The Savannah morning news., 1904-03-07
TRADE WITH
PORTO RICO
SAVANNAH'S OPPORTUNITY
IN CONNECTION WITH STEAMSHIP
LINE To CUBA.

Prominent Bay street Business Man
sion i'm order That Savannahians
May Get Better Acquainted with
Possibilities of the scheme.
In the talk about a line of steam
ships between Savannah and Cuba
very little has been said of Porto
Rico" said a well known business man
to a Morning News reporter yester-
day.
This is one of our insular posses
sions. and 1 believe that great trade
could be built up between Sa-
vannah and San Juan. The
same line could touch at Ha-
vana and thus we could kill two birds
with one stone. I am trying now to
arrange with the Ocean Steamship
Company TO run an excursion to Port
Thomas and Porto Rico, so that the
Savannah merchants who wish to
make the trip can look over the field
and become better acquainted with the
conditions and what Porto Rico offers
1.-THE leading exports of Porto Rico
are sugars and coffee, and while 1 do
not think that much could be done
here with the sugar trade without re-
fineries, there is no reason why
savannah should not regain its pres
tige in the coffee industry. as it was
at one time one of the leading coffee
ports on the Atlantic coast.
Would Take Our Lumber.
Porto Rico would be a great con-
sumner of lumber, and no city is in
better position to supply this demand
than Savannah.
Il trust that we will not lose this
opportunity, and that a line of steam
ships between Savannah, Porto Rico
and Havana will be realized in the
near future"
Speaking of the Panama canal the
same gentleman said:
II am and have always been OPP
posed to the Panama canal.
Three difficulties present them
selves to my mind that makes the
project anything but a wise move.
In the first place the climate is very
bad and / doubt very much if this
difficulty can be overcome. Then the
cost of building the canal through the
isthmus will be tremendous. and 1t
will take years to complete it, and in
addition the cost of maintaining the
canal after it is built, will tax our
treasury far beyond the estimates Of
fits most enthusiastic supporters. The
third and most formida BILE objection is
the fact that for two or three hundred
miles, the approach to the canal is
almost a dead calm. at all seasons Of
the year. and it will be an utter impos-
sibility for sail vessels to make any
progress without a tow.
Will Drag for Years.
81 am inclined to think that there
was considerable lobbying done in the
selection of the Panama route. by
the Pacific Railroads. They knew of
these difficulties and wanted to have
the thing drag as long as possible be-
fore it's completion.
while Savannah will undoubtedly be
benefited. as will all OF the South At
lantic ports by the completion Of the
canal. we will not derive near the
benefit that will come to the Gulf ports
which are more in a direct line for
the shipment of the breadstuffs. and
provisions of the northwest.
"One thing is certain, and that is
that we win eventually get more ship
ping as the vessels from the west
coast of South America will find their
way to our harbor.
What the government should do is
TO buy the Danish Islands; Port Thorn
as would be after the completion of
the Panama canal the principal coal
ing port on this side of the water.
This would necessitate the use of
thousands Of tons OF coal yearly from
Alabama, which would be shipped
from Brunswick and Savannah. and
this industry could be built up and
would bring thousands of dollars TO
Savannah"