REPORTS OF AUXILIARY SOCIETIES. 285 



not be wise to commence the work now, but it was certain that we could not 

 afford to delay the subject till the last moment, as had been done the last 

 season. If we would secure more certain, and prompt means of transporta- 

 tion, we must begin before, and a long time before the peach season began. 

 We were, and have been always paying large freights. A proper attention to 

 this matter in season would no doubt result iu securing a reduction in this 

 respect ; but of as much importance as this seemed to be, it sunk into utter 

 insignificance, as compared with the necessity of getting the fruit to market at 

 the proper time. It had occurred so often during the past summer, that the 

 boats had failed to take the fruit, or had failed to get it on the market in 

 Chicago in season for the early trains, that where a small profit might have 

 been left, this failure had thrown so much fruit into Chicago late in the day 

 that a loss was inevitable ; and it had been so great that nothing was left to the 

 fruit grower, and he believed this was entirely unnecessary even with the means 

 which we had. There were three boats belonging to the place, which, if rightly 

 managed, would have been ample to have carried all the fruit, but the owners 

 were so avaricious that unless sure of a /w/Hoad of fruit, would partly load with 

 lumber, and often this would sink the vessels so low that they would get hung 

 on the bar and lie there, sometimes for days, until the fruit was spoiled ; but 

 this was a matter of indifference to the boat owners so long as their freight was 

 secured. 



Mr. dimming said this was not only a fact during the peach season, but the 

 indifference of the boat owners was continued down to the close of navigation. 

 The fruit growers of the vicinity had brought several hundred barrels of apples 

 to the warehouses to be shipped to Chicago, and supposed of course they had 

 gone, and were wondering why they got no returns. The steamboats had 

 made several trips since but had failed to take the apples, and now they were all 

 frozen in the warehouses, an entire loss to the owners, not only of the apples 

 but of their labor in preparing them for market. Many others spoke on the 

 subject and in about the same way, all agreeing that the boat owners had been 

 shamefully negligent of the interests of producers. 



Mr. P. Purdy said that for the coming season there would be ample facili- 

 ties for sending fruit by boat to Richmond from Saugatuck and Douglas, and 

 thence by rail to Chicago. The freight would be the same as by boat, except 

 the dockage of one half cent in Saugatuck and Douglas would have to be paid 

 extra. The railroad Company had promised to build a side track to the river, 

 and put fruit cars on the night express which would leave Richmond at 11 p. m., 

 and reach Chicago at 6 o'clock next morning. The trouble with the boats 

 was they were too slow, seldom reaching Chicago till 9 or 10 a. m. 



Mr. "Woodhull said he could not speak for the other boats, but the Seaverns 

 had reached Chicago in good season, the trouble being that often the dock 

 would be so filled up that it would be some time before they could unload. 

 The question was asked if there was but one dock in Chicago. It was thought 

 strange that shippers should suffer so much when there was so much room. In 

 answer to the suggestion that delay would be caused by going through so many 

 bridges, a sailor said ten minutes was the longest time boats were ever delayed 

 on account of passing a bridge, so this was not much of an excuse. 



Mr. Taylor said it was characteristic of the boats to be late — after early 

 trains had gone. 



Mr. Comer was discouraged ; if this thing was to be kept up, the quicker we 

 got out of the peach business the better. 



