The Portland daily press., 1900-09-24
THE HUBS BOOM.
The Boston & Maine Has
Started One.
Sends an Omcial Abroad to Tell AbOnt
Boston.

the most effective schemes yet undertaken
for increasing Boston's foreign traffic, is
being inaugurated by the management of
the Boston and Maine railroad The plan,
as outlined briefly by President Tuttle in
an Interview with the Transcript, is to
make direct effort to persuade managers
OF foreign steamship lines that are not
now sending vessels here establish regular
lines to this port and to induce those al
ready established to increase their service.
This is to be done by presenting to them
those advantages possessed by Boston,
which make it the most desirable port,
in many respects, on the North A tlantic
coast, 70 this end, MIR. A. S. Crane sails
today on the Norseman for Liverpool
AfGer conferring with the shipowners
there, he Will visit various other shipping
points in pursuance OF his mission, The
plans have been long under consideration
and the details are well provided for.
Mr.. Berry, second vice president, and
Mr.. Crane, who has charge OF the ex-
port traffic, have felt keenly the inade-
quacy of the tonnage at present available
here, to accommodate the freight that is
procurable by the Boston and Maine road
and It's connections. This has been pre-
sented more forcibly than ever, since the
control of the Fitchburg road passed to
the Boston and Maine. 1t is recognized
that thisineed must be met as soon as pos
sible.not only that the present traffic may
be taken care Of, but that the efforts
which are being made by the Maine look
ing toward larger business for itself, may
no off, 10 -
New York because the larger number of
lines making that port their term mus
insures a steadier supply of available ton
mage than is thu case at Boston.
That, however, the present great dis
crepancy between Boston ana New York
will continue Indefinitely is not expect
ed. The present move of the Boston and
Maine will do much to hasten the time
when the difference VIII not be so marked
and when roads terminating here viii not
be obliged to refuse to carry freight orig
mating within their own territory to
tide water because there are no vessels
here to take it abroad.
The Boston and Maine road is able to
take the present step and to make an at
tractive proposition to the owners OF
trans. Atlantic liners to sen1 their craft
here, because of the large enterprises .un-
dertaken by the commonwealth and the
national government for widening and
deepening the har Dor, and for increasing
the facilities for docking, elevator service,
etc. Mr.. Crane has a large number of
photographs or these improvements, to-
gether with maps, plans, etc, which will
,l.-,v },
enforcing the claims as set forth in the
statistics relating to our foreign business
with which he is also well equipped.
Special efforts Will be made to increase
the number Of regular monthly saiIings
from here, not only to London, Manohes-
ter, Bristol, Liverpool, Hull, GIasg ow and
other points in the United Kingdom, but
to those on the continent such as Ham
burg Rotterdam and the Baltic ports;
while strong effort will be made to So
cure regular service tc the Mediterranean.
Foreigners, =" said Mr.. Crane just be-
fore sailing, "have rather crude ideas OF
what we have here in the way of harbor
and dock facilities ana elevators. The
only way we can make the ship-owners
over there understand what we have to
offer them is by either having them come
here or impressing upon them through
personal interviews the Importance of the |
traffic. have met such people who come
here with ideas of Boston that would be
amusing were the entertaining of the m
not so detrimental to our commercial
wellbeing.
'Ihe Boston andMaine has large fu-
ture before it. It's foreign business may
be made to assume much larger proper
tions than atgpresent. We have been bad
ly handicapped for want OF vessels, and,
though there have been some notable ad-
ditions to the tonnage through the year,
we are still far from where we ought to |
be as regards our facilities for ocean |
traffic We need more regular Iines,and 1 |
hope to see these established here the COM
ing season. The other officials of the road
are all sanguine as regards its future ex-
port business. With the better facilities /
that we possess here over New York we
ought to be doing a business of 400, 900 |
tons month instead of 200 600, as is the |
case. There is. he said, scarcely a limit
to what we might do here, but we must
have the vessels to take the merchandise
after we get 1t to tidewater This trouble |
we hope to obviate soon, and then we
can cater to this business with certainty
of reasonably prompt service for our
patrons. ;"
This idea OF sending Mr.. Crane abroad |
In the interest of the Boston and Maine's
foreign trade was commented upon most
favorably by merchants seen today, all of
whom speak in praise of Mr.. Iuttle's
enterprise in undertaking it.