The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-05-01
ANN|STON CITY ID MAKE MAIDEN TRIP
 ID PACIFIC COAST
Mobile Is Becoming Important Port for West Slope Busi- nesS-Many Steamship
 Companies Look There

Mobile, April 3O.-(Special) )-The steam CT Anniston City, now nearing compile tion at the Chickasaw shipyards, will make her maiden trip in the Gulf-Pacfic coast service, according to announce ments made by R. " & J. s. Taylor, local agents of Norton. Lilly & Co
 Photographic orders were received today by the local agents. stating that the Anniston City would load at Mobile and New Orleans for the Pacific ports ot Wilmington, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver. It Is not stated what her cargo will consist of on her initial trip.
 It is believed however, that a consid- erable portion of it will come from the pig iron foundries and cast iron pipe plants at Birmingham, these commodi- ties to come from Birmingham to Mo- bile on Warrior river barges. It is un- derstood that the agents of the ship will offer cargo space for all kinds of freight that may be available for shipment from the south, southeast and central west to the Pacific coast.
 PLANS CHANGED
 Recently it was announced that the Isthmus company, the operating com pany handling all ships built by sub sidiaries of the United States Steel cor poration that an Atlaitic-Pacific service would be established by that company, and following this announcement one ot the Chickasaw ships sailed from New York for the Pacific coast with full cargo of freight. At the same time 1t was intimated that the service might be extended to include gulf ports, but until the receipt of the telegram today noth- ing definite along this line had been given out
 The inauguration of this service by the Isthmian line will give Mobile three separate ship services to the Pacific coast, the other two being operated by Page & Jones and the Nanheynigen Brokerage company.
 In this connection, it was stated by a local shipping interest today that one of the largest northern consumers of bar ley who brought two cargoes of barley from the Pacific coast to Mobile for transshipment by rail to his plant year ago. contemplates bringing all the grain by steamer from the Pacific to the gulf, and that his experience with the two ships previously coming to Mobile was such that he LOOKS upon Mople as eh0 best of all the ports for his business.
 OTHERS LOOKING IN
 Rumors were in circulation in shipping circles that steamship service between Mobile and the gulf ports to the west is under consideration by one of the large steamship companies. A large ton mage of iron, cast iron pigs. steel and manufactured products of iron and steel is consumed in the southwest and a large part of this goes from the Rirming- ham district.
 It is known that representatives or the steamship company have made an inves tigation into the probable cost of op- eratlng ships of different tonnage in this service and the freight that must De charged to make operating expenses. overhead and interest on investment anu leave net sum for profits.
 The rail rate on iron. steel. cast irois' nips and products of iron and steel Bir- miugham to Texas, is said to be arouiiu SIT a ton. and a preliminary estimate or the aIl-water rate from Birmingham py barge to Mobile and by steamer rom Mobile to Texas ports show that the products can be shipped by water at B saving of possibly half the rail freight ,saf A