The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-06-21
SAVANNAH RIVER IMPROVEMENT
The Changes Which Have Taken
PInce in Savannah's Shipping.


Savannah, Ga. June 10, 19O0.-Editor
Savannah Morning News: The national
government have every reason to be sat
isfied with the results that have come
from the appropriations made for and
expended upon the Savannah river and
harbor, from the city to the ocean bar.
Greater results may have been secured,
as we see it to-day, from a more judi
cious and far-seeing application Of these
funds; but the results, they confront
US to-day, are marvel in themselves.
| In 1874 the usual high water draught
Of vessels TO the city was about 14.5 feet"
In 1890 "a naVigable channel % feet deep,
at mean high tide from the city to sea"
had been secur d, and to-day We have a
ear depth Of 26 feet. showing an increase
obtained between 1874 and 1900 of 1915
feet.
When 1t was proposed, in 1890 to in
crease the channel depth from p TO %
feet by an appropriation of $4,000 so
enormous seemed this sum in comparison
with the previous annual appropriations
| for the improvement of the river and har-
Dor that rarely reached $4,000, il was
thought advisable to appeal this matter
to the various sections of the country that
II was considered would profit in he com
mercial advantages of securing a 26 feet
| channel at Savannah from the ocean to
| city wharves. The appropriations prayed
FOR were granted, and, as has Just been
stated, the desired depth was obtained.
AS an inducement for public support, it
was held out that the deepening of the
Savannah river and harb1r won d result
In the lessening of ocean freights, both
coastwise and foreign, in which the whole
| country had a deep economical interest;
| but the advocates of this idea did not
really know how much the already ac-
complished improvements Of the Savannah
river was then affecting the transDorta-
ton of the Middle Northwestern States.
| A representa- tive of the city of SaVan-
nah visiting St. Joseph, Mo, was sur
prised, in the midst of his plea to the pep
pie OF that city to support Sava nnah n
her effort 10 obtain the necessary aporo-
priation from Congress to secure a 2-feet
channel TO learn that at that time so
| per cent. of certain classes of goods sold
! in st. Joseph reached there through the
port of Savannah. Yet when the represe l.
! tative of the city asked for map of The
! United States, upon which to indicate the
| relative position of Savannah to the Mid
die and Northern Western states, he was
| handed one that had seen active service
| upon which the ports of Charleston and
| Brunswick were onspicuously mark d /:
| but the name of Savannah was not 10 be
| found. Like experiences were encounter
ed at other points in the West.
| In evidence of the substantial benefits
that have accrued to commerce by the i'm
provement Of our river and harbor. the
! tonnage of the port, which was 1O74 81
| tons in 1873, had grown to s286l4 tons in
| 1890 and for the year 1899 is in excess of
100000 tons.
Up to 1885 of foreign vessels. one of 1.543
| tons was the largest 10 clear from this
port; in 1890 there was clearance of a
| 2,6J6-ton vessel, and since then a vessel of
S,4S4 tons has been loaded at and cleared
| from the wharves of the city.
In the coastwise trade the Kansas CITY
of the Ocean Steamship Line is a 1000
ship plying regularly between Savannah
| and New York.
Foreign vessels of 800 tons and over
cleared from this port between Jan. l. 1855.
and Dec. l. 1889. amounted TO only 8.
! Steadily increasing from year TO year
there were cleared in 1888 twenty-four
vessels and in 1897 fifty-two clearances of
| foreign vessels of lS00 tons and over For
! the first four months of 1900 clearances Of
| this character have already reached
| twenty-four vessels.
According to the records at the Custom
! House in 1885 the average tonnage of all
! vessels Oittle and big) clearing a. the
| port of Savannah was $50. In 1891 this
average increased to SIG tons In 1899 to
| ] ,0s6 tons. and. for the first four months
| in 1900. the average is 1,20S tons
It is a well-known fact that as the
! tonnage of vessels is increased the cost
! of transportation is reduced, which is
| one of the immediate and permanent ben
e6ts 40 the commerce Of the world guar
| anteed in the Improvement Of rivers and
| harbors And in this same connection 1t
| is proper TO say that while the tendency
| to increase the tonnage Of vessels may
| reduce the number of vessels needed TO
! remove the commerce Of any port to for
| eign or coastwise points, in the end lower
! freight rates have been accomplished by
| the increased tonnage of a smaller num-
Der OF vessels Thus, while the tonnage
| OF the port of Savannah is three-fol1
! what it was i'm 1874 the increase I'm YES
sells has probably not exceeded twofold,
the arrival and departure Of foreign and
| domestic crafts being placed al l4S3 for
! the year 1899.
II is probably largely dine TO the heavy
| tonnage now attracted to this port and
the constantly increasing facilities for
| economically handling freight. that mas
! enabled Savannah, in the past nine and
| a half months. TO close Of business June
| Is inst. TO hold her own in cotton re-
c.ipts against the world.
The receipts at all the ports Of the
! Tinted states to date, show falling of
as compared with the same period In last
cotton year, of D. per cent. and there is
| no reason TO believe that this loss can be
possibly overcome between June is inst.
and Sept. I. next. close OF cotton year
] This heavy dimnution in the general re-
ceipts shows very irregular at the yarI-
Gus ports. and IN detail, is shown "a fol-
/ lows in percentage OF losses and gains:
losses.
Per. Cent
]