Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-11
Owners Of Coasting Vessels Want
War Question Settled.
THEIR BUSINESS is SUFFERING
Trade in Lumber, Clay and Cotton
is Seriously Affected.
MERCHANTS INTERVENE
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

fnterfered with by a war between this coun-
| try and Spain is a question of the hour. as
| a stoppage OF this vast commerce would
not only affect those directly engaged in
! 1t. but would be felt all over this country.
Millions Of dollars worth of the products Of
| the northern and southern sections of the
| United States are exchanged each year
by the all-water route. and the tonnage
carried by coastwise vessels reaches stu
pendous amounts
Although the railroads penetrating the
south may at the present time truthfully
boast of excellent equipment. they would.
nevertheless, be powerless TO furnish the
requisite freight transportation in case our
Atlantic coast shipping trade was hamper
ed by the presence of a Spanish feet For
| instance, the vast quantities OF lumber
| shipped from the south could not possibly
| De carried by the railroads, and the great
| increase in rail over water freight rates
would so materially increase toe cost OF
goods thus transported that their sale
| would naturally be restricted to the lowest
possible extent >,
| way allied with coastwise commerce are
very anxious that the Spanish difficulties
| be ended as quickly as possible They all
complain that the uncertainty of the situa-
| ton has stagnated business. No one knows
what to expect The ship owner the shin
| ping agent. the owner of goods ready for
transportation-in fact every one connected
| with the coastwise trade-is at sea- so to
| speak They say that If war was declared
all uncertainty would be over. and people
| would adjust themselves to the conditions.
| Would Increase Cost of Lumber.
If it becomes necessary TO ship the lumber
We must have from the south by rail its
| cost to the consumer will be increased at
| least So per thousand feet A substitution
| of spruce and hemlock from the interior
| would probably be made wherever possible.
| Our shipments to the south consist of gem
| eral merchandise of all kinds. The prod
ucts of the south brought to northern ports
| consist principally of lumber. cotton. clay
turpentine. rosin, tar, pitch. etc. The lum-
Der industry would be most seriously af-
| fected by SPANS interference with this
commerce One of a firm of leaaing lum-
Der dealers says: Actual war would not
| hurt our business nearly much as have
| the rumors. Everything is at a complete
standstil. All of the southern business
Will be absolutely stopped in case OF war.
| Neither the owners of lumber nor vessels
will take the risk of shipping. English YES
| sells will not be available. even if il
| lawful to employ them in the trade. for i'm
| many cases they would be unable 10 deliver
| the goods, being too deep in draught. Our
own coasters are the only vessels afloat
| capable of carrying on this trade. Orders
| already in are being delivered, but no flu
ture business is being taken by the mills
down south. Besides. people here don't
| want to buy lumber until they what is
going to be done. 1t will be out the
| question to get our yellow pine by rail
The freight rates are too high. The sus-
perse is what hurts us. If war was de-
clared We would adjust ourselves to the
| conditions. We are hoping for a speedy
settlement Of the question"
Effect on Clay Market.
Dealers in kaolin and china clay say:
About 10000 tons of clay are shipped
/ In n 10 bo
manufacture of paper for news paper and
| il used to some extent i'm making other
| classes of paper. In case Of war, the ma
| terial could be shipped by ran, but that
! would bring the price up to figure tina;
would enable England 10 Sell her product
1 in this country"
Il don't think the Spaniards will be abba
| to interfere with our coast trade If war
breaks out, says Capt. Pickett of coast
| line of steamers. This carrying trade
must be done and wei find way TO do
it. Why, this country will have armed YES
| sells thick flies patroiling the coast.
The war scare is worse than the real thing.
| The freighting business is paralyzed Mas
| tiers, owners and shippers afraid. One
| of our biggest local owners has every one
of his vessels in nearby waters, so that he
| can corral the whole feet i'm New York
Earbor in ten days. Shipments of cotton
| have fallen off greatly since the opening OF
mills for manufacturing in the south. Nine
| ty-five per cent OF the lumber is shipped
in sailing vessels. II were going TO have
war lets have ii at once and have II done
| with"
N. A Benner says. Il dent think war
| with Spain would put a stop TO our coast
trade; 1t would not amount to enough 70
greatly interfere with us. Business is duh
| at present owing to the unsettled con1i-
| ton of things"
Henry Heintz says: Eve are near tie
| end Of the season as far as raw cotton is
concerned, and not much damage in prices
| is expected in case of war. Natural condi-
| lions will have more effect, in my opinion,
| upon the price of the next crop than viii
| war with Spain. Spain can't effectively
block our coast. The carrying tia6e to for
| e:gn countries can be transferred to foreign
| bottoms. The railroads carry "a great deal
| OF the cotton at present. Last year the
| northern mills took .stis,i00 bales and Can
| ada took 1900 OF this amount $40 Guo
| bales Were transported by rail. However,
| we should have no war. There is no occa-
| sion for it. This country has gone into
1 Mysteries and made great preparations 10
whip poor little SPAIN
Eject on Southern Frufts.
| A prominent receiver of Florida fruits
and vegetables thinks the only possible
| way for the market to be affected is for
the government to seize the FLORIDA rail-
| roads. and prevent shipments from reaeIi-
| Jig Savannah. or for the steamship COM
panies to withdraw the vessels from the
service
| A big ship is loading at New Orleans
with cotton. and shippers find difficulty In
getting insurance companies 10 fix A war
rate. Other ships are held up at other
ports for the same reason. Recently an
insurance broker advised friend who
wanted to get rate on cotton cargo.
not to pay one-eighth premium That same
agent was unable yesterday TO place a risk
at f1ve-eighths premium on the same cargo
/ War over the Cuban question would prob
ably cause an advance in the prices Of
sugar. as it would lock Up about 1ls,s.9
tons Of Cuban sugar now held on The is
| land. This would materially reduce avail
able supplies and cause embarrassment ia
refiners. Outside of this feature the sugar
trade does not appear to be disturbed over
hostile possibilities. First-hand holders OF
! moiasses are boarding their supplies to
provide against eventually of war. Some
dealers are said to have Cancelled orders
for foreign moiasses.
SPAIN TO PAY An INDEMNITY.