The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-15


ly made an entry into the city its facili-
lies in this line would seem 10 leave moth
ing to be asked. While the number of
railroad corporations entering the city is
nor so great as of some other trade CEN
ters, the mileage of these systems over
shadows anything which can be claimed
by any other South Atlantic port Ii has
the Central of Georgia Railway, for many
years the citys chief commercial feeder,
covering Middle and Southwestern Geor-
gia and Eastern Alabama with nearly
1000 miles; the Plant System, covering
South Georgia and Florida and "A part of
South Carolina, with 5000 miles of rail
lines; the Georgia and Alabama aud the
Florida Central and Peninsuar Railroads, 1
now about to be included in the Seaboard
System, covering a great part of Georgia,
Florida Alabama, South Carolina and
other states with lines aggregating 200
miles. and the southern, which has recent /
~ entered the city, and which has a total |
mileage, covering all the Southeastern |
states of 5000 miles. With nearly 1900 |
miles of rail line to draw upon, connect |
ing directly or indirectly with every rail- |
way system of impor lance in the United |
States taken in connection with it's i'm |
mense terminal facilities, Savannah's flu !
ture commercial possibilities are almost |
unlimited.
Its Great Terminals.
The steamship lines have proven a great
adjunct to the city's commerce. They have
given an outlet to the railroads which has
proven a great value to them. The i'm
mense commerce moved by these lines
can only be estimated by visit to the
steamship wharVes where thousands of
tons of freight are piled, awaiting trans
it to Northern ports, or, having just ar
rived from these ports, in process of ship
ments to hundreds of points throughout
the South and West, The Ocean Steamship
1R-bar "a known Is the fin Al
est wharf property in the South. The late
Jay Gould, when he visited Savannah
eight years ago, declared, after inspecting
this property, that its value was not less
than 100000. Since that time the wharves
have been extended and increased, new
slips have been dug and new buildings ,
erected, and it would be safe to add at
least another million to the milionaires
estimate.
In steamship facilities Savannah takes
precedence of any Atlantic port south of
Baltimore. With the Ocean Steamship
Company's' fine line of vessels, with al
most daily sailings to New York, and
weekly sailing to Boston, and the Mer- |
chants and Miners line with three sail |
ings weekly to Baltimore, the facilities
given the merchants for handling bust |
ness through the Northern ports are I'M
SURPASSED The great advantage of these |
lines in giving the city water competition |
with the all rail lines is fully appreciated. 1
Savannah can also lay claim to the finest |
system of towboats of any South Allan |
tic coast her equipment in this respect |
being superior to any. The steam pilot |
boat John H. Estill is considered to be the
finest pilot boat in American waters, and |
is striking evidence of SaVannah's en- |
terprse in maritime matters. There are |
also number of river steamers which do |
a thriving business besides a varied as |
sortment of river craft of every descrip- |
ton The records of the United States |
steamboat inspectors office show that the /
Savannah district has total of nearly /
10000 tons, the largest of any district
south of Baltimore.
Gigantic Trade.
Savannah's commerce has had its ups
and downs but the ups have been more
numerous than the downs and there has
always been a gain on the rebound. The
year Just closed was an unusually pros
porous one in commercial lines. The to-
tel rade for the year Is estimated at
1858 $50, 900 Savannahs bank clearings
for the year were $134,540, 33l.12. The cot
ton receipts were 1,0i7Sn bales of up
lands and 56,613 bales of sea islands. The
naval stores receipts were 3l4,91 casks
of spirits and 1106,S53 barrels of rosin
Both in naval stores and cotton there was
a shortage in receipts, as compared with
the previous year, due to natural causes
but the shortage was more than atoned
Tor by the increased price Oh edCn Colll-
modify 5ra
Savannah Is prominently a CONNER
cal city. Commerce has been her life
and the source of her wealth from the be-
ginning of her history. Fifty years ago
cotton and rice were her chief staples and
the handling of both was largely profit
able. The rice industry is now practi-
caly a thing of the past and upland cot
ton no longer pays the tribute to the city
which ii formerly did, Notwithstanding
the normal receipts from this source are
in excess of 100000 bales annually The
deficiency in profits from the two sources
mentioned has been more than supplied
by the great naval stores business which
has been built up at this port during the
Hast twenty years and which has proven
one of the most lucrative lines of the
city's commerce. Lumber also has prov
en- an important and valuable factor in
the city's commerce. Just now both OF
these lines are al the top notch of pros
perity, the high prices paid for the prod
ucts of the pine exceeding anything in
the history of the trade within the last
twenty years, and as a result, both the
lumbermen and the naval stores producers
and the merchants engaged in handling
these products are in a highly prosperous
condition.
1t is true that in the nature of things
these industries must pass with the ex-
haustion of the pine forests, and some
have been inclined to indulge in ominous
prophecies as 10 the condition of affairs
which will result from their loss. Hap
PLY there is no immediate prospect of these /
gloomy prophecies being realized. Con-
sentative naval stores factors estimate
that with the extensive prepare lions
which are being made for this years
crop, the receipts bid fair 90 exceed those /
of any previous year. Their fears are
ra Their that the business will be overdone
than underdone, and that the present
very lucrative prices will be forced down
by the zeal of the operators to take ad-
vantage of them. The present state of
the lumber trade seems to be such that it
is impossible for the supply TO equal the |
demand and this years output promises !
to be one of the largest in the history
Of the trade and, with continued high !
prices, a red-letter year for the lumber
men.
New Sources of Wealth.