Year: 1871




A number of men connected with the
city administration, steamship agents,
sugar dealers, steamboat men, owners of
sugarshed stock, and representatives of
citizens generally, assembled yesterday
morning under the shed at the foot of
Toulouse street for the purpose of dis
cussing the feasibility of making some ar
rangement whereby more room may be
had on the levee for the accommodation of
sugar dealers, and of that numerous and re-
spectacle body known as "The Gimlet
Rangers"


On the day previous a number of the
New York steamship agents had called on
the Mayor and Administrators, with re-
quest to be left in unIisturbed possession OF
the present steamship landing, between
Toulouse street and the Morgan wharf, at
the foot of St. Ann street. Accordingly at
halfpast eleven o'clock yesterday, the gath
ering Of the clans commenced.


Among the attendants were Administfa-
tors Remick, Bonzano, and also Mayor
Flanders.





Mr.. f. c. Zacharie, who drew a knot of
listeners around him, and spoke earnestly
in the interest of the community at large.


Mr. William Creevy and others repre-
sented the interests of the New York lines
of steamships, and insisted that their yes
sells should still continue to load and dis
charge at their present place of landing.


Mr.. Zacharie thought that their landing
place should be removed to the Third Dis
trict or elsewhere. He insisted that these
steamships brought but little trade TO this
city. They made their purchases else
where even buying their fresh beef which
they preserved on ice, in New York. He
thought, for the benefit of the community
at large, that the space these ships now
occupy should be given up to the sugar
interest. One of these Ships he said, now
took up as much wharf room as would be
necessary for ten steamboats, that landed
with their bows on.


Mr.. Creevy took the position that the
steamships brought large amount of COM
merce to the city, larger than was conceded,
and that the best wharfage facilities should
be afforded them.


The prominent object of complaint seemed
to be that there was not loom enough on the
levee to meet the views of the gimlet brig
ade. Since the erection of the sugar sheds,
the dealers in the saccharine had been
greatly restricted in their opera tions. A
proposition was freely discussed to buy out
and tear down the two large sheds extend
ing from st. Louis street, but cold water
was thrown on this project by a suggestion
that sugar shed stock would take a rise.


Mr.. Bonzano and Mr.. Remick entertained
listening to their various suggestions. They
talked very serenely and deported them
selves very pleasantly and smilingly. but
the Mayor failed TO raise rifle of excite
ment in his limited circle, and so far as this
reporter is concerned he came away from
the scene of the consultation not whit
wiser than when he went there.


Mayor Flanders evidently has concooted
some deep laid and wise scheme for the
settlement of the difficulties, for he kept
entirely shady, and failed to make single
suggestion in the presence of his colleagues,
or to any one else, so far as heard by this
reporter. At the expiration of an hour, all
interest in the subject under discussion be-
gan to flag, and one by one the assembly
melted away. The meeting dispersed with
out having formed any definite plan of
action, and our representative left the scene
with decided consciousness that his stock
of useful knowledge had not been much in
creased by the occurrences of the hour.