The Ocala evening star., 1915-03-26
NEW FREIGHT LINE
WILL BE A SUCCESS
Freight Can be Handled as Quick and
Much Cheaper than Via the
Rail Routes.

Rail Routes.
The new freight line of the Silver
Springs transportation Company be-
tween ocala and Jacksonville, over
the Silver, OkIawaha and St. Johns
rivers, Is an assured thing and sue
cess IS crowmng the efforts of the
people who are backing the enter
prise
At least half Of the money needed
to build a new and larger boat for the
line has been subscribed, and the bal
ance viii soon be obtained. Several
Of the business firms of the city who
have subscribed for stock in the com
pany are now getting part or all of
their freight over the line and it is
handled as quickly and in some cases,
more quickly than has heretofore
been the rule by the railroads and
with a saving of just one-half of the
rate between Ocala and Jacksonville,
/ plus 5 cents per hundred pounds for
truckage from the springs to Ocala.
The average person, not familiar
with shipping and freight rates, can
not see why there is such a chance
for freight reductions in the hundred
mile haul from Jacksonville to Ocala.
Let US give one little example;
The Star pays 81 cents hundred
pounds on newspaper in bundles from
the mills to Ocala. We will call the
distance 1900 miles. This paper goes
as fifth class freight, very low
classification, though not the lowest.
The local rates from Jacksonville on
this class is 80 cents per hundred.
Thus for the haul of 100 miles we pay
30 cents, while the 14O0-mile haul
costs .27. cents. The rate via the boat
line is Is cents, plus cents for truck
charges, making a net saving of 1C
. cents per hundred pounds, or one
third the total freight rate.
: The rate on first class freight from
, Jacksonville to Ocala is 62 cents; Wis
the boat line it will be 81 cents, plu:
5. a saving of 26 cents a hundred
pounds. On the higher classes (ir
; freight terms first class is not "first
class" at all, and the classes go ava!
I on up) the rate is higher and the saw
ing correspondingly greater.
The people who are getting theil
freight by the boat line are mucl
: pleased, the boat is coming we'll load
e ed. each trip and makes three trips
week. Going down, she carries cross
ties and makes expenses on the dow
trip in that way.
The new boat that it is proposed t
s build, with the G. A. Carmichael, tn
5 present boat, each making three trip
q a week, can carry practically all o
i the freight for Ocala, exclusive o
: ia1nber, brick and a few other loV
: classes of carload shipments.
n It will be necessary to have neV
5, trick to do this, and even now Nj
S Carmichael is having big traile
= built for the one now in use.
!. The new boat viii be built alon
& somewhat different lines; for instanc'
d the load will be trucked right into c
/ onto the loading deck, without the do
10 lay and expenses of taking it dow
into the hold and out again at tn
: other end Of the line.
.e She viii be broader, longer and tn
10 hull shallower, with all of the load {
L cargo room above the shallow hui
E. above which the great cargo room
30 about Is by 80 feet, 615 high, will
|. built.
Mr.. Carmichael is undecided whetl
= er to have the vessel built right at IL
~ springs, using our own materials ar
labor, or to have her built by one {
the shipyards in Jacksonville, with
steel hull. Strange to say, the ste
? hull is little the cheapest, but it
a new and untried proposition on Il
upper reaches of the river.
The Carmichael & Son Co. hauled
good many hundreds of tons of freigl
of its own, of different classes, al
thoroughly demonstrated the pra
ticabiIty of the river route and Il
big saving in freight, before ever tai
ing about making the line a publ
carrier.
The Star has given instructions
have its freight routed via the bo
line in future and every firm whi
has subscribed for stock in the Iii
should do the same thing.
/ It is astonishing to see what
4 large percentage of the freight tn
Il comes to ocala originates in JAG
i sonvilIe or IS re-shipped from thel
u which amounts to the same thing.
The railroad commission seer
: powerless to help Ocala, an interi
point, to solve her extortionate freig
rate problem, so Ocala proposes
solve it herself. Of course, the ra
roads haven't the facilities for hant
inr the freight as cheaply as the DO
line and would lose money on t
rates established by the boat line,
the reads and the commission say, a
) Ghev are in a position to know.
lII ARrway, we should worry, VIII
= tha freight is mostly coming via t
: Hold Olelawaha river-and the rate
! cut IA half