The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1911-04-21
NEW BOAT LINE
IS PROPOSED
East and West Coast Transport
tatiOn Company Make Inquiries
TWO BOATS A WEEK
Circular Letter to Shippers Asks Questiors
to Enable Steamboat Line TO Establish
Rates Advantageous to All

The following circular letter, which
will prove of interest to all of the peo-
pie, is being received by many of our
largest shippers and freight receivers.
1t would be well for all readers to con-
slider it a personal letter and make re-
ply to the questions direct to the CON-
pany:
East and West Coast Transportation
Company, j. H. Beath, General Man
ager, Jacksonville. Fla, April ID, 1911.
To Shippers Along Inland Waterway:
The above company are making plans
to add additional boats to their line on
the East Coast from Jacksonville to
Stuar,, and possibly to West Palm
Beach, prov ling they can secure enough
business to make the line pay.
The company has for the past three
years been transporting exclusively all
products for the Gulf Refining Company,
but realizing the urgent need for bet.
ter transpOi tation facilities on the East
Coast and the loss every year incurred
by the orange groves, truck farms, ETC.,
due to the inefficient service of the
Florida East Coast railroad, now wish
to put in line of boats for transport
ing freight to and from all navigable
points on the East Coast by contract
Our plan is to have at least one boat
each way every week and to put in more
equipment as fast as business justifies.
If sufficient business can be assured to
make the boat line success, we will
put the boats in operation within very
short time.
We would like to ascertain just what
would be the attitute towards such
proposed boat line. We would THERE
fore like to ask you few questions re-
garding freight matters as affecting
your individual interests:
l. Would you patronize such a pro-
posed boat line?
2. Have you dock facilities so that
boats could discharge freight at your
place? If not, would you construct
suitable docks when boat line is assured?
3. What is the depth of water at
your dock or proposed dock? '% ''
4. Are there any sand bars or other
distractions between your dock and the
main channel that would hinder boats
getting TO your dock drawing three
feet of water?
5. Would it be an advantage to have
your fertilizer and other freights de-
livered to your dock?
6. Approximately how many tons of
fertilizer do you use per year? -
7. What proportion of this amount
of freight would you have shipped via
boat line?
8. What is the amount of freight per
ton on fertilizer that you now pay.
8. Does this amount include delivery
to your place or only to your local
freight station?
TO-. What does it cost per ton to move
fertilizer from your local stations to
your groves or farms?
IL. Would this cost or any part OF it,
be saved by having fertilizers delivered
at your dock?
II. Would it cost more to move fer
tilizer from your dock, to your grove or
farm, than from local freight station?
l3. What rate are you now paying
by rail? And the additional cost OF
transporting fertilizer to your dock?
These questions are intended for the
purpose of gaining such information as
will enable the boat line to establish
rates that will be advantageous to you
and the line.
Trusting that you may find it conven-
lent to let US have this information at
your earliest possible convenience, and
thanking you in advance, we are,
Yours very truly,
Signed: East and West Coast Trans
portation Co., j. H. Beath, Mgr