The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-29
FROM WATER FRONT
zN COMPETITION BETWEEN
THE INLAND LINES.
NEW BOATS AND CUT RATES.
rorH COMPANIES ACTIVE TO OBJ
TAIN THE BUSINESS.

NH. southern Transportation Has
added Two Roats to Its Fleet,
while the savannah River Com
,.nx Is Building one-How the
v,shting Affects Augusta-Matters
If Interest to shippers and MARI
ners.
Tho competition that has developed
hetween the inland steamboat lines
saarns only to be the forerunner OF
What is to come, judging from the
generations which are being made for
a long-drawn out fight. For the past
Eau, weeks moderate rate cutting has
been going on, but it has not been such
&C would put either of the competing
lines out of the ring. One line lowers
the rate, and the other has followed
snit 60 far. When this process will stop
neither line knows.
Until a short time ago the Southern
TRANSFORMATION Company, of which
Can't W. T. Gibson is general manager,
has controlled the river traffic between
Savannah and Augusta. Opposition
steamers have frequently been put on,
but they have always been shelved in
one way or another before they were
thoroughly establishd.
The last opposition line to enter the
feld was the Savannah River Steam
boat Company, which is operated on
the cooperative plan, with large
majority of it's patrons its stockhold-
ers thereby assuring the line OF the
business these persons control. The
southern is also operated upon the CO.
lucrative basis, except that its stock
holders comprise practically all the
larger merchants of Augusta, which
insures it the haul on through business
from the coastwise liners, while the
Savannah River Company numbers its
stockholders mostly among planters
and other shippers along the river.
Judging from the locations of the
two elements represented in each COM
pany as stockholders it seems that the
Southern controls the through bust
ness to Augusta through its connec-
tions there, while the Savannah River
Company derives the better part or its
business from the countrymen. All
other business is secured by the re-
spective hustling qualities of the seltc-
iting agents for each line. The new
company mas DS6A Poi oOeAFC
of late, and loses no time in getting
at shippers to up river points.
The competition between the COM
panies has extended to sharp rate cut
ting. but the fact that each line looks
for a long fight is shown by the prep
arations they are making to handle
the business. The Southern has just
completed the steamboat Louise, which
is the best equipped, and in all prob
ability the fastest steamboat on the
river The company also recently add
ed the Katie, formerly the Santee, to
its feet, which gives it ample facilities
for handling much more than the en-
tire river business between here and
Augusta. The Savannah River Company
has also been active in preparing for
the fight, by building the steamboat
Two States, which will probably be
launched at the Plant System wharves
to-day. When this boat Is turned out
the river will doubtless be kept lined
with boats to Augusta, as each COM
pany will have the quickest possible
schedules to enable it to secure bus
mess.
I'VE do not hope to obtain much
business from the Augusta merchants
at present" said an officer of the Sa-
vannah River Company, land the fact
we cannot do so operates against them.
Accommodation orders are frequently
picked up by employees of our line, but
we cannot consistently give them to
Augusta merchants for our competi-
tors to haul hence bring them to Sa-
vannah. OF course, we do not expect
to obtain much business at Augusta
from stockholders of the other COM
pany, as the object of getting them In
was to secure their patronage"
The approach of the fall season and
the increase in the movement of freight
will doubtless witness renewed activ-
ity in the fight for business, and may
eventually lead to the survival Of the
fttest, since it is not generally believed
there IS enough business to make 1t.
satisfactorily profitable for two lines.
The Norwegian ship Germanic, Capt.
Sunde, will be towed out to-day. She
has cargo of naval stores for Hap-
burg.
The large fleet of schooners for
Southern ports are windbound at and
around Cape Hatteras.
savannah Almanac, 18TH Meridian
Time.
sun rises at 5:S5 a. m, and sets at
FPS p. m.
High water at Savannah to-day at