the oriental import trade with
the United States Tacoma bids fair to take
first place in the United States as she has
or the Pacific Coast. All this trade orig
inally belonged to and was held by San
Francisco.
City in the number of packages handled
and the value of merchandise imported
during the year now nearly closed. A
year ago New York City ranked first, San
francisco second and Tacoma third To-
day San Francisco, the principal city and
the great commercial metropolis of the
Pacific Coast, is in second place, and
Tacoma, the new metropolis of the
Northwest, a city of 80, ZOO population,
is the second city in the United
States in point of oriental imports.
She not only has second place, but she
has nearly three times as many packages
to her import credit as her rival, San
Francisco.
The value of imports of the several lead
ing ports is as follows:
New York, 1,279,7O9 packages, value $27,-
932, 21o.
Tacoma, 621,76 packages, value 81, 73s.-
929.
San Francisco, 244, 024 packages, value 81.
533. 800.
Baltimore, 245, sos packages, value So, oos.-
921.
Portland, 146,154 packages, value 81, 1922
us.
Philadelphia, 4o461 packages, value So. 221,-
Boston, 94.s27 packages, value 1,729, $40.
Doubtless the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company is fully aware Of these facts. An
indication OF this is seen in the fact that
at the last meeting of the directors of this
company, held in New York City few
weeks ago, a resolution was adopted di-
recting the construction OF a new Pacific
Mail steamer to cost not less than $500, co.,
The details of the construction of this
steamship have not vet been prepared.
At least, Vice-President Schwerin of San
Francisco says he knows nothing of when
or where the steamship is to be con-
structed.
At the same time the news comes that
the Northern Pacific Steamship Company
intends TO add to its feet TWO magnificent
new steamships with large passenger &C
commodations to its Tacoma-Y okohama-
Hongkong route. These ships have been
purchased in England and will shortly
leave Liverpool for Tacoma necessarily,
pending the construction of the Nicaragua
canal, by way of Cape Horn.
The fact that the Pacific Mail Company
has ordered a new steamship to be built
for the san Francisco oriental trade indi-
Gates that there is 10 be more lively
competition than ever before for the
control of the bulk of the oriental trade
The Tacoma and Victoria steamers will
make an effort to secure the reputation of
being the shortest route and affording the
more rapid transit.
The report of the San Francisco Produce
Exchange, dated December l, shows a
very healthy improvement in the demand
for California cereals as compared with
last year.
The number of barrels of -four remain
ing in the State on December 1 was
III ,078; wheat. 7,495, $50 centals; barley,
3,008,9S0 centals; oats, 1885, centals;
beans. 700,963 sacks; rye, 81, $40 centals.
In 1895 the amount OF -four and cereals
remaining in the State on the same date
was: Flour, 80 107 barrels; wheat, 10,94l,-
760 centals; barley, 4,072, $50 centals; oats,
1913, 900 centals; beans, 557948 sacks; rye,
lbs, 500 centals.
The Nicaraguan bark Sharpshooter. Cap
tain Kustel, which arrived in yesterday,
reports extraordinarily rough weather.
She was 78 days from Newcastle, Aus
t=alia, with TAI tons OF coal consigned to
]. ]. Moore & Co. The Sharpshooter en-
ountered very severe gales. She was
boarded by sea, which swept her decks
clean, smashing the gig and carrying
away tie fgure-head. For thlrty-seven
days, from October II to Novem Der %, she
made only an average of seventy-two
miles day. The wind was then light to
moderate. Captain KusteI reports no
trade wind whatever.
DIR. Stinson of Port Townsend has ar
rived and went on duty yesterday to take
the place of DR.. Blue, quarantine officer,
who has sixty days leave of absence and
contemplates trip to japan.
The bark Harvester, one of the last of
the salmon fleet, arrived in yesterday with
a cargo of canned salmon and live China
men.
The bark J. M. Weatherwax, bound for
the Fiji Islands with lum Der, and the
barkenJine Catherine Sudden, with lum-
Der for Central America, both OF which
put IN here Tor safety about two weeks
ago, when there was a gale outside that
nearly blew out the eyes of the rigging,
sailed yesterday for their ports of destina-
ton. The Weatherwax sprang a leak, but
went to sea yesterday abundantly calked
and repaired.
Captain Hunter of the steamship Aus
tralia which struck q ronk in tho atra ifS