The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-11
THE UNFORTUNATE RICE MEN.
THE STORM FOLLOWED BY AN IN
UNDATIoN OF THE FIELDS.

and AItamnha Planters the Worst
Sufferers, But Full Reports From
Them Have Not Yet Been Received.
The Loss of the Crop From the
Storm Ascertained to Have Been
rs Per Cent, or About 100000
Bushels of That Directly Tribu-
tary TO Savannah.
The rice planters in this section are in
deed unfortunate. They have just met
with their second misfortune this year,
after having lost one-fourth OF their crop
! by the storm of two weeks ago. The
severe northeast winds, together with the
spring tides, caused an overlooking of
practically all Of the banks, and the fields
were some Of them completely, and some
OF them partially inundated, all the rice
in them being more or less damaged.
The planters on the Savannah, the
! Ogeechee. the Satilla and Altamaha riv-
ers have been looking forward to this
season with great hopes and bright
prospects. The great shortage of the crop
in Louisiana has caused considerable ad-
vances in the price OF rice and with a
good crop, the planters this year could
have done better than they have done In
many seasons. But the entire section.
somehow or other, appears to be under
the ban. Neither the rice men nor any
body else can buck against Indian cy-
clones and tidal waves. The consequences
is the rice planters will lose this year
on their crop what they hoped to gain
TO counterbalance former losses, by rea-
son OF the fact that the damages to the
crop VIII, to that extent, diminish what
they would have made through the in
crease in price.
The rice brokers and planters here had
not heard from all the sections Yesterday
afternoon, but what they had heard was
enough to dishearten them. They did
hear that the water overlooked the banks
OF all Of the fields on the Ogeechee and on
the Savannah rivers, and while they have
not heard definitely from the Satilla and
Altamaha rivers, they known from gen.
eral report that the fields there suffered
worse than any others and that all of the
fields were inundated. There were at
least 500 acres Of young rice on the Ogee-
chez that were severely damaged by the
overflow. though they were not entirely
destroyed
The fields on the Savannah were all IN
der water at one time, but the wind veered
around to the northwest and the water
was blown out again. Besides the damage
to the young rice in he fields the over
now wet all Of the stacks, and though none
OF them were washed down, 1t will be nee
essary to work them all over and dry
them out again. This means additional
expense to the planters and every ex-
pense means so much loss from the profits.
The damage is reported to have been
greatest in the section along the Satina
and Alatamaha rivers, where the water
is said to have arisen to its greatest hight
While there was no wind to beat down or
scatter the rice the overflow necessarily
damages 1t to great extent. From all
accounts the planters in that section we're
the greatest sufferers from these sources,
and reprots which will be received to-mor-
row are expected to verify this belief.
The rice men have arrived at a definite
conclusion as to the loss from the storm
of two weeks ago. That storm took away
about 30 per cent. of the young rice
and the young rice being about half the
crop this means a loss of Is
per cent. on the entire crop. While all
| or nearly all, of the barns were blown
down, very little Of the rice stored in
them at the time was destroyed or lost,
! as 1t was about all gathered up again.
The total loss from this cause perhaps
amounted to 500 bushels. The planters
too have been put to the expense of re-
! placing their barns, mills and negro
houses, which will 60 a long ways to-
ward eating up the profits.
The receipts expected at Savannah this
year were put al about 100000 bushels, and
the loss Of % per cent, by reason OF the
whipping OF of the young rice will cut
! the crop down to 100000 bushels. The
damage from the water which swept over
all the fields night before last, has not
yet been definitely ascertained, but 1t is
believed it Will considerably reduce the
! yield below the amount which was left
| by the storm.
1t win thus be seen that the planters
this year are having pretty hard time
or 1t. The Louisiana crop which was a
short one last year, is this year 50 to 60
per cent. short OF what it was
then. Besides that, the crop was widely
damaged by a long and severe drought
and for these reasons the planters around
Savannah were looking for a good thing
of it. After all the bills are paid how
ever, 1t is doubtful II there Will be much
of anything left.
The result OF all this is that America has
already begun importing more foreign rice
than ever before. Java, Patna and Japan
rice are being imported extensively, and
though The new crop of the latter varieties
does not come in before the first of the
| year, good many orders for IL are al
ready being placed The Savannah crop
has always been consumed right in this
section, but this year there will not be
enough of it to supply the demand. and
considerable of the imported rice will have
to be brought in.
The Planters rice mill is being put In
shape rapidly, and will be able to begin
work before the entire crop of the present
season has been disposed of The frame
work Of the new mill is in place, and the
mill is under shelter. This new machinery is
| here and cOnsidera BILE of IL Is now heinr
put In place. The mill will have many new
| appliances for the quick and easy handling
OF the rice, and the best results are ex-
pected. 1t will probably be in full running
order within a short time.
DEATH OF MRS. NJ. ID. COBURN.