Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-04-10
MOBILE 10 BUSY PORT.
Exports and Imports Both Are Grow
ING Rapidly, Says William e.
Curtis.

t There are Zoo miles of river nav
CATION back of Mobile, which give
nearly all the counties which are no
, yet reached by railways access to tn,
, gulf No state In the Union has
better system of navigable rivers tha,
Alabama. They reach one of tne fin
est cotton growing regions in tn,
world; they bisect some OF the fines
and most extensive forests, and they
almost reach the largest coal deposits
IN the United States. The govern
ment of the United States has spent
S9,0oO,0o0 to improve these water
| ways, but they are very little used for
| commerce. The plans upon which the
engineers are now proceeding call for
the expenditure OF as much more mon.
| ey, and 1t is practically wasted The
commerce for an entire year by boats
IN Alabama upon this 5000, 900 worth
If navigation is not equal to single
days traffic upon the railroads. Yet
| the people claim that this expenditure
is necessary for tae public welfare. TO
protect them against tine railroads
| ihal can scarcely be necessary so
| long as there is a commission sitting
al Montgomery with authority 10 In
crease or decrease railorad rates at its
pleasure. Nobody has ever known
he commission TO advance rates. and
i. Is continually reducing them. The
chairman of the commission watch
mas Just gone into power proclaimed
IN his inaugural address the other day
an intention to reduce them still fur.
ther; and If that Is the disposition of
railway commissions. what is the use
OF the government of toe United
States spending si5.0O00O0 or SIS.
o0O,o00 building locks and dredging
channel in rivers on which there are
no boats?
The people of Alabama are now
urging upon congress an appropria-
ton 10 continue the construction OF a
canal from the Black Warrior river
through fifteen or twenty miles of
cotton fields to the iron and coal
mines around Birmingham, which. II
II is ever built, will give water way
400 miles long to the gulf, and, II is
said. will solve the problem of cheap
transportation necessary for the thor
The state The cost of this project
Is estimated at 5000. 900, of whlca
about S2000,O00 has already been ap,
proprated. Al Tuscaloosa | saw one
boat not bigger than an ordinary
canal boat-a tiny little stern-wheeler
which now has monopoly OF trans.
porting coal through million dollars
worth of locks from the Black War.
rior mines to be used as fuel in Tus.
caloosa. n the coal that is carried
through that channel were sold at n
'os, price sufficient to pay legiti
mate interest upon the Investment II |
would cost as much as an equal weight
Of chocolate creams. And yet con
sress continues to appropriate the
money and the army engineers con.
''nue to expend It. When | asked an
army engineer whether the river i'm.
provements in Alabama were not an
enormous waste OF public money. he
declined to discuss the subject. on the
ground that it was his duty to obey
and not to criticise the acts OF con
gress, But anybody who has ever in,
quired into the subject knows how
this all happens. There are many
harbors and several rivers while re.
quire improvements, but IL Is impos.
sible TO obtain appropriations for them
without securing the consent of u ma.
jority Of the senate and house OF rep
resentatives; and very few members
of either body will vote for river and
harbor bill unless 1t contains lber-
al appropriation for their disticts, re-
gardless of the requirements of com
merce or navigation.
The most important articles of
commerce in Mobile are bananas,
pineapples and cocoanuts. They are
brought from Central America and
the West Indies by the ships OF the
United Fruit company and sent north
vile and Nashville and Southern rail- |
ways in special trains to be dlstribut-
ed among the cities Of the North,
The United Fruit company Is better
known as the Banana Trust" II
has seveniy-six steamers OF all sizes
and shapes engaged In the trade.
Some of them are fine, new twin.
screw vessels OF 5000 tons, with lux
urious passenger accommodations and
capable of making eighteen and TWEEN
ty knots an nour. while others are
chartered Norwegian tramps, fitted up
to carry bananas.
There is a striking difference In the
wages paid TO the American and the
Norwegian seamen The former re-
ccives from $25 to $i5 per month;
the latter from s. to s. per month.
The officers of the American s1ips re-
ceive from 500 to $3.50 month,
while those of the Norwegian steam.
ers receive from $40 to $50 per month.
The banana trust lands It's fruits
al New Orleans and Mobile. Abou,
seven steamers week come In here.
an average of one day, carrying
from 5000 TO 10000 punches Of ban
anas each wnich are worth So cents
bunch on the docks. They come
from Honduras. Nicaragua Costa RI
ca and Bocas del Zorro. Panama,
These steamers also bring cocoanuts,
pineapples and oranges. Last year
they brought 1853, ,S72 punches OF ba-
nanas. 1881 $50 cocOanuts and l3O.-
ap4 ,rata. af Tho