The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-06-02

and the west behind might still perhaps
enjoy this economical transportation; but
unfortunately it happens that for a period
embracing one half of the year there is
hut little light freight available for ship
ment and only the weighty cargo products
of the west, such as grain, -four and pro-
visions are obtaina5le for export, SO with
the advent of this period we experience
regularly the departure from the gull
ports of all but the smaller sized and
least economical of the ocean carriers.
To arrive at the comparative value OF
our present channel through the South
Pass, as compared with the one we are
requesting congress TO give US, with s.
feet Of water through Southwest Pass, it
IS advisable to figure the relative economy
in ocean transportation, which is possible
and probable, when the products of this
country can be exported in such tonnage
as that for which we require the deeper
| channel.
Take as an example comparison on a
cargo of corn and consider the results of
a voyage made from London to New Or
leans in ballast. returning with such car
go on two classes of ocean grain-laden
| vessels, the largest the present pass can
accommodate and ore for which a 35-foot
channel is required. The first would rep
resent a vessel of 5000 tons net register
of modern build, having a capacity of
some 5000 tons of grain and drawing &c
feet.
Presuming this vessel obtains rate of
freight Of z cents per bushel from New
| Orleans 10 London, carrying 100000 bush
els, she makes a freight list of $2S, 800.
With 35-foot channel from deep water
! of the Mississippi. to the gulf, a vessel of
| 5000 tons net register could safely reach
! the gulf, carrying a cargo Of 1900 tons
! weight, or 4S0, 900 bushels of wheat, which
| is just double that of the largst grain
cargo that can leave the port of New
! Orleans today on the average style of
vessel.
After careful figuring, and speaking
| from actual knowledge derived in some
| twenty-five years experience in shipping,
1 can venture to state with confidence
| that owing to the numerous relative econ
omy of the larger vessel, the ship owner
would reap as good net results on the
voyage of the 6,000-to vessel as is at
present obtainable on the 3,000-ton vessel,
at freight rate hence TO London of s
cents per bushel; that is, cents per
| bUshel, or 80 Is per cent less than is re-
quired by the smaller vessel to make the
voyage profitable, an economy on the one
cargo of $4,000.
The following show the exports through
the port of New Orleans: 1896 vessels,
$4,000 net registered tonnage, 1898, 900
bales of cotton, 1851 coo bushels of grain.
SS7-1,07S vessels, 1,2O0,S96 net registered
tonnage, !, 655, 347 bales Of cotton, 14,112,000
bushels of grain. 1897 to August 81, 1885
1853 vessels, 2,139.343 net registered ton
mage, .. 752O0O bales cotton, Il, $4,000 bush
els Of grain 100000 other general freight.
Allowing the reasonable sUppositiod that
the trade of New Orleans will continue to
increase in the next three years as it has
N the past, we may look for exports out
of this port of at least 100000 bushels
of grain in the year 1901; and provided
the business of this port can then be car
RED in vessels for which a 35-foot chan
mel is requisite, and at a saving of
cents per bushel less than the present
basis, there is a saving 10 the producer
on the one product OF grain alone Of
s., 900 per annum.
Upon cotton, figuring an export of
100000 bales, and taking one-half cent
per pound as our basis of present rates,
we can rely upon saving on the larger
vessel of at least Go cents per bale, or a
total Of 81, $50, COO.
Without allowing an increase on other
products, but granting the same relative
economy to them as on grain, and on the
same basis it amounts to about s1.S5 per
ton, or 81 $40 900 annually.
Summarizing, we have on this basis an
annual economy on the products from the
port of New Orleans alone: Grain, 81, 4OO,-
600; cotton, $2,45O,OOO; other products,
$1,4i0O0O; total, Sc, 10000
This represents the annual economic
value of a S5-foot channel in excess of
the present one from the Mississippi river
to the sea on the actual exports of the
products of this country which at present
find their way via the port of New Or
leans to the marekts of Europe.
As each port in the United States IS in
direct and constant competition with the
others Gall transportation rates being fig
ured from the point Of production in the
interior to the market of the consumer in
Europe), deep. navigable channels and
economic ocean transportation at any one
port has its immediate effect on the cost
of transportation by all other routes, and
therefore upon the whole exports of the
country.
The total export Of wheat and corn to
Europe during the year 1897 was over OIL
100000 bushels: of cotton, 100000 bales,
and an enormous quantity of other pro-
ducts.
There is another and most potent rea-
son why the national government should
without further delay appropriate suffi-
cient to a. once proceed with the work
for the Improvement Of the mouth Of the
great river and that is the imminent
danger that exists of the destruction of
the present pass, and thereby the immed;-
ate cessation Of the commerce which now
passes through its once available long,
narrow pass.
Ann,her speaker viii fully enter into
this matter and viii therefore but briefly
touch upon this subject
Until the revolution Of the past eight
years n the size Of ocean vessels We ex-
per-enced but little danger Of grounding
OF vessels in the present pass, and
though it is nos and has never been an
entirely satisfactory outlet for sucl a
river, it has been as a rule safely navi-
gated by the smaller class of vessels
which carried the trade from the port Of
New Orleans across the ocean.
With cae adven, of vessels $40 feet long
and drawing the fun depth Of the navi-
gable channel, the danger Of strani.ns in
the pass has increased enormously and
continues 20 .n2-ease WIKI the ave age
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