The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1902-07-03
MORE ABOUT MOLAssEs.

an article by Richardson on Sugar and
Molasses" prompts me to state few
facts concerning the latter article.
Richardson says: "The importation
ceased about dozen years ago, through
a sudden change in the tariff
Twelve years ago the coming fall the
Havana firms of R. Trutfin & Co., ow-
ing to the low price Of molasses in the
United States and the expensive way of
shipping the same in hogsheads, decided
they must find some means of cheaper
transportation and handling or give up
the business, as the cost of the hogs
heads was more than the cost of the
molasses, or about equal to it. They
tried to interest several different par
ties in the scheme of shipping molasses
in bulk, as oil is shipped, but all were
afraid to undertake the business, pre-
dieting certain failure and citing the
brig "Novelty' as an example. This
brig was built and run by Messrs. Nash,
Spaulding Il Co. of Boston. She was
an iron tank vessel and commanded by
Capt. Havener of Searsport, Me. She
did not last long. think she sank off
Cape Hatteras. This was thirty or
more years ago. 1t was supposed the
venture proved failure as it was not
repeated. Finally Messrs. r. Trutfin
4 Co. went to Mr. W. d. Munson of the
new Munson Steamship Line of New
York, who had but recently started in
the steamship frieghting business, and
to him they stated their plans Mr.
Munson is very enterprising and far
seeing gentleman of great business abil-
ity. He at once considered the matter in
favorable light and consented to 90 in
to it. He had several sailing vessels at
the time and among them were the banks
Matanzas and Carrie +. Long. He at
once went to work and had iron tanks
made and put into these two banks.
Capt Erickson was in command of the
MatanZas and | took command of the
Carrie L. Long. This was eleven years
ago last January. We carried oil in
bulk to Havana and loaded moasses
back, Nh Munson also chartered the
tank steamship Circassian Prince on
Joint account with II. TRUTH x Co. and
she was the first ship to load molasses.
the MatanZas the second, and followed
with the Carrie T. Long Our first eX
perence was most discouraging and
very expensive. think the Circasslan
Prince was about two weeks discharg-
ing her cargo, the MatanZaS about the
same length of time and the Carrie +.
Long about $ days, working constantly
night and day. 4 less enterprising
man than Mr.. Munson might have
given 1t up as failure; but he, as well
as Il. Trutfin X Co., believed they could
overcome all the obstacles and perse
vered, success finally crownng their
efforts. We had more powerful pumps
properly located and soon became able
to handle the molasses prottably. At
first it took about a week to load a ship
of the size of the Circassian Prince and
as long to discharge We have cou-
tinued the business ever since. with the
exception OF the three years of the
Cuban Spanish war when there was
little sugar made in Cuba, consequent
ly very little molasses. sailed the
Carrie +, Long two years and then |
came to Havana to superintend the
loading of the ships here and have done
so each winter since, with the excep-
ton of the three years of war. when |
was in Mexico.
Most of the molasses goes to the VIM.
j. Mctahan refinery i'll Philadelphia
and this business is now done so quiet
ly and quickly that it is scarcely motto
about eleven million gallons. This year,
II. Trutfin Il Co. have a contract with
McCahan for twelve million gallons.
They have also sold to England one mil
lion five hundred thousand gallons, be-
sides large quantity to distillers on
the island. They control the molasses
business of Cuba. We have this year
two tank ships-the Russian Prince"
with a capacity of 100000 gallons of
molasses. (4,000 tons dead weight and
the "Circassian Prince" with a capacity
of 600, 900 gallons of molasses. 5000
tons dead weight These ships make
a round trip in about IA days. The for
mer we have loaded this year in from
I ~ to hours. The latter | loaded a
few days ago with 5000 tons of molas-
ses, in exactly five hours. When these
ships arrive here in the morning they
sail in the evening loaded.
Trutfin Il Co. have iron storage tanks
here OF about l, 700, 900 gallons capacity.
We have two tank lighters that carry
$1,000 gallons each and two that carry
$4,000 each. With these, and the ia
nous tug Dauntless, which we have had
the past two seasons to tow the light
ers, we bring the molasses from
the coast and deposit it here in readi-
ness for the ships. The firm also has
large storage tanks in Cienfuegos. |