The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-05-15
NEW YoRIx's TRADE SLIPPING
AWAY

The fear that New York has that her
foreign trade will get away from her is
not without foundation. This month the
Northwestern Steamship Company of Chi
cago will begin running steamers direct
from Chicago to Liverpool, London and
Hamburg. The company owns four
steamers. all of which have great carry
ing capacity. Each of these steamers is
rs feet in length and draws less than
fourteen feet of water.
In their voyage they will pass through
the Canadian canals, the Welland and st.
Lawrence to the head of deep water navi-
cation at Montreal. Before reaching deep
water navigation they will traverse sew
enty-threc miles of canals and will pass
through forty-six locks. 1t will take them
about three days to reach deep water.
and as they are not swift boats the en-
tire trip will, in all proba bility, occupy
two weeks.
The number of steamers of the COM
pany will doubtless be increased very
soon if the four already built prove a
profitable investment. There does not
line should not be a paying one. AS far
as can be seen, the only thing that
threatens trouble is the dangerous char
acter of the navigation of the lower st.
Lawrence. Vessels traversing that route
are charged heavy rates of insurance by
marine insurance companies.
If the experiment of making the lake
cities Atlantic ports should be successful
there is no doubt that New York would
lose a very large per cent. of her foreign
trade. The four pioneer vessels have very
full and valuable cargoes, consisting large
ly of machinery, canned and boxed meats.
lard and other products of the West. 1t
is doubtful If the railways could make a
rate that would enable steamship COM
panies, which run their vessels from New
York to European ports, to compete with
steamship companies running ships from
Chicago to the same ports There is talk
of connecting the lakes with the Atlantic
by means of a canal wholly within Amer
lean territory. This can be done, but the
cost would be great. Still, it is argued
that such a canal would pay. 1t is point
ed out that even now there passes through
the Sault Ste Marie canal double the
tonnage per annum that passes through
the Suez canal, and it is we'll known that
the latter canal pays big dividend upon
it's shares. In 1887 the number of tons
of freight that passed through the Sault
Ste. Marie canal was 5,494,649, valued at
S70,OS1, 757. In 1900 there passed through
it 25,64S,O73 tons of freight, valued al $780,
041 $50. This increase gives some idea of
the magnitude of the canal traffic and of
its growth.
1t will not. of course, ever be possible
to run vessels of deep draught from the
lake ports to Europe, because these ports
cannot accommodate vessels drawing more
than twenty feet, but vessels having great
carrying capacity can be accommodated
They may not be so seaworthy as
the great ocean liners that now ply be-
tween New York and the ports of Eu-
rope, but who can say that that obstacle
will not eventually be overcome? 1t is
certainly time for New York to be look
ing out for her foreign trade. If she is
not watchful Chicago will have the
greater part of it before the twentieth
century is very far advanced.