The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-27
COTTON AND PENsAcoLA.
Predictions as to c New Order o
 Things.

 Pensacola Journal.
 cotton is to be to Pensacola in the future what timber has been in the past, was the rather startling statement made by a gentleman Saturday in the presence of Il Journal reporter
 This gentleman was none other than D. F. Lowe, of the firm of D. F. Lowe & Co. cotton commission merchants and
 brokers. who established business here last fall. The statement of the cotton man was in itself so startling as to at- | tract attention and comment from sew eIal citizens who heard it, and the pos abilities for the citys future which 1t ' suggested. formed the subject for con siderable discussion.
 For years, until recently, the backbone | of Pensacola's business interests was sup piled by the great timber industry, which
 has made this pert known all over the world. For years also 1t has been pre- dicted that when the timber industry be- gan to dwfndle-when the supply began | to be usced-the business of the port would go down correspondingly. It was and is believed today. by many who have
 not given the matter thought that when ing that can take it's place in local bus mess development. Consequently. the re- mark quoted above was the occasion of no little interest.
 Tt is a fact said MT. Lowe in an- swer to the reporters inquiry, cotton is to be the big item of export for Pen sacola in the future. and 1t is going to
 mean to the big Pensacola of ten years hence what the timber export business
 meant to the little Pensacola of ten years ago.
 Tn the first place. continued Mr. Lowe, this is one of the very finest har- bors in the world-certainly the finest on the gulf--and with thirty three feet of water on its outer bar, thirty-one feet at the biggest wharf at low tide. and with | an cxpanse of harbor at least seven miles .xf Fa.sz, A- | date the largest vessels that float. the combined fleets of the world could find anchorage here. The railroad shipping facilities at this port are something su- cated on the gulf coast. Those l.. and N. wharves are not excelled anywhere. If we ever get the Nicaraguan Canal, Pensacola should be second to no port
 in the United States in her maritime bus iness."
 "As faint indication of what the cot ton export business at Pensacola is to be, look at the place the city holds today among the cotton export cities of the United Sates. Five years ago. your cot
 ton exports were hardly noted. Today Pensacola holds sixth place among the ports of. the country as an exporter of l the fieecy staple.
 Last season Pensacola had received up to this time 10000 bales and she received for the entire season 135.000 bales, of which 10000 were shipped here for com pression at the big compress just north of the city. So far this year Pensacola has received 175s00o bales and if 1t con- tinues to come in the same proportion as last year, she will close the season with over 20o.000 bales, of which 45,00o have | come here to be compressed and have been practically paid for at this place. This 4o.000 bales means an aggregate of $2000.000 fin money paid out at Pen sacola, in addition to the money spent for labor in the handling and loading the POO. 900 bales.
 "As a cotton market Pensacola will compare in respect to prices. favorably
 with any market in the United States none excepted. For example. any shipper or planter. within radius of 200 miles of Pensacola. can ship his cotton here
 and in the net results obtained after sell ing same he will realize more than at ] any other market to which he could ship mo market in the United States being excepted.
 Next season you can bank on a good deal bigger business than that of this sea son. The cotton Is simply coming here. As one indication of this, the cotton com press is going to double It's capacity dur 1 ing the, summer to be ready for the new | business"
 As MT. Lowe has been in the cotton | business for some twenty years. his state ments concerning Pensacola and her ad- | vantages for the handling of cotton may be accepted as coming from man who
 knows what he Is talking about-and. in- deed. the wonderful growth of the busi- ness at this port for the past two seasons
 is abundant proof of the correctness of his claims.
 For those who thought that Pensacola
 would go down when the timber industry played out. there is considerable food for reflection in the remarks of MT. Lowe. It will be a long time yet before the timber industry at Pensacola is exhaust ed. but in the meantime business ap- pears to present factor which will mean st, thad q zf !,
 our immense timber interests have ever meant