The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-23
new LINE ASSURED
MORE SHIPS BETWEEN NEW YORK
AND SAVANNAH.
TO TOUCH AT FERNANDINA.
FIRST VESSEL TO REACH sAvAN-
NAH FOR CARGO ABOUT NOV. Is.

For the Present There VIII BE Two
Steamers. the Northwest and the
NOrthInnd-Tw More TO BE AddeC
if the Business offered Makes IL
AdvisibIe-Lumber VIII BE the
Chief, il Not Only Item of Freight.
Steamers Formerly Engaged I'm
Carrying Grain Direct From Chi
cago to Europe-C. w. Howard the
Agent of the New Line.
A new steamship line between Savan-
nah and New York is now an assured
fact. News to that effect was received
in Savannah yesterday from James w.
Elwell Company, ship agents of that
city, who authorized their agent in Sa-
vannah, Mr.. c. W. Howard, to notify
shippers that the first ship might be
expected in this port about Nov. Is
or 20.
The fact that there was a movement
for a new line between Savannah and
New York was printed in the Morning
News about ten days ago. AS was
stated at that time, but two ships will
be put on at first. They are the
Northwest and the Northland, steam
ers having a capacity of $500 tons,
and drawing about q feet of water.
They are practically new ships, having
been built a short time ago. when the
experiment of shipping grain direct
from Chicago to Europe. via the Great
Lakes and the ST. Lawrence river was
first attempted.
The steamers will make lumber
their chief, if not only, cargo, from this
port. That is, at least, at first, for
those that are interested in the new
line have r 7oubt, in fact are quite
assured, tn there will be much
freight of other character offered and
are quite confident that each trip
northward will be with a full cargo.
Coming South the steamers, at least
for the present, probably will come
light, but there is little doubt that by
the time the line is thoroughly estab-
iished it will secure a profitable amount
of southbound freight as well. The
steamers will touch not only at Sa-
vannah, but at Fernandina as well,
where, too, lumber will be the chief
freight taken.
At Savannah, for the convenience of
shippers, the steamers will load both
at the Plant System wharVes and
the Seaboard Air Line docks. Should
the business warrant it, two other
steamers, of similar capacity and de-
sign, will be added to the route.
Practically all lumber dealers and
manufacturers in Savannah are in
terested and expect to be benefited by
the new line. Hitherto while they had
no difficulty in securing all needed
space and quite reasonable rates
by the Ocean Steamship Line during
the summer months, the rates were
raised, they say, and space limited all
during the northward movement of
vegetables and cotton, with the result
that the shippers were forced to use
the slower sailing vessels or, for quick
delivery, pay transportation charges
that were almost prohibitory.
BY having the new line all these diff
culties are overcome; shippers are
guaranteed unlimited space, reason
able rates, and quick delivery the
steamers making the run between Sa-
vannah and New York in approximate
ly seventy hours. The necessity for
the new line and the certainty Of it's
success and consequent continuance
viii readily be seen when it is known
that so great is the lumber shipments
from Savannah and so inadequate, at a
reasonable charge, the facilities for
water shipments, that at least one
manufacturer is at present shipping By
rail.
While all of the lumber merchants
are interested in the new line, to Mr..
William B. Stillwell of the Southern
Pine Company is due the credit of hav-
ing secured it. Realizing the growing
Importance and commerce of the port,
and the need of additional facilities for
shipping, he interested himself more
than year ago in the project TO Sc
cure additional facilities for reaching
the Northern markets. 1t was at his
request that Mr. D. H. f. Jones, agent
of the Elwell Company met a number
of the lumbermen in Savannah about
ten days ago and received such assur-
RANGES as induced him to establish the
line.