The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-31
A RICE PLANTERS COMBINE.
PLAN FOR 4 SYNDICATE NOW w
DER CONSIDER ALTON.

Rice Planting Interests Under One
Control, the Planters Accepting
stock for the Value of Their Hold
fngs. and an Issue of 100000 of
Bonds to BE Made for the Erection
of an Immense Freshet Dam Along
the Entire Plantation Front to In
sure Against Damage From storms
and Freshets-Pianters TO Meet To-
morrow to Consider the Proposal.
MIR. George }. Baldwin the Promo
ter of the scheme.
A movement of importance to the
rice planting interests of Savannah and
this vicinity is now well under way. 1t
is nothing more nor less than proposed
consolidation of all the rice planting in
terests on the Carolina side of the river.
In short, it is proposed TO organize a syn
dicate in which all of these interests are
TO be included, TO be operated as a joint
stock company and as one concern. A
capitalization of over 100000, with
bonded Indebtedness OF about 100000 is
proposed.
The object of the bonded Indebtedness
is TO construct a levee Of over twenty
miles in length which will guarantee alb
solute security to the rice crops during
the harvest season from the storms and
freshets which have proved so frequent
of recent years, and have wrought such
immense loss to the pian,ers. The latter
have realized that until such security is
guaranteed it is useless to attempt to
continue operations With safety assured
from storms and freshets, rice planting
is a reasonably safe business. with as
sured profits in years Of fair harvests and
fair prices. It Is the desire to bring about
such conditions which Is responsible for
the present movement.
Mr.. George J. Baldwin, who so success
fnlly financed the Edison Electric Hum
inalns Company and brought about the
consolidation with this company of the
old Brush Electric Light ana Power Com
pany to the satisfaction of those Interested
in both companies. is al the head of the
movement and may be Technically re-
garded as the promoter. Mr.. Baldwin's
connection with the electric light company
has brought him into c;ose touch with
capitalists Of large means In Boston, who.
Il is said, are ready TO advance the neces-
sary capital TO insure the completion of
the project provided the rice, planters
viii organize syndicate among them
selves on the lines proposed.
This means nothing more nor less than
thai all the rice planters in the territory
affected should enter the syndicate. TAX
ing stock according to the value of their
lands, those who do not feel able to I'M
dertake further risks agreeing to accent
o price for their lands TO be determined by
a fair aporaisement, i'm which the inter
ested parties are 10 be equally represent
ed after the manner in which such ap-
praisements are usually conducted.
Mr. Baldwin, when seen yesterday. was
unwilling to discuss the matter on the
ground that the scheme is entirely in en-
bryo, and that nothing positive could be
stated until the planters have taken ac-
ton upon the matter and decided whether
or not they are willing to enter upon the
proposed consolidation. A meeting of the
planters Will be held i'm Savannah to-mor-
row for the purpose of considering a plan
to he submitted to them and deciding
whether or not they are willing to enter
into a syndicate on the conditions pro
posed.
The successful completion of this syndl-
cate upon the plans outlined viii meet the
solution of the problem which has vexed
TO save the crops grown upon the Savan-
nah river plantations from the storms and
freshets. 1t has been literally a gamble
for years whether or not planter would
make crop, and the game has generally
gone against the planter. Rice is grown
on the Savannah river by irrigation. the
fields being below the average level of the
tides. the water being taken in on the
flood tides and let off a the ebb. To keep
the water in when II is needed for irrlga-
ton and to keep IL out when II Is not need
ed, heavy banks, or levees, are construct
ed along the river and other and lesser
banks built inside the main levee by which
the plantations are divided into subdivis-
ions technically known as squares" The
building of these river banks, by which
the rich river swamps ana marshes were
transformed into wealth-producing fields
was work that would hardly be under
taken by individuals now, but IN the days
when rice culture was first established the
labor of the Wild African slave was just
such as could be utilized on such rough
work. When the work was done by slaves
the banks and levees were kept in good
condition, but since emancipation the
planters, IN many instances. have been
unable to keep up their banks with the
labor az their command
Owing to the recurring freshets in the
river, due doubtless to the destruction of
the forests along its banks and those OF
its continents and the banking up of wa
ter which is largely attributable to the
improvements made by the government in
the Savannah harbor, the former banks
are no longer strong enough to keep out
the water during the freshets and the IRE
quent storms which now visit this coast.
The continuous mishaps to the rice crops
have resulted in the abandonment of
many valuable plantations and has brought
ruin upon those who cultivated them
Ii can be safely stated that in the ast
thirty years millions of dollars have been
lost in Georgia and Carolina in the rice
planting business Cue entirely to the
damage wrought by freshets and storms.
1t is now proposed TO put an end TO this
evil in a practical way. The idea is to
build bank or levee from one end of the
rice growing zone of the river to the other,
beginning near the Charleston and Savan-
nah Railway bridge on the west and cx-
tending to Proctor plantation on the east.
a distance Of twenty-four miles the dam
TO be of sufficient hight and strength 10
resist the storms and freshets Within this
safety zone II is believed that rice culture
can be carried on with safety and profit.