Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-12-25
New c. & @. Steamers Being
Built to Carry Cotton.
MEANS MUCH FOR THIS PORT
It Is Report Only and Has Not Iseen Cor
firmed, But it is in Line With the
Company's Progressive Policy.
Big Beginning.

The Daily Press gave to the public
last Sunday the first news of the
building of two more monster freight
ships for the Chesapeake & Ohio export
trade.
1t is now stated on what seems good
authority. that these two vessels, which
have already been launched, and which
Will be in commission in about six
months, are being constructed espe-
cially for carrying cotton. This infor-
nation, il correct, is far more import
ant and significant, even, than the an
nouncement of the building of the yes
sells, for it indicates nothing else than
the fact that the Chesapeake &, Ohio
is going into the cotton export business,
and that this port, already one of the
most important coal and grain export
points in America, is on the eve Of be-
coming a factor in the business of OK
porting cotton.
OF course, the staple can be shipped
by the steamers already in commission,
but not to such an extent, and not so
economically, as will be possible with
these two steamers built especially for
the trade. These ships will have a
cargo carrying capacity of about ten
thousand bales each, and will be able
to make trips every six weeks. This
will make one trip every three weeks,
or about seventeen trips a year. bring
ing the total up to about 100000 bales.
This will not be SO bad for beginning
and with such a beginning, Newport
News may hope some day to rival the
great cotton shipping ports Of the South,
of which her sister city across the
| Roads is one Of the most important
The design is by no means q, new one,
but if reports be true, it is now for the
first time assuming tangible and practi-
cable shape. The Chesapeake s. Ohio
Company will have no difficulty in get
ting cotton for export for the road, with
its admirable connections, taps the
great Tennessee and Arkansas fields,
and can bring the staple to the coast
| probably quite as cheaply as it can be
freighted down the Mississippi and
transferred to ocean going vessels,
which have to lose two days or more, to
! say nothing of the additional expense,
by coming in here to coal. The cot
ton could be brought here by rail, and
placed on the wharves of Liverpool
and London, by the time it was being
taken to New Orleans and transferred
In this business a saving of time is
often of very vital Importance. Time
saved is money saved
4 Under the present arrangement, II
would not be necessary to erect cotton
warehouses. All that will come later
if it ever comes. The Chesapeake &
Ohio has a. system of quick transfer
that does away with the necessity OF
SO much warehousing and wharfage
Freight brought here for export Is
transferred from the cars to the hold OF
| the ships, thus saving an immense
amount Of handling with its consequent
| eSpensiveness on account Of labor and
| storage room. This could only be done
in the case of a business so marvelously
systematized as that of this company.
The rumor comes from a reliable
| source. 1t is perfectly reasonable and
| feasible, and is in line with the pro
gressive policy of the road. It remains
| to be seen whether it will materialize
| There is no doubt that the people here
very greatly desire such a consumma-
ton, and that it will do wonders toward
bringing this port still further to the
| front.