The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1852-04-29


voyage The gentleman has an idea that the $4,000 re-
ceiyed from the government Is not embraced
Mr. UNDERWOOD. SO have
Mr.. MILLER. In this he is entirely mistaken. That
account is made upon The estimates oil the actual receipts
OF this company for each voyage and in those receipts
are included The lo 600 received from the government
| MIR. UNDERWOOD Then, il that be The proper un.
dersanding OF IT, will again acknowledge that my cal
eulaon is wrong have done that over and over again.
The question is whether the $4,000 is part oil these
Mr. RUSK Certainly il ia.
Mr.. UNDERWOOD. II il is then you ought not to
add the $685. 900 as have done That is all clear. But
take that these receipts comprised only the amount OF
money obtained from freight and passengers
But let very briefly examine. il you please, what
information we have from any source az to the expend-
ture OF S65,2l5 Tor each trip across the Atlantic. Mark
you, the information is that the whole capital-a little
less than three nilons-pays for all these ships ready
for services and Of course. all the hxiues all the fur
nure. all the rigging, ckle and everything. paid for
out OF the capital to start with. What other expense
can enter into The navigation OF these ships TO make it
up $65 900 tripi That is the inquiry and upon
that point nobody has deigned to the necessary
information with which to form judgment; and. in The
absence Of all information communicated 70 enable an
interior landsman TO Judge of sea matters, have only
TO 90 upon the best lights that can Well. what are
they! la the navigation of steamships the first
thing for me to do is 10 compare with the navigation OF
our little water crafts in spring branches in the West
Perhaps gentlemen may say is very poor compar ison
TO take of little sparkling steamboats,. that is
knocked all 10 pieces when against the first snsg
or poke-salk. il is called and compare il with one OF
your great steamers But, sir inferior as may
be, humble as II may be In point OF comparison 1t is the
best have, aud until have bet.er--wich some OF
these gentlemen furnish with who understand
ocean navigation better than do must resort TO what
have Well sir, IN the navigation oil our western steam
considerable item in the first place; and IN navi-
eating these ocean steamers, suppose one OF the great
costs Is made up likewise OF fuel, and ! have en-
deavored TO ascertain, well coul, what the cost
OF fuel would be IN navigating one OF these boats single
trip; and want TO give you the items, because want
gentlemen ii they please, 10 go into these items and IL
mi Inafp us and thp pupfrv
information, they reduced the expenditure for coal TO
something like fifty tons a day; but have allowed sew
enty6ve tons day. have looked also into the prices
curren, al New York in reference to this matter and
have allowed eight dollars per Ton as the highest price,
according TO the quotations there and find, by allow.
make only $500 per day for fuel. Well, wha, other
expenses in the navigation OF these vessels l nave
found out what fuel costs day. Why, there are the food
and water. will so through my list and give you The
items and Then gentlemen, in the prosecution OF this In
yestigation, may supply any deficiency II omit any
thing that ought properly TO be considered Food and
water come next The old military ra'ions when was
soldier, long time ago, cost twenty cents Wei sup,
posing in these days of progress, when California gold
abounds here well the Pacific coast, We will not
down 10 forty cents, but will take fifty for what
man ought 10 eat and drink | exclude the spirit ration
and the wine, Perhaps, if you bring them in and make
Kossuh bill upon the steamers, you did al Browns
! Mr.. BADGER, lin his seai) Then you exclude the
| Mr. UNDERWOOD. have upon this calculation |;
but liberal gentlemen like my friend from North Caro-
lima will take in the champagne and Madeira and every
thing that is good, / have no doubt CLaughterJ
| Mr.. BADGER. think my friend from Kentucky
would include his Madeira too;
Mr.. UNDERWOOD. A little, but not as much as the
gentleman from North Carolina [Laughter1
But 10 proceed in my calculations: had supposed that
fifty cents day would be reasonable allowance Tor food
and drink am not speaking about providing Tor pas.
their wine bill and their own luxuries; IL all comes
out OF their own pockets object entirely, i we are to
lave the wine, and things OF that Sort paid Tor at the
public expense. am providing for the expense OF nav
eating these ships and beg the gentleman 10 make a
distinction between the passengers and the crew. When
you come 10 passengers, there increase in the ex
penditure, because ha, depends upon the amoun, that
gentlemen willing to consume and pay Tor in the way
OF uxurles and wne That has nothing TO do with the
necessaes for the ships crew and when you come to
that, If the government ships furnished at greater
rate than fifty cents per day, the half OF IT, II is an
exuavsgance which has not yet crep into the manage
But TO show that AN entirely liberal-hbefal in the
extremeI suppose that fifty cents day will provide the
necessares IN much more costly manner than s povi-
ded Tor in our national ships. How many hands have
you to provide for suppose hundred and nifty.
have made some inquiry, and was informed that that
would probably include the ships At that rate the
cost Of food and drink would be only SIS per day.
Well, what more expense is there have nov provided
for the food, water, and fue-what more expense is
there Nothing but wages; for out OF wages clothing
and the other necessares are provided for BY the
themselves How much wages, then, will these one hun
dred and fifty persons require TO navigate these ships A
IuoHar uay, suppose, Wouu pc very
great many hands be hired by the month at much
less rate How much is required Tor your officers tha,
are board am told tba, the most OF these ships
are navgaed by our own officers. suppose they de-
rive Their salaries from the government while navigating
these ships
Mr. CLARKE Not now
| MIR UNDERWOOD Not now. am told Then they
paid out OF the profits OF the ship What salaries
ought be paid 10 the officers employed on board these
ships These proper inquiries, and have given
something like California prices because not able
4 n gOl a COOK.
sailor, fireman, and engineer should all get was ne.
cessarily compelled to lump them. thought L would
allow five dollars day all round That is very liberal
ts them, think, and will bring them all nearly 10 the
notch OF $4,000 year Allowing five dollars day for
each officer, and boy, and putting their number al
one hundred and fifty, 1t would bring their wages 10
$273, $50 per annum-a sufficient to pay hun
year, and leave enough to give salaries to hty omcers
exceeding "a 00C 10 each Sir have allowed for wages
three times as much as they ought TO be.
/ Five dollars day for each Of one hundred and fifty
hands make $3.50 Then according to this report or me-
mortal, il takes eleven days. upon average TO cross
the ocean Multiply all these by that number and
gives aggregate Of Si5675 and to come back again
il makes II amount 10 S3l $50 for up-the sailing time
OF trip have already said that have no means o
estimating for the resting time OF the irp nor DO know
how much time is spent in port According TO this cal
cuaton then, IL does not make the halt OF The $4,000
for the expense per trip, as the memorial states.
again revert to the idea with which started. These
gentlemen may have expended the S65000 but repeat
that is not the question. They may have lost double
triple quadruple that, for aught know but the ques
ton is, they compelled TO lose il by economical
management Were they compelled, in carrying on the
business in which they associated with the govern