The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-15
NEW CHANNELS FORMING

Within a year there have appeared
developments in the carrying trade of
the country that indicate important
changes to come affecting conditions
that were deemed permanent in at
least two Of our great centers of rail-
way traffic, New York and Chicago
We have commented upon the new
movement of grain to the South for
shipment abroad through the ports of
Galveston and New Orleans. Newport
News and Norfolk have come into
prominence as export points, while Mo-
bile feels the stimulus of the new
channels developing under the force of
causes yet dimly understood. SO far
Chicago has looked on the departures
with calmness, undisturbed in her
rOck-ribbed faith in her geographical
position, while the trunk lines to the
coast act as if they regarded the South
ern movement as only a summer days
squall that will eXpend it's force soon.
Meanwhile, New York city is bestir-
ring itself to win back what has been
lost Erastus Wiman's company has
obtained dock privileges for the pur-
pose of facilitating transshipment of
freight from cars and canal boats to
the ocean steamers, and port charges
have been reduced or removed. The
state appropriates $4,000 900 with which
to deepen the Erie canal, so that boats
of heavier draught may have passage,
| and the 6nAn-wa for
| ty-fOOt channel to connect the great
lakes with deep water on the Hudson
finds hearty support in the city. The
! Buffalo elevator combination, that
stands between the lake vessels and the
canal boats and EFFORTS exorbitant
transfer toll, IS to be thwarted by the
| barge company that will take the tow
at Duluth and land it in New York
city without breaking bulk. All this
is being done to restore Western prod
uce to the channels which, while they
thought they had a monopoly, treated
the traffic after the manner of monopo-
lists.
| The departures in the currents that
carry abroad the surplus of the West
| are caused by the conditions that en-
force economy, the reduction of cost
to the lowest possible limits, in all oc
equations. Margins of profit have be-
come so narrowed that charges, re-
garded as insignificant in f1usher times,
now determine the profit or the loss Of
| large transactions. 1t is this imperious
of
grain to the gulf that went by Chicago.
and to Newport News and Norfolk that
formerly went to New York, Boston or
Baltimore. And 1t is this same pressure
that has cut out a new outlet for
| Northwestern produce to which we
nave heretofore alluded and whose i'm
portance increases with it's develop
ment. We refer to the car-ferry sys-
tenn inaugurated by the Wisconsin Cen
traI at Manitowoc. and followed by the
Northwestern at the same point. The
latter company has constructed a large
slip In the harbor and transfers its
loaded cars to the ferry for transfer
across Lake Michigan, to be sent on
East from Ludington.
An unexpected development Is the
utilization of this new channel for the
carriage Of produce from the South
west. Milwaukee and Chicago will use
the new route to avoid the deIav of
car transfer at the latter point and
| the charges for that service 1t is said
that the Great Western is also seeking
connections that will give it's South
western traffic the ferry facilities at
this point. From Ludington the routes
| lie open to the seaboard from Norfolk
on the South to Boston on the North
To Northwestern interests the signif-
canoe Of this new channel lies in the
fact that it keeps open all winter the
lake route that cheapens freights
during the summer which stiffen
sharply and promptly as soon as lake
navigation closes. What this will mean
to our Northwestern farmers and shin
pers their past experience will amplv
inform them.