The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-07-01

SCREW PROPEILERs AND SAILING VESSELS
DIVERSION or TIDE EmIGRANT TRArFIC.-The M
precedented depression IN the Shipping business
for which toe present seas0n remarkable, ~ eX.
citing "A coed deal o, speculation amongst COM
mercial men. Amongst the numerous cAuses as
signed sor it, the revolution that has been 81
ientiy going on IN ,be character Of the passenger
traffic 10 our ports ha-, we toink, received more
than lis due scigbt.
There il no doubt that screw propellers will
eventually moDopol'ze the greater portion, if not
the whole, of this traiiic. Already foreign emil
gratGn ba5 been av aiiips itself largely OF the ia-
ducemenss he'd out by these vessels. Wheo emi-
grants can make tue voyage from Europe in
twenty days in q rc,ew propeller ut the small
fare OF S35, it is bot litels toat they will con-
tnde to give the preference to the old packet
ships which tpke on an 'eragc forty, and not no.
frequently sixty days, To meke the passage, even
though tie faie of tne latter is ten dollars less
The difference OF price is fully compensated for
by the difference in stock, while tha emigrant
is spared the suffering aud discomfort ex-
periepced Oh the longer voyage. Under
such circumstances we are not surprised
to learn ttat the screw propelers are now carry
ing q large proportion Of the emigrants who
come 10 this country. Some idea of the rapidity
with Which the ir business III thus way liz increas
ing may be formed from the fact that whilst in
the fist Fix man bis OF 1866 only four screw pro
pellers artiyed at tois port with emig, ants on
board, there arrived during the last month eleven
with an average OF 400 emigrants each. We
may aud that Mr. Kennedy, the Superintendent
of Castle Gord'u, is now preparing set of sta.
tistica ablts, which will throw additional light
on this subject.
But supporting that the screw propeilers should
monopolize the whole of the emlgcaut traffic, it
would not, after oil, materially affect the profits
of the sa,lipg vessels II is their freigbts, and
notion their passengers tpat the latter will chiefly
rely; and ii the amount of the one should dimi.
nish, il will oe made W for by the increased de-
mand for vessels, which, ia times Of ordinary CON-
mercisl activity, will Naturally set in.
The fears expressed that the propelers will in
time also monopoiize the freights, we look upon
as unfoonded. For toe precious metals and
periahsble articles which require rapid convey
anoe they Will undoubtedly always have the pre-
ference bat for all otoer fieehts the Diligence of
price will tell in favor of the sailing vessels.
Like the displacement 81 labor by machinery,
respecting which such tears were at one time en-
tertainto, we are inclined to think that, 30 far
from iujuring, the diversion Of the emgraut
traffic TO psopelers will benefit the general ship
ping trade. 1t will turn the attention Of ship
builders 20 the expediency of constructing YES
sells for the transportation OF goods on improved
principles, which hitherto has been impossible,
tom the necessity uaoer which they were placed
of devoting so much Of their space to the accom-
modation OF passengers We shall then hear less
of damagec cargoes willie emigrants will benefit
largely by having vessels specially devoted to
their usp