Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1854-04-28
For the Journal.
No. 5,

| Comparative Importance of Wilmington and Ndpo-
leon, Arkansas-Resoi,aion Of the Senate of the
United States for establishing an equal number of
Hospitals on the Western Waters and 4hantic and
| Gulf CoastS-Unequat number established-Great
| disproportiOn an the number Of both Boatmen and
| Seamen-Memoriai of the Marine Hospital AsSo-
| c'Gtion-SuferingS of Seamen, aud the injury 10
Commerce for tCant Of Hospitnt-PropoSat TO gre
| the Hospital Of the association to Government
| AnStcer Of the Secretary Of the Treasuy-Thc e.
fectual quetuS to elcItementS reference 10 Hos
| pitai-PrOposdt to sell the Hospital TO the United
| SateS-CompdrdtiUe importance of Wilmington
! and pickSburg Mississippi p'tiabte and dis
| honorable position of the Government tn reference
to Seamen.
! MEssRS EDIToRs:-We continue our statement of
efforts that have been made to L. s. Marine
! Hospital at Wilmington. We regret that cannot
stale more of what was done prior to 1S43, because
of the destruction by fires of correspondence the
subject 1t must be obvious, however, that our et-
forts and exgencies have been such would have
secured success if the Congress of the United States
had regarded the Port of Wilmington, n c., of as
much commercial importance as Napoleon and Padu-
cab of the West The ineligibiity of Napoleon,
Arkansas, site for Hospital may be inferred
| from the fact that there only IS Boatmen and
Mariners in that State, and from the opinion of the
| L. S. Sup. Western River Improvements, that in
consequence of the encroachments of the Mississippi
and Arkansas rivers, Napoleon itself will soon be
ehectualy secluded from all the benefits and con-
venences of commerce and intercourse with other
parts of the Western country" And yet this place
can have Hospital which has already cost S47,250,
while Congress refuses to appropriate $4,000 for
Hospital for Wilmington. We have reason to be
lieye from the most reliable oral information that the
attention of almost every Secretary of the Treasury
has been directed 10 this matter And we know of
Acts of the Legislature of North Carolina, and Me-
MORALS to Congress embracing period of near forty
years, that exhibit the importance and necessity of
It, Is 1t not somewhat remarkable that notwith-
standing the Secretary of the Treasury in pursuance
of resolution Of the Senate in 1897, collected in
formation "pertinent to purpose OF erecting three
Hospitals on the Western waters, and the like num-
ber or the Atlantic and Guph coasts that from that
time to 1858, there established only t1Vo Hos
pitfalls at cost of 5000 90, for Seamen represent
ing 3945, 355 tons, and TEN Hospitals costing $463,-
sos 20 for Boatmen connected with only ,0S5
tonsn
We do not suppose that the Hospital for Portland
in 1852, or those for New Orleans and Mobile in
1887, were established in pursuance of that resolu-
ton of the Senate But if they were, what unjust
disproportion still between the number and cost of
Hospital for the Western waters and the Atlantic
coast. Especially, when according 10 the Census of
1850, there only S,737 Boatmen and l ,841 Mari
in those States having the ten Hospitals. where
as there 28,6l2 Boatmen and 60,275 Mariners,
natives of the Atlantic States and of the men,
and 841 boys connected with the foreign commerce
of America, 2l3,678 of the number cleared from
| the ports of the Atlantic.
| The memorials of the Marine Hospital Association
in 1844'45 state that the Inconvenience and suffer-
ing for want of Hospital, have been and continue to
be, almost beyond endurance-that the sufferings of
Seanen are greatly augmented by converting vessels
having infectious diseases board into Hospitals
where all the we'll compelled to remain until all
the diseased die, that the sick for of
accommodations shore are confined TO the dark fill
thy and unvenlated forecastle, even during the
summer months that the Authorities could not allow
them to into the Town even if any one would
ceive them that there have been instances when 'no
guard could be hired, and impossible procure
any living soul to go the vessels for any price "
that vessels thus detained have frequently pershabe
goods which cannot be landed and thus an incalcu-
able injury is done to commerce, the effect of
which must be to divert trade 10 Ports having such
institutions as 0bVate the necessity of extraord
nary quarantine, and that the Hospital of the Assoc
alton has been abandoned for years for want of means
to sustain 1t; and they now propose to make 9 do
natlon OF to the government The Secretary of the
Treasury answered by nquiring the cost of the
pairs needed and what additional expense would be
incurred in the establishment of such Hospital %
! We are not in possession of the Of the Col
lecto but believe that the entire expense for repairs
would not have exceeded $3.50, and we know that
keeper could have been obtained for $25U per annum
But was IT not presumptonn Us to suppose that such
an expenditure would be authorized recommended
by the Treasury Department when there ':aIready
a Hospital in N. Caroina' which cost the govern
ment when finished $4,000, and while unfinished
Hospitals of the West costing $50 00O had yet to be
supplied from the general hospital fund
Whenever the pent up feelings of this deeply in
jured community have issued forth, and called loudly
for redress OF their grievances in this matter it has
been usual to send forth quietus from the Treasury
Department, in the form OF a letter requesting in
formation relative TO suitable site for Marine Hos
ptal at Wilmington, and other particulars as 10 the
cost of it, &C. Another communication of this char
acter having been referred to the Marine Hospital
Association in 849, and Congress having manifested
great berality in the appropriation of $25 900 for
the sites alone of three inland hospitals they now
tet it due to those they represented to offer their
situation for sale to the United States for the sum
of S2,5O0.'; The letter of the Secretary had the
usual sopOrlfc effect, and Wilmington slumbered
again while the Department had 1.-The subject under
consider ratQn" Efforts were being made to estab-
ilsh hospitals at Chicago, Evansville, and Vicksburg,
and IT was necessary there should be AT least show
of justice to North Carolina. There was already
Hospital in process of erection at NatcheZ Mis-.
slssipp but as Vicksburg has 2l5 tons employed in
steam navi cation, and there So boatmen and 166
marnsrs III that State, it necessary to 'relrench
the expenditures" in Stale that Congress might
appropriate 900 for The site alone" at Vicksburg
and erect another stately palace on the western wa
teTs The Association might have felt delicacy
r IN again rendering 1t as grauty 10 wealthy and
prosperous Government that should have been prompt
ed by of honor and Justice to have indemni
fed those who had so magnanimously borne her bur.
dens until they could do it longer but if So they
probably did not consider the pItiable position as.
sumed by the Government in regard 10 seamen, ir
being not only their oppressive tax collector, anC
authOrising States tC levy more exhorbitant tas
upon them, and then repudiating their claim for re
lief under the plea that the fund is insufficient
but also in appearing her Statute Books and il
circulars from the Treasury Department their gen
eral Aims Receiver, soliciting aid from individuals