Part 15 (1/2)

It is significant that the late financial revulsion, which fell with such crus.h.i.+ng weight upon the s.h.i.+pping interest all over the country did not occasion the withdrawal of any of our steamboat lines, save one. As a still more striking fact, we may state that until last season none of the cities located in the vast region between the foot of Lake Michigan and the foot of Lake Erie, has for many years past supported a single line of steamers that did not make Detroit a terminus. Last year a line was put in successful operation between Buffalo and Cleveland, and another between the latter place and Toledo, but it ought to be added that both of these were established by Detroit enterprise.

In addition to the line above enumerated, we have daily lines of propellers to Ogdensburg, Buffalo, Dunkirk and to the Upper Lakes, which do an immense freighting business.

We are indebted to Captain J. H. Hall, the public-spirited proprietor of the Detroit s.h.i.+pping-office for following statement of the number of vessels that pa.s.sed Detroit in 1859:

_Number of Vessels pa.s.sing Detroit, 1859._

No. Times.

Steamers pa.s.sed up, 194 Propellers, ” 492 Barks, ” 273 Brigs, ” 295 Schooners, ” 1,811 ----- Total number up, 3,065

No. Times.

Steamers pa.s.sed down, 195 Propellers, ” 503 Barks, ” 284 Brigs, ” 314 Schooners, ” 1,825 ----- Total number down, 3,121

Greatest number pa.s.sed up in one day, eighty-five; greatest number down, seventy-three.

The number of entries and clearances reported at the Custom House during the year is as follows:

Arrived. Cl'd.

Jan. 48 70 Feb. 49 71 March 161 288 April 334 375 May 438 586 June 458 568 July 403 597 Aug. 461 519 Sept. 316 481 Oct. 288 319 Nov. 294 316 Dec. 45 71

During the past year the amount of total losses has been light, not greater, probably, than the number of vessels built, so that although the cla.s.sification is slightly changed, there is no material change so far as concerns the aggregate tonnage. Detroit owns, therefore, _nearly one-sixth of the entire tonnage of the lakes_.

As a matter of some interest we present a comparative statement showing the tonnage, steam, and total, of a number of the more important maritime places in the country, taken from the report of the Register of the Treasury on Commerce and Navigation:

Steam tonnage. Total tonnage.

New York 118,638 1,432,705 New Orleans 70,072 210,411 Philadelphia 22,892 219,851 Baltimore 18,821 194,488 Pittsburg 42,474 56,824 Cincinnati 23,136 26,541 Chicago 8,151 67,001 St. Louis 55,515 61,266 Boston 9,452 448,896 Buffalo 42,640 73,478 Detroit 35,266 62,485 Charleston, S. C. 8,230 60,196

The following exhibits the number and tonnage of vessels owned in this district--nearly all of them in this city--on the 31st of December, 1859:

Number Tons. 95ths Steamers 73 29,175 02 Propellers 32 6,090 81 Barks 4 1,337 08 Brigs 7 1,877 75 Schooners 131 19,671 56 Scows and all others 136 4,322 68 --- ------ -- Total 383 62,485 05 In 1857 301 52,991 50 --- ------ -- Increase in two years 82 9,493 50

The following was the aggregate tonnage of the lakes in December 1858:

AMERICAN.

69 Side-wheel steamers register tons 44,562 110 Propellers do. 45,562 70 Tugs (propellers) do. 6,880 46 Barks do. 18,788 79 Brigs do. 22,558 711 Schooners do. 166,725 109 Scows do. 11,848 ---- ------- 1194 Total 316,923

CANADIAN.

67 Side-wheel steamers, register tons 25,966 16 Propellers do. 4,631 4 Tugs (propellers) do. 388 19 Barks do. 5,697 16 Brigs do. 2,988 186 Schooners do. 19,311 13 Scows do. 609 ---- ------- 321 Total 59,580

The Michigan Central was the first railroad built in the State, and since its completion has been known as one of the best managed in the West. Its beneficial effects to the region of country through which it pa.s.ses, is incalculable. On its line, have sprung up a number of beautiful towns and villages as if by magic, while many of those that had an existence prior to its construction have grown into flouris.h.i.+ng cities. Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Jackson, Marshall, Battle Creek, Albion, Kalamazoo, Niles, and others that might properly be included, all located upon this road, are beautiful places, noted for their thrift and enterprise as well as for their rapid advances in all that pertains to well-regulated cities. Their commerce is rapidly increasing and the country along the entire route will vie with that traversed by the great thoroughfares of any of the older States along the seaboard.

The Central was commenced and partially built by the State, but in 1844, pa.s.sed into the possession of the company now owning it, who completed it to Chicago. A telegraph line has been in use for some years past along the entire line of the road, with an office at each station, by which means the exact position of each train may be at all times known at each and every point. To this admirable system may be attributed in a very great degree the extraordinary exemption of the road from serious accidents, while its advantages are very great in every point of view respecting the general management. The eastern terminus of the road being at Detroit, it has the full advantages of the numerous connections at this point, the Great Western and Grand Trunk Railways, the important steamboat route from Cleveland, the lines of Detroit and Buffalo propellers with their immense freight traffic, as well as the numerous other steamboat routes of which our city is the nucleus. At Chicago it has the advantages of connection with all the roads radiating from that flouris.h.i.+ng city. Freight is now taken from Chicago to Portland without breaking bulk but once. An important ”feeder” is the Joliet Cut-off, by means of which it has a direct connection with St. Louis, via the Chicago, Alton, and St.

Louis Railroad. An important arrangement was consummated last summer with the latter road, for the direct transmission of freight between this city and St. Louis. Fifty cars have been diverted to this route, under the name of the ”Detroit and St. Louis Through Freight Line.”

The time between the two cities is thirty-eight hours. The advantages of this line to s.h.i.+ppers are very considerable, and the arrangement is adding, and will continue to add, materially to the commerce of our city.

A commendable progressive spirit has latterly been evinced by the managers generally, of our railroads, in the transmission of freight, especially live stock and grain. The improvement is a most grateful one to s.h.i.+ppers, who have ordinarily quite enough anxiety and vexation to suffer in the fluctuations of the market and subjection to unlooked for and onerous charges, without having superadded unreasonable exposure and deterioration of their property while en route to market.

In this movement the management of the Central has fully sympathized.