The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-01-21

business like policy Of the Atlantic
Coast Line company, may be reason1-
bly, ascribed. in great measure, the
steady and gratifying development Of
the cotton export trade Of Wilmington.
The increased depth of water from II
feet, to 20 feet. enabled us to employ a
larger n more modern type Of cotton
steamers, at equal rates OF freight and
insurance with the other South Allan
tic cotton ports, Wilmington being the
farthest north OF the group; and the
equalization and steadfast maintenance
Of this pattern of just equality" in
railroad cotton rates, gave Us like IA
cilities with Norfolk, Charleston, and
Savannah, although in a much narrow
er field of supply.
The Wilmington receipts Of cotton
for the crop year Of 1874 were 1900
bales; which increased yearly 70 120,975
bales in 18T7-18, decreasing in the fol-
lowing yearto Ill, 79Sand falling off still
further m 1880 to 7S,345 bales; ad-
vancing to 1877, 1872 in 1SS1-82, and with
some fluctuations, increasing to the
present season, Which win exceed 300,-
900 bales.
The Jealous eyes of some of our
competitors across the border, have err
roneously attributed our growth to I'M
due advantage in freight rates; as a
matter Of fact, the protection Of equal
fzing rites to common and differential
points has enabled US to meet fair
competition. The coveted fruit Of the
cotton field has not dropped into the lap
Of Incidence. To use a homely metap-
or, the longest pole has gotten the per-
simmon; and the pole has not been
heightened by any subsidy nor rebate
from the railroads; every shipper,
small or great, having contended with
equal rates.
THE developments of our cotton port
has also been maintained by industry,
and patience, and perseverance on the
part of our exporters, which have never
been relaxed in the face of difficulties
and obstacles hat often seemed in
S~uperable. y f.
Although our export business is of
necessity more contracted than it was
in former years, it has become a source
Of greatest revenue to our port and peO-
pie of Wilmington, and to the corpora
tions identified with it's movement. The
cash charges on the present crop, paya-
Bile in Wilmington, will o to
$3.50, 900 of which the railroads will get
about 1920, 900 for freight"
Mr.. Sprunt treated of many other
| subjects of interest, and his Letter was
greeted with hearty applause.
OUR FERTILIZER TRADE.
Mr.. Charles E. Borden was intro
duced as the next to deliver a toast on
Our Fertilizer Trade" After in
teresting remarks on the origin and
business and science of manufacturing
| fertilizers, Mr.. Borden said, among
| other things:
II am GLAD to say that Wilmin gton is
interested in this enterprise, and her
interests are growing yearly. We have
four factories located in our midst
| that form a part of W~ilmington's in
dustries. There are the Navassa Qua
| no Co., Powers, Gibbs Co., The Acme
Manufacturing Co., and the Sans Souci
Fertilizer Co., Of Mr.. j. F.. Garrell G.
Co. Our aggregate tonnage equals
about that of Savannah, Ca, which is
located in the state that uses more fer
| tilizer than any other in the union,
| about 400, 900 tons while North Carolina
| uses only about 200, 900 tons. Our an
| nual output from these Wilmington in
| dustries will reach at least $4,000. tons
| which means a business Of consider
| ably more han $1,000, 900 yearly. We
furnish for the railroads centering
| here, on outgoing and incoming
| freights on our products a yearly rev.
| enue of more han 5000, 900. We dis
| pense in labor and salaries which is
| nearly all spent in here more than $780,
900, while we bring into the harbor Of
/ Wilmington, vessels with cargOeS for
| our works of a combined tonnage great
er thar any other industry if not
| greater than all the industries we have
| here combined. We bring cargOas from
the West Indies, from South America,
| from Sicily, from Germany, from Spain,
from Newfoundland and we have used
| the products of Japan, reshipped from
New York, while South Carolina, Flor
ida, Tennessee, the great slaughter
houses of Chicago, st. Louis, Omaha,
indianapolis, the great fisheries of
| Chesapeake Bay, Long Island sound
our own cotton seed Oil mills and our
own fisheries of Beaufort all supply US
with products needed in u manufa
turing. Scarcely a steamer that comes
to port to carry to Europe cargoeS Of
| 1000 to Is, 600 bales of our cotton, but
comes with some product that We use
and have bought. Frequently they
come with eargoes for us and then go
to Charleston, Savannah or Port Royal
to load. And because we are here and
utilize these steamships in trade, better
opportunities for chartering are offer
ed our cotton exporters and thus indi-
| ICSlIy We l1CIp cul llC tApoi - j jill III
port. AS our business becomes to be
better known, We get to be better liked,
for we are striving for the upbuilding
of the Outh, our own particular state
and section and u beloved city"
OUR RIVER AND HARBOR I'M
PROVEMENTS.
Mr.. Borden took his seat amid ap-
plause, and President Chadbourn called
upon Captain w. E. Craighill to say
something on Our River and Harbor
Improvements. Captain Craighill sale
he would give some account of the
work on the Cape Fear river and bar.
He marked that he thought this supper
was given on a most appropriate day
THE birthday of generalR- iEy Lee, WITH
belonged to the engineer corps and who
engaged in the improvement of the riv-
ers and harhors of our country. He
said the condition of the work on the
Cape Fear river n bar, so far as
completed, gave practically a depth OF
Is feet in a channel of $50 feet in width