New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-05-04
FLORIDA


The schooner j. H Tobias from Philadelphia 70 No
kne with an assorted cargo, had her bOwspt, tOpmasts
bslsaks &c carried away: now In port and nearly re-
The brig H. W. Moneure, from Sagua Ia Grsnda to
Roston with cargo Of msl.sses sprung leak: in
psrt dischsrgng her cargo, TO be repaired.
The schooner Wye from Nev0 Orleans to ~ Jago with
cargo Of provisions came into port in eaky condition
Tie cargo must be uncaded and the vesse may be con-
6emned.
The shp Lucy freighted with cotton and wrecked las.
January will be repaired with mass, rigging, &c,
d ready for in June The charges upon this ship
and cargo, including repairs, storage, salvage, commits
sobs DE, viii amount TO $7J,OOO The salvage u
100000 and the aggregate of the cOnigaees bills for
wharfage storage, commissions, DC, will reach $loODJ
This wreckng business may be az honorable and honest
su occupation any other-in1eed II has humane and
benevolent characteristics which appertan TO no other
money-nsknQ employment but a. snOw prosecuted II
i notorious for nfquoes frauds and prstea collisions,
aud an open violation Of the rights Of the mercantile and
commercial world. The ships which annually san al0ngthe
FLORIDA Reefs freghted with cargOes Of the estimated
value Of -Four Hundred Millions Of Dollars and Il Is not
our own commercial and mercantile cities alone, but
those Of all nations that are deeply interested in this
wreckDQ business The time was when it estimated
that OF the total wrecks upon this coast Onehrd were
eccasoned by accident onethird by ignorance and one
third by design but this estimate is now too favorable
70 intentional wrecking Let direct public attention
10 the system and practices which obtain and prevail
The wreckiDg business il nearly monOpolzed and
controlled by those wreckng merchants who are owners
in whole or in part of the wreckDg vesselsa merchant
who has spacious warehouses and ample wharfage, Dst
no wrecking vessels gets no consgnments. The con-
Segment Of the wrecked vessel and cargo Is the capital
prize is this for which the great effort Is made and
the control of the wrecking vessels is the most sue
cessfal relimnsry means OF obtaining It, The wreck
ing merchant who controls these vessels appoints the
captains and crews and furnishes the stores and makes
the advances 10 the men The captains are authorized
TO "negociate for the consignment OF all the wrecked
vessels they board and Of them have certain per
cent or share Of the profit upon all consignment they
negoeiafe for for their wrecking merchants wrecked
ship and cargOOf the value OF the Lucy pays 70 the con
senee thereof $4,000 and wrecks Of less value pro-
portiOnate amounts that the eOnsigHBlens are the
spos cOntepded for, and the means used in obtaining
them have corrupted and contaminated the wreckng bus
mess In all lie ranifcatiOns For the consignment OF
wreck and cargo which will pay from ten TO fifteen thou
sand dollars the consgnee pay to the captain tne
wrecked vessel from three 10 four thousand and TO his
wreckng captain wb0HsgOcates from one TO three thou
sand dollars and still have from six TO eight thousand
dollars 10 himself And the niqultous result has been
and is that every captain Of vessel frequenng TINS
coast knOtcs that by running his vessel upon the REEFS
he can sell the consignment thereof for one TO 1--WE thou
sand dollars And the further tendency and frequent
result Of this is 70 induce the wreckng captain VINO
boards the wreck, 20 cut away masts and rigging ana
otherwise damage and disable the wreck that the
cargo must be unoaded and stored and the vessel large
Nv repaired thereby increasing the charges and cOmIns
sons Of the wreckng merchant TO whom he has negocla
ed the consignment and in which charges and commits.
sons be shares In this direct bride is offered
20 all the captains TO run their vessels ashore and to all
wreoknR captains thus connected with wreckng mer-
chants to inure disable and destroy instead OF saving
unchanged as far possible, the wrecks boarded by
them and IL is notorious that vessels have been run
upon the reefs intentionally that captains have been paid
from one 70 FIVE thousand dollars for the consgnmcnts
that have been unnecessarily cut away and vessels
otherwise damaged and that the consgnee has shared
the spos with the captain OF the wreck and the wreck
ing captain.
Again, by this system, the merchants here who have
every facility aud accommodation OF wharfage and s0r
age but who have no wrecking vessels are excluded
from consiguments--they obtain none; and the con-
siQnees are almost invariably the most largely interested
In the salrages As savors therefore, they employ the
lawyer to FIJI the libel for salvage and consignees,
representing legally the owners they employ the law
yer TO deend-the consequence is that the lawyers on
both sides are employed TO obtain the largest salvage
possible and indeed the defending lawyers fee is often
dependent on the amount Of salvage decreed 80 that
zach thing as attempting lessen the salvage expose
fraud COLLISION and corruption is quite unknown here
The United States Judge, in this place, an honest
capable and faithful officer, and is prompt and efficient
IN the exercise and application of all the Judicial powers
with which he is invested; and the evs this wreckng
business as now conducted would have been Tar greater
had not been for the restraining influences Of his per
sonal and judicial honesty and firmness.
But the United States Judge here is governed by the
same rules, and exercises only the same powers and
authority as the Judges Of the same grade elsewhere
while the business of the Court here almost exclusively
connected with wrecking and essentially different from
that of all others The Judge here, as elsewhere tries
and decides causes upon the evidence presented-he
cannot visit wrecks obtain Witnesses and ferret out
fraud and COLLISION any more than can the Judges IN
New-York-this is the duty and the business OF the
lawyers; but circumstances which he has no CON
troll exclude from his Courtroom all testimony aud all
witnesses for deiendantshe lawyers are always for the
highest salvage and all the same side including cap
tain consignee and wreckers
Another practice occasionally obtains favor, which
illustrates the cowuptng influences Of intentional wreck
ing The Judge is not udciay popular with the wreck
ING merchants who are associated with the wreckng
vessels and II he happen 70 be absent when wreck
occurs and sometimes when he Ia not they will arbitrate
the salvage or settle the same with the Captain Of the
wrecked vessel without resort TO the courts all which By
the way is wholly Illegal and not binding upon the
era Of tho snip and cargo-and the rule of compensation
10 the Arbtrators is certain per centage upon the
amount awarded that their fees, for an award of
$4,000 salvage just double what they would be for
award Of $1,000.
And what is the remedy for these evils-these grow
ing evils suggest none ether than for Congress
90 invest the Judge az this place with additional powers
and authority with the exigencies of this
extraordinary business that the Agent of the Under
writer's" OF some other authorized and competent per
son. should be permitted TO employ counsel, introduce
and examine Witnesses to show fraud and collision and
pratical practices lessen the amount OF salvage and
defeat the decree of any, and that the wreekng meT
chant Who owner OF the wrecking vessels, and the
claimant for salvage shall not become the consgnee and
represent the interest of the of the cargo Pow
ers and regulations similar and in addition to these,
would greatly abate il not entirely cure the fraudulent
cousise and pratca tendencies and practices of this
business 0rsEeo.