The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-08-04
PANAMA CANAL BOOM
AGENT IN NEW ORLEANS CON-
TRACING FOR LUMBER
AND MATERIAL.


New Orleans Times Democrat.
Alfred Anderson OF rev xork.
purchasing agent for the Panama
Canal Commission and Panama Rail-
road. is in the city purchasing supplies
for the temporary work being done by
the United States Government In the
canal zone.
Mr. Anderson has made a contract
with the United Fruit Company and
chartered tugs for transporting the
material which he is purchasing here.
and the first shipment probaly will be
| made out of this port in two weeks
on the United Fruit steamer which
touches at Panama. Mr.. Anderson Is
making purchases of lumber. ties and
miscellaneous materials. such as dyna-
mite, which can not be shipped on pas
senger steamers. The requisition
made on Mr.. Anderson calls for 2,000.-
600 feet Of pine and about 100000 feet
of cypress lumber $4,000 ties, dynamite.
carbolic acid and numerous articles.
He has already made contracts for a
tonnage of 100000 and expects to
close up the business at this end Of the
line within the week.
Mr.. Anderson does not believe that
New Orleans will get much of the PAN
anna canal business. becaure Of unfa-
vorable conditions at this port. the more
pronounced of which Is Inadequate
| steamship service, but all the COM
bustible materials, which will be Of
considerable extent, will be shipped
from here, while practically all the ium-
Der to be used In the building OF the ca
nal will also pass through this port.
The bulk OF the trade. however, will
be with New York. where the steam
ship service is better and the prices Of
cerain supplies cheaper. to say moth
ing Of the time to be saved in commu-
| nication with this city. Mr.. Anderson
stated that the. efforts of the United
States officers In Panama at this time
were directed toward putting the
country in good sanitary condition.
and that waterworks and sewerage
were to be put in at once. 1t will be a
year or more. he thinks. before the con-
struction work begins. though work
Is now being carried on at the Gala
bre cut. Mr.. Anderson arrived last
Friday from New York and since COM
ing to the city has been busy arrang-
ing the contracts for transporting the
materials to Panama. This being COM
pleted, he will now give his attention
to the purchases to be made here, con-
tracts for which will be signed this
week He has been sick practically all
the time since his arrival here,
In. fact, was sick before
he left New York, and his work has
been somewhat retarded. but today he
will get out among the lumbermen and
supply people in general and expects
to have matters shaped up here In a
few days.
81 have chartered schooners and made
a contract with the United Fruit Com
pany to transport lumber. crossties and
other materials required in the prelim-
mary work." said Mr.. Anderson at the
ST. Charles yesterday. and expect the
first shipment to leave New Orleans
in about two weeks. 1t Is possible that
we may get a shipment out on the
steamer sailing for Panama August 5,
but there is nothing certain about this
am purchasing such materials here
as can not be shipped from New York
Practically all the lumber will be
shipped from New Orleans, and the
present purchase of lumber will be D.
OO0, 900 feet of yellow pine. $4,000 cross
ties and about 100000 feet OF cypress
switch timbers, with dynamite. powder,
sanitary appliances. probably crude oil
and miscellaneous supplies. We want
TO ship all the supplies we can from
the gulf ports. and New Orleans will
handle the bulk OF the materials ship
ped from this section. but this port is
at a serious disadvantage as compared
to New York. New York has the
Fruit Company's schedule only calls
for a sailing twice each month, while
the time saved by buying in New
York also is an advantage, for II would
take forty-e eight hours to communicate
with a merchant here and get his prices
on supplies that could be purchased
in New York and loaded in that time.
In the matter of lumber and GER
tain other supplies New Orleans has
the advantage, and these materials Will,
of course, be purchased here and ship
Sed from this port Time is every
thing, and sometimes I will get a ca
blegram asking for certain things that
must be shipped as speedily as posi-
BILE. New York also has the advantage
in that the supply housese there carry a
heavier line of the materials that will
be most usel In tho construction work.
The government Is preparing for SANTA
ton on an extensive scale and be-
lieve fever will be unknown there In
the course of two years. and that Pan
anna will be Just as healty as any other
place in the world.
Some of the ties I am purchasing
here are for the canal and others for
the Panama Railroad, which is to. be
improved at different points. The
road is now in good condition, running
from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean,
and Is one of the best roads in Central,
of South America. but there are certain
improvements that cap be made, and
this work will be done before work
on the canal begins. But work is in
progress at the Calabre cut and has
been for some time, but the United
States will not begin work there on an
elaborate scale till the country has