The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1914-02-06
CLYDE LINE WILL
PLAY "FREEZE0UT"
With Beach & Miller Line for
Control Of Crescent City
Business.

That the Clydes st. Johns River
Line of steamers means if possible
to get the Crescent Lake business is
apparent to those who have been
watching maneuvers in this city dur
ing the past few weeks.
For more than thirty years this
business has been controlled by the
Beach & Miller line, line which has
always had daily, or every other
day, service between Crescent City,
Palatka and Jacksonville, touching at
all way landings along the st. Johns
river. The service of this line has
been unusually good, and in the
course of events it has naturally
picked up a considerable of the Pa
latka business. But its principal
business has been in the winter sea-
son, during which time the Beach &
Miller line has handled the big orange
business from Crescent City. This
line has acted largely as feeder for
the Clyde Lines New York steamers
from Jacksonville, a large part of the
fruit being transferred to the Clyde
boats at Jacksonville.
Lately the Clyde's orange carrying
business from Crescent City has
shown a decrease, but this decrease
of business is not due to any mac
tivity on the part of the Beach &
Miller Line. 1t is due solely to the
change in the manner of shipments.
Formerly all the small growers were
in the habit of putting up their own
fruit, and the great bulk of them
shipped via Beach & Miller and Clyde
Line to New York Now, however,
the manner of packing fruit has
changed; instead of growers packing
their own fruit, this work is entrust-
ed to one of several large packing
concerns at Crescent City and who
send much of the fruit north in car
lots. Time was, too, when most of
this fruit went to New York, Phila-
delphia, Boston and Baltimore, but
now the shipments are sent to the
west as well, and the Crescent City
fruit, of which there is none better
in Florida, is getting national rep
utation for quality.
But these numerous car lot ship
ments have cut heavily into the bus
mess of the Clyde Line, and they
have an itching that were they in con-
troll of the Crescent Lake situation
they could get more business for
their New York steamers. Perhaps
they could. Anyway, the fruit grow
ers of the Crescent Lake region are
of opinion that the Beach & Miller
line has handled the business about
as perfectly as it could have been
handled
Recently the Clyde Line secured
ten year lease from the Hart estate
in this city of the dock at the foot of
Lemon street. This dock has for
years been controlled by Capt. R. J.
Adams, and since his death by his
son, Mr.. R. F. Adams. Since the
lease of the dock by the Clyde Line,
Mr.. Adams has ceased to be an indie
pendent warehouseman and is now
the local freight and passenger agent
of the Clydes.
The Clyde Line management has
given Mrs, M. S. Miller, manager of
the Beach & Miller line, notice that
she must find other docking facilities
in Palatka.
And the word has gone out that it
is their purpose, unless they can lazy
the Beach & Miller line outright, TO
put an opposition steamer on the
Crescent Lake run. Up to The pre-
sent time the Beach & Miller line has
not been able to secure other docking
facilities here, though efforts are be
ing made to secure them. In The
meantime, through the courtesy Of
Mr.. Adams, acting for the Cl> Je'S,
the Crescent is still landing at the
Clyde dock.
The Clyde's will soon begin extern
sive improvements to tneir docks in
this city-improvements much need
ed. 1t is also understood that they
have made an offer for the Eeach &
Miller Line-its boats and docking
property, but that the offer was not
considered high enough.