The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-04-04
william E. curtis in the Chicago Record

Herald.
| KAN OBILE, Ala, April mobile is
INU rapidly becoming a prominent
port; its exports and its i'm
ports are both growing. As the terminus
Of several railway systems, with a fine
| harbor and first-class facilities for hand
ling freight, merchandise for export and
the products of foreign countries are now
beginning to find their way through Mo-
bile The increase in exports last year
was 81, 500. 40. There are now eleven lines
of steamers connecting Mobile with Eu-
ropean and Spanish-American ports. Dur
ing the calendar year 512 steamers of a
total tonnage OF 49,. 210 tons and 1s1 sail
ing vessels of $685. tons entered, which
is large increase over previous years.
The clearings added, both sail and steam,
make a total of LAD vessels of 1,177,944 tons
These included British, Austrian, Danish.
Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Rus
sian, Greek, Swedish and Norwegian
| steamers.
There is a regular service between Mo-
bile and Bremen, with weekly sailings;
| between Mobile and New York three times
a month, and with Yucatan and Central
American ports almost daily
The imports during the calendar year of
1904 We're valued at s4,37s,767. The largest
item was sisal hemp from Yucatan. with
value of 81, .21O the second item was
fruit from the republic of Panama and
the five other states of Central America.
being total of s1.564195. The latter was
chiefly bananas and cocoanuts. The rest
Of the freight came from the European.
countries, Brazil and the West Indies, in
Guiding $500 worth of whisky from bonnie
Scotland. Even Turkey contributed her
share of the trade.
The exports amounted to $1G,T31,067 dur
Ing the calendar year of 9o4 and they
We're sent to thirty different countries.
Cuba is the largest customer of Mobile.
and bought last year 1924 eO7 worth of
cattle grain, flour, provisions, lumber.
dried fish and various other merchandise.
Germany was the second buyer and took
s4,O62,562 worth of timber, lumber barrel
slaves and cotton; England bought So. :
lIS,4OS of the same commodities, which
were also shipped by cargoes to France.
the Netherlands and other European coun-
tries. Egypt took 900 worth of Mobile
lumber and Switzerland is credited with
800 worth of Rye whisky from Kentucky.
Inc entire northwest is interested in
Mobile commerce. Anyone who cares to
inquire into the subject will find long lists
OF manufactured merchandise upon the
manifests of vessels sailing from this
port for foreign countries, and nearly ev-
cry Item except the cotton and timber
Genes from the manufacturing towns
along the Mississippi Valley. The variety
Is as great as is furnished by the cata-
logue of a department store. 1t includes
almost everything you can think of.
The most important articles of COM
merce In Mobile are bananas, pineapples
and cocoanuts. They are brought from
central America and the West Indies by
the ships of Il United Fruit company
and sent northward over the Mobile and
Chic, Louisville and Nashville and South
ern railways In special trains to be dis
trlbuted among the cities of the north.
The United Frui. company is better known
as the Banana Trust" 1t has seventy
SIX steamers of all sizes and sbapes en-
gagged in the trade. Some of them are
nne' new twin-screw vessels of 5000 tons.
with luxurious passenger accommodate
TONS and capable of making eighteen or
twenty knotg an hour, while others are
chartered Norwegian tramps, fitted I'D to
carry bananas.
| There Is striking difference in the
wages paid to the American and the Nor
wcslan seamen. The former receives from