The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-07

rivals have fallen into an easy and COM
Portable frame of mind in regard to her
They are inclined To speak with a sort OF
plying smile Of poor old Charleston
10 refer to her a. has been and back
number. This IL all very well, but those
who are counting on Charleston as a dead
dog in the pit are likely 10 discover AT no
very distant day that they have a lively
corpse on their hands 10 deal with
There il much 10 be done here. much
dead wood to be cleaned away and a general
shaking up of the dry bones of ultra con-
servatism before Charleston is in a position
10 demand and take the place that rightfuliy
belongs TO her in the ranks of Americas
great cities
NOT STOPPING PLACE.
BY Just how much Charleston herself is
responsible for the network IF railroad
difficulties in which she has become inn
ineshed is point about which there is a
wide difference of opinion, but about her
being So immeshed there is no question.
Commerce that from the logic of her po-
sition is rightiully hers, which she
should be able to handle with advantage
to the shippers and to herself as well is
being carried by her back door and delivered
over to Norfolk and other places north.
With the freight trains thus going by
her back door without stopping. the freight
and passenger steamers naturally, are pass
ing her front c,oor without looking in.
II is the II ission, among other things
Of the new Commercial Club to look into
precisely such matters a. this The club
in fact at this very moment is taking up
this subject Of the railroads and handling
it with signal energy and ability. The
clearest headed business men Of Charleston
and those who are dcvoting most time
and thought to the city's interests are q ong
in their denunC iation OF the way Char lesion
has been treated 10y the railroads, dis
eliminated against" they are frank TO
call il.
They have recently brought the subject
up in various phases before the Railroad
Commissions Of the State aud they are
resolute in their determination that Char les
ton shall have fair treatment and he put
! on an even competing basis with her rivals
on such basis AZ will enable her to avail
herself TO their fun extent of her unQues-
tiOnable natural advantages as sea port
GREAT HARBoR.
The recent action Of the Government in
Of the most important navy yards in the
country has again, in very marked way.
emphasized one feature of these natural
advantages the superb harbor and strong
sea position with reference TO Europe
! the West In lies and Central and South
| America, which the city ENJOYS.
When the construction Of the present
| system Of jettes was begun in Charleston
| harhor about twenty years ago. the channel
would not accommodate a ship drawing
more than seventeen feet. The jetties have
been so successful in improving the har Dor
entrance that there Is row one main ship
channel with an average Gop,h Of SO
feet at ordinary high tide, and the engineers
are Of opinion that within the next six or
| eight months there will be depth Of 80
feet of water all the way through this
channel
| The harbor and its approach are superb
said the manager Of one Of the
steamship lines recently established be-
tween here and West Indian end Central
| American ports. Both are so excellent
| that il is entirely possible for our vessels
to come in from the open sea straight 20
our docks without pilot. In fact, our
captains, and most of them are foreigners
| at that, are perfectly willing TO do the trick
without pilots help after they have made
the run from tho open sea up.
"Chareston's general position with ref.
ercnce TO the sea is very much like that OF
New York. IF you eliminate New York's
lower bay and let the sea begin at the
Narrows the two les as TO their waite,
approach would be almost identical. Fur.
thermore. on each side of Charleston, just
AS on each side Of New York, there are
rivcrs-the Ashley and Cooper here cor.
responding to the Nor,h and East rivers
| there.
with infinitely less difficulty and in
very much shorter time than is the case
in New York, the largest vessels can come
in from the open sea and tie up right at
tho ends of Chorlos,on's principal business
| streets.
And then there is another thing In
Charlestons favor as compared with New
York, and that is in the matter Of her sea
| commerce with reference to her railroad
comm"roe. Y9o cannot move . mound NJ