The San Francisco call., 1905-08-10
LOCAL DEALERS
ARE SUFFERERS
East Sending Goods to Pan
ANA Markets Since Gov
ernment Took Railroad
EVANS MAKES REPORT
Tells of Cargo Landing Diff
ficulties and Says Houses
Are Canceling Orders

A report of the greatest moment to
the commercial interests of the Pacific
Coast was received yesterday by the
Pacific Commercial Museum from J..
Wilson Evans, it's director, who is in
Panama in the interest of the coasts
export trade.
7 Evans report Is dated July 25 and
is as follow:
Generally speaking matters are very bad
here. 80 far as business is concerned. and the
d;inculties OF landing cargo are causing a
BLOCK everywhere: ever since the United States
TOOK over the railroad matters have been
growing worst. and houses here have cabled
10 tin.s san FRANCISCO canoeing orders placed some
rates have opened the market TO the East.
and importations from the Pacific Coast are
railing or in consequence.
On receipt of the report members of
the board of the Pacific Commercial
Musuem were Immediately apprised and
authorized Acting Director H. w. Fur
long to confer with various CONNER
cial interests concerned that some ac-
tion might be taken to untangle the
present embarrassing situation.
In discussing the matter with Secre-
tary Fry of the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company, Furlong was shown the fol-
loving cable to the.eompany, just re-
ceived, and corroborating the report of
Director Evans:
Shonts has been given orders to give prefer
ence to canal material. La Boca wharf set
aside for its reception.
I. p. Shonts, named in the cable, is
the Isthmian Canal Commissioner and
president of the Panama Railroad Com
pany.
TELLS OF DIFFICULTIES.
Furlong when seen said
The result of the order is that all CONNER
ri a frafev mill ha hon
between ship and shore. method that must
seriously add TO the gravity of the situation.
as the Panama Railroad Company. since the
completion of its docking facilities. has al
lowed its lighterage equipment to deteriorate.
All of the steamers from Panama to San
francisco are consequently from two to eight
cen days late. The Pacific Mall steamship
due to leave here on August 10 will probably
not have arrived in port by that date
The situation. therefore entails great loss
70 the Pacific Coast merchant at both ends.
Not only are his orders for export shipments
ders because of the non-arrival of goods.
With regard to that part of Evans
report which states that the reduced
railroad rates have opened the market
to the East and importations from the
Pacific Coast are falling off,, a repre-
sentative of The Call interviewed F. R.
Peake, local agent of the Panama Rail-
road Company.
Peake said that on May % the Pan
anna Railroad steamship line estab-
nshed a rate of So per 2240 pounds
from New York to Colon on all ordi-
nary freight, irrespective of its weight
or measurement, consigned to the 18TH
mian Canal Commission. Peake said
that President Shonts is at Panama at
present with the object of remedying
any evils that may exist.
AT the Pacific Mail Steamship Com
pany's Office 1t was said that there is
a very bad blockade OF freight on the
isthmus-so much so that steamships of
the company have for some months past
been unable to maintain the schedule.
ROLLING STOCK TIED UP.
This condition is attributed to the
large quantity of canal material
shipped to the isthmus tying up the
rolling stock of the railroad and pre-
venting its use for the prompt trans
ferring of commercial freight between
Panama and Colon.
1t was admitted that sometimes as
much as fifty and sixty days and even
more are consumed in transit between
New York and San Francisco via Pan
anna, where formerly the time was from
thirty-si to forty-two days.
With regard to the matter of rail-
road rates, it was said that the Pan
ANA Railroad Company on a So rate
for a 19S1-mile service was getting a
far better revenue on the service than
the Pacific Mail with the carriage of 3473
miles and rate of from Sc to IS per ton.
When asked whether the Pacific Mail
was going to establish a rate to COM
pete with the So per 2240 pounds
established by the Panama Railroad
Company from New York to Colon, the
Pacific Mail people asked how they
could be expected to do so in view of
the great difference in the time and
distance of TRANSPORTATION.