The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-31
SIX GREAT SHIPPING PORTS.
Interesting Facts Concerning the
Internal Trade of the Country.

Interesting Facts Concerning the
Internal Trade of the Country.
The monthly review Of the internal
commerce of the United States undertak-
en- by the Treasury Bureau of Statistics
IN It's monthly publication, the Summary
Of Commerce and Finance SUNNI ARIES
in its opening pa ges the principal features
Of the internal commerce of tie country
during the first quarter of the current
year. On the Atlantic Seaboard one Of the
more important announcements is that of
the addition OF Portland, Me, to the list
Of contract ports entitled to the lowest
marine insurance rates This addition
gives the Atlantic coast seven grain ship
ping ports of the first rank, so far as
safety Of navigation goes The list at
present includes Boston. New York, Phil
adeIphia, Baltimore Norfolk. Newport
News. and Portland The placing OF
Portland on the contract list gives coca
sion te call attention to the fact that this
port has recently been provided with a.
first-cIass grain inspection system; that
its Pilotage system has been much i'm
proved to meet the requirements Of the
Increasing size of freight and passenger
steamships engaged in its transatlantic
service, and that greatly enlarged terTni-
nal facilities, such as piers, docks, ware
houses, and grain elevators. have added
another deep-water harbor to the Allan
tic coast.
The lake season in ore traffic opens with
one new deck of modern design added to
the already marvellous equipment at the
Lake Superior points of shipments of iron
| ores. The Chicago, Milwaukee, and st.
Paul Railway, by way of the new Es-
canada and Lake Superior Railway from
Claiming to Escanaba. gains access to the
ore-handIing business on the upper lakes
| The company completed its ore dock at
| Escanaba in October. 1900. but too late to
| figure prominently in that years move
n1ent. This pier is the twenty-third in
number at the seven great shipping ports
Duluth, Two Harbors, Escanaba, Supe-
| rior, Marquette, Ashland. anc Gladstone
The new St Paul pier is 80 feet long,
| g feet wide at the top, and 665k feet high
/ above water. There are 80 pockets, and
/ its capacity is q coo tons Of ore The dock
carries four railway tracks This addition
| to the storage capacity OF the ore piers
| at the upper lakes will bring the total
/ equipment up to $4,000 tons capacity avail
/ able for the season of 1901,
| Disputes relative to wages have fire.
| quentIy interfered with the even move
1 ment Of traffic on the lakes, though not
| more so than in any other portion Of the
/ country. Nevertheless, these disputes have
4 the effect of interfering greatly with the
! opportunities of transportation which are
! confined to the limits Of the summer sea
/ son Anything, therefore which removes
/ from the relations Of employers and en-
| pioyes a cause or occasion for disa gree
/ ment must be considered as 4 mere ia
/ vorabIe outlook for the future The recent
I agreement between the Lumber Vessel
/ Carriers Assecia ton, representing the
/ luHber-carryins firms on the lakes with
/ the delegates Of the Longshoremen' 5
/ Union lays the basis for permanent IN
/ Outstanding between these two interests so
closely connected with the lumber trade
/ The agreement in question provides. L
/ That. the rate Of wages be 30 cents per
/ hour during the entire season OF 1901 for
| the loading of lumber. Iaths. shingles.
I and other forest products on the boats OF
/ the said Lumber Carriers Association. 2
| That the captain Of vessel should rec
| ogHize the union and give preference to
! union men in employment so long as
members Of the union can be obtained. 8.
! That all disputes are to be settled by ar
/ bitration, without interruption Of work
! pending such settlements.
One OF the Immediate effects Of the
| opening Of the new source Of fuel supply
| in Texas IS to place al industrial es-
/ tsbIizhments in that section depending
/ upon steam power upon a more favorab
| economic basis This applies to cotton
mills, to cottonseed mills, to cane-grind-
ing mills. and all others where coal fuel
has hitherto been an expensive element
| il the cost Of production. The produc-
ers Of fuel oil are aware of this opportuni-
I ~ -Fay.fft
ions to distribute fuel oil at all railroad
points and points accessible to naviga-
ton The influence Of this new factor
viii be felt far beyond the localities di-
rectly affected If the use of fuel oil be-
comes extensive enough il NAV materially
reduce the price Of coal at the Lower
Mississippi centres of consumption and
also give new stimulus to mauufactur-
ers in Texas and adjacent territory
The opening Of the Beaumont Tex
OIL fields has required new facilities for
transportation to the seabOard for that
commodity For this purpose a pipeline
has been constructed from the oil tanks
at Beaumont to the ship side of the chan
mel leading TO Port Arthur a distance of
over eighteen miles Three tanks Of 50 900
barrels capacity each, are located at FL
vista. q bout midway between the wells
and the seaport from which intermediate
station II IS calculated that the oil viii
I flow by gravity
An additional p~NHIIne was opened Feb
rU1ry 9, 1901. for the conveying of petrol
cum from Bradford. Pa in the north
western portion Of the State to Marcus
hook, Pa, tidewater point on the Della
ware River below Philadelphia. The line
extends . distance of $50 miles, from
Bradford TO MarCushook, the distributing
point where large storage tanks have
been built with a capacity of 30 coo bar
TeIs. The flow is By gravitation solely
for the last ZO1 miles of the distance A
special pier Of $50 feet in length has been
constructed into the river for loading
steamers Wharfage has been secured at
four European ports, and a feet of ten