The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-09
WANT STEAMSHIPS TO HAVANA
-,-s OF SAVANNAH BUSINESS
MEN on WEST INDIAN TRADE.

r. SHIPMENTS of Goods Already
n.,n. sent to Havana by Savannah
,-.u,s-RcIieved That an Immense
Tr,de Gould BE Built Up With
-. of direct Steamers-A Large
r..gic could BE Secured From the
1(est and North.
INC position taken by the Morning News
.,,ocating the establishment of line of
.,.,n,ers between Savannah and Porto
pi-o and urging that the Central of Geor-
~. Railway Company, as the corporation
mos, interested. take this STEP meets with
49,. .,,nroval of merchants and business
NOV generally and a number have so ex-
pressed themselves. Some think that
s,,oh a line would at once attract large
business while others hold that while the
limo might not prove profitably immediate
T., if would certainly do so in the near flu
.,,r., and would be the means of attracting
d large business through this port. Some
tbink that the business alone resulting
from the presence of the American army
i'm cuba and the thousands of Americans
who have recently been drawn 10 the ISL
and would in itself be sufficient to give
=, Steamship line regular employment, and
that Inv the time the troops are removed
from cuba a permanent business would
have been built up which could be con-
t,nued indefinitely. That such an enter
nrise would prove of vast profit to the
port all are agreed.
aIrn Il chi
pinc thousands of dollars worth of goods
70 Cuba via Tampa and the Plant Steam
ship Line and by the government trans
ports. With a regular line of steamers it
can hardly be doubted that this business
would be vastly increased. In fact, the
merchants who have been spoken to on
the subject agree that upon their ability
10 deliver goods regularly and at specl-
fed times largely depends the question of
securing trade. 1t is out of the question,
they say. to attempt to build up a trade
where the delivery of the goods is irreg-
ular and the time of delivery uncertain.
No business man wishes to purchase
goods whose time of delivery is uneer-
lain.
There is no doubt that a regular steam
er line would prove to be a success, its
advocates claim. In it's addition to the
large demand for freight room caused by
the presence of the American army in
Cuba, il is claimed that there will natur-
ally arise a continually increasing de-
mand on the part of the Inhabitants of
the island for American goods With the
rehabilitation of the island will naturally
come a large demand for machinery of
all kinds, manufactures, provisions and
supplies of every character and no port
in the country is in better position to act
as the gateway for this commerce than
Savannah by reason of her railway con-
nectOns.
The Central Railway secures traffic
from all over the South and West for its
steamship line between Savannah and
New York" said a prominent business
man. 1T is nonsense to say that traffic
could not be secured in the same manner
for the line between Cuba and Savannah.
The Western cities are anxiously seeking
an outlet for their commerce and prefer
Savannah above all other points. The
very fact that the Central has a line of
steamships to New York as we'll as rail
connections to the West would insure the
success Of the new enterprise. Large
freights could doubtless be secured be-
tween New York and Havana. the freights
being reshpped here as the Central now
feships cotton for European ports at
New York and freights both ways would
be assured"
With properly equipped steamships
large passenger business would quickly be
built up Instead of making the trip
via Tampa or New York Americans in
cuba would naturally take the shortest
route, which would be via Savannah. OF
the thousands of American officers and
IN, ft,,l Ia
stantly going to and fro on furlough or as
discharged soldiers and nine out of ten
OF these would prefer to come through
savannah, especially al ii would be the
shortest and cheapest route to most of
them. Hundreds of people from Savan-
nah and this section of country would
naturally avail themselves of the oppor-
UNITY of visiting Cuba at a small cost,
and the tourist travel would naturally be
attracted to this line.
The increased traffic which would result
from such line may be a matter of in
difference to the Central but it owes
something to the merchants of Savannah
ana Its patrons generally in this section
whose business would be developed and
Increased by this enterprise"
AS an instance Of what Savannah mer-
chants are already doing in Cuba, 1t can
ne stated that there are two houses which
row nave representatives there, as the re-
suit of which they are reaping a large
business. These houses are s. Gucken-
heimer & Sons and James NJ. Dixon & Co.
Mr' 5. Friedlein is representing Gucken-
helmer & Sons and Mr.. c. c. Cambride is
representing Mr.. Dixon.
II there were a steamer ready to depart
rom this port for Havana tomorrow. :"
sald Mr., A. S. Guckenheimer, 1--WE could
eIVe her enough freight alone to pay the
expense of the trip to Havana and return.
- II Is we are shipping partly by govern
ncnt transports and partly via Tampa.
1 he rates via Tampa have been made very
reasonable. At the same time a regular
me OF steamers from Savannah would
eIeaiIy facilitate shipments"
Here are orders for $1,000 to $4,000 worth
pl GOODS which l expect to snip to Cuba
, "g 'he next transport" said Mr. Dixon.
IHey are mostly canteen and quartermas-
is supplies. If we had a regular line
s.eamers TO Havana this business could
sIeatly increased. There will be fewer
oollnss Of transports hereafter, and the
g.-Ss quence is that there will be less op-
H. 'u,.l'y 10 ship goods in this manner. A
a l.,e oi steamers would prove of the great
auNdhlase and would enable the mer-