British Whig (Kingston, ON), 24 Jul 1897

p.1

Some Very Large Cargoes.

Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., July 24th - The schooner Amazon of the Corrigan line passed down through the Canadian lock this morning with a net cargo of 6,028 tons of ore, thus holding the Lake Superior record for large cargoes, for about the space of an hour, when it was wrested from her by her sistership, the Polynesia, with a cargo of 6,074 net tons. Can any one figure out what these two vessels would carry if loaded to a draught of seventeen feet, ten inches, the same as the steamer Kaliyuga was drawing when she passed through this lock early yesterday morning.

p.2 Is Very Ill - Capt. Irwin, of the schooner Minnedosa, while at wheel going down Lake Superior got wet and didn't change.

WILL HELP IT ALL HE CAN.

Reasons Why J.D. Thompson Supports The Scheme.

J.D. Thompson, registrar, ex-mayor and a well known authority in former days in regard to the grain transhipping trade was met yesterday and with an eye to the main chance the scribe saluted him. "I notice by a city paper that you said you will vote for the M.T. Co.'s bonus and do all you can for the passing of the bylaw. Is that right?"

"Yes, that is what I said and mean."

"As you have been an official of the company and understand the forwarding business thoroughly, and should know, do you consider that the business of the M.T. Co. is of so much importance and value to the city as was stated by the representatives of the board of trade to the city council?"

"Yes. I do not think that the benefit of the company to the city has been at all overestimated or magnified."

"With a million bushel elevator at Prescott, and grain being freighted as cheaply from the upper lake ports to Prescott as to Kingston, do you think that Kingston could hold the trade without the M.T. Co. having a storage elevator here of their own?

"No, I think that unless the M.T. Co. can be induced to build an elevator here, the trade will probably in a short time all drift to Prescott, as the tendency is now, for the reason that they will not and cannot afford to tow their barges between Prescott and Kingston unless they receive the elevating charges here as an inducement to do so and as an auxiliary to their business."

"Then you think that Kingston is in danger of losing this business, and that in order to retain it some inducement should be offered to the M.T. Co.?"

"Yes, that is the way it appears to me and from my experience."

"It has been said that every grain dealer of importance in Montreal is financially interested in the M.T. Co. Do you know this to be right?"

"Yes, I believe this to be an actual fact."

"It has been said that even if the by-law does not pass that the M.T. Co. will not leave here, as they own all their wharves and premises here and that it would not pay them to leave."

"I think that is a mistaken idea. While they own part of the premises which they occupy, there is also a large part of it which does not belong to them and for which they are paying large yearly rentals. I believe that for these rentals or perhaps less than they are paying here they could secure premises down the river which would no doubt suit them just as well."

"Do you think that in order to operate a grain elevator here successfully it is necessary that grain men should be interested in it, and that a barge line should be run in conjunction with it?"

"Yes, I certainly think that both these things are of primary importance. My opinion is that the success of the M.T. company is due to the fact that the men who control the stock of the company are also the men who give the company its freighting business, and the elevator would, in my opinion, be superfulous as a forwarding concern as trade is now done, unless it had a barge line in connection with it."

Certainly Mr. Thomson has put his views quite pat, and we give them for the benefit of the citizens. They can ponder over the statements.

MARINE INTELLIGENCE.

The tug Walker arrived this morning from Montreal with three light barges.

The steamer Blanchard, Toledo, is discharging 48,000 bushels of corn at the M.T. Co. elevators.

The sloop Idlewild, Gananoque, is discharging a cargo of sand at the foot of Princess street, for a local contractor.

The steamer Bannockburn with consorts, Selkirk and Winnipeg will arrive tonight at the M.T. Co. anchorage from Fort William with 180,000 bushels of wheat.

It is not likely that either of the steel barges being built at the locomotive works for the M.T. Co. will be launched before September 1st. The work has been delayed waiting for material.

This morning the steamer Empire State took down to Clayton a shield containing the N.Y.C. & H.R.R.R. advertisement for the smoke stack of the steamer New Island Wanderer, the property of Folger Bros.

The steamer Calvin with consorts Ceylon and Augusta, and steamer Armenia with consorts Valencia and Norway, Lake Superior and Lake Michigan ports respectively, are discharging timber at Garden Island.

Welland Canal Report.

Port Dalhousie, July 23rd - Passed up - steamer F.H. Prince, Ogdensburg to Chicago, general cargo; steamer Omaha, Prescott to Chicago, light; steamer St. Andrews, Oswego to Owen Sound, coal; yacht Oriole, Toronto to Port Dalhousie, dock; steamer Greyhound, Toronto to Port Dalhousie, dock; steamer W.F. McCrae, Toronto to Port Dalhousie, dock.

Down - steamer W.J. Averell, Chicago to Ogdensburg, general cargo; steamer Argonaut, Chicago to Prescott, corn; steamer B. Blanchard, Toledo to Prescott, corn; steamer Greyhound, Port Dalhousie to Oakville, light; schooner Southwest, Portage Entry to Toronto, stone; steamer W.F. McCrae, Port Dalhousie to Toronto, light; barge Paisley, Chicago to Prescott, corn; schooner Flora Carveth, St. Catharines to Prescott, wheat; steamer Bannockburn, Fort William to Kingston, wheat; barge Selkirk, Fort William to Kingston, wheat; barge Winnipeg, Fort William to Kingston, wheat.

Port Colborne, July 23rd - down - steamer Samoa and barges Newago, S.J. Murphy, Chicago to Prescott, corn; Bannockburn and barges, Fort William to Kingston, wheat; Cuba, Toledo to Montreal, general cargo; S.H. Dunn, Albatross, Toledo to Kingston, timber.

p.6 A Meet at Kingston - discusses recent regatta; Kingston a good place for sailing.