The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-03-13
THE OYSTER TAX.
Some PraeticaI Ideas about the
Police BOats

4
J. q. P6xroS, Esq: =
| Sir-Your letter requesting my advice as TO the
| number, size, coat, and equipment of steam police
| beats to execute the proposed oyster law is, be.
/ fore nae.
| In my opinion, three boats of The capacity Of
| sixty to eighty tons, would be ample for the Our
pose. Thsir cost would not exceed SioD per ton.
or fpr alt twenty five Thousand dollars. The ex-
pense per annum for running them would come
within the estimates of Captains HaskiDs aud
Brongh, which I find in your report. or say from
$1,000 to $4,000 per annum each. ! see no diff
Guilty in blending the officers Of inspection slave
law and collection of the oyster revenue together,
50 as to make the same officers and boats answer
| for both.
For the purpose required I would recommend
| boats constructed Of iron. If made of wood they
would have 10 be eoPper-fasteBed and coppered.
frequently canlked and repaired while IL made OF
Again, the average fife of wooden huli woud a. (
be over ten years. that OF iron one from furty
TO sixty years. As public property is generally
neglected. it's therefore, highly important that
these vessels be made of material not likely to
require witchiug or repairs and, therefore, TO suf
fer for want of that attention. which all expert
ence shows they would not be likely to GET
Wooden boats require frequent repairs. This fact
would furnish an almost ever ready excuse for
neglect Of, and absence from dsty, which would
scarcely be the case once in year if iron boats
are employed. / am confiient. for an extended
period of thirty years, the expense of iron boats
including the value of their increased Efficiency
would not be more than half OF those built of
wood. 49, t-
These suggestions have resulted from many
years experience in running steam vessels, simi-
lar to those required, on the sounds and bays of
North Carolina and Virginia, including expert
inents made for and at the expense of the United
states Government In the course of these exper.
iments. with steamer of less than thirty tons,
made the voyage from Norfolk to Lake Ontario
II was the first voyage of a steamer from the At
iantic ocean to the Western Lakes.
Since that time, steamers of less than 100 tons
are constantly employed on our bays and rivers,
and there are now quite number engaged in tow
lug and transportation upon our rivers and those
of North Carolina You are perhaps aware that
an iron steamer of this cass-only ten or twelve
feet beam, built iE England by order of Commodore
Stockton-cIoSsed the Atlantic from Liverpool to
New York. i mention these facts 10 show that
small steam vessels, properly constructed and
equipped, may perform the service required and
navigate the Chesapeake, and its. tributaries with
peifee safety.
Il may be objected, that these cutters or police
boats, would fornl the nucleus of Virginia navy
must confess cannot see the force of this obisc
ton. II il be true, however, the same objection
can be brought against all the small steam tugs
aud propeliers in our harbors, or Engaged u the
inland trade. These steamers are the same ia con
struction as the vessels proposed to be built.
1t is fact that may have been overlooked, that
by the increase of these tugs and propeifers, we
adding valuable material to our coast and har-
Dor defences. Each of these steam vessels can car
ry gun-some of them 0f the largest calibreL
There are always plenty of these guns at the navy
yard. Ten years ago. there were very, few of this
class Of boats low, there forty OF ffty in the
Chesapeake. its tributaries and the adjacent waters
| OF North Carolina. In a few years, ii they should
continue TO increase In the same ratio, we shall
have ieet OF several hundred, which could, In
few hours, he transformed into many gun boats,
| with a fearful aggregate power, which could be
rap d y concentrated upon an Advancing vessel or
| weak point of q hostile neet, aud when pursue
could fly with celebrity beyond the guns of an enemy
They will ii form the rsadiest of resisting
any attempt at landing any OF the waters of this
State, Mar, Iaad or North Caroliua. Thus these
very cutters would be of great service lin case OF
war, AID if they could be objected to as forming
| the nucleus of navy. the same oil lection could
| unwisely drive every small propeller from our
waters, since the process required To make navy
| of the cutters would also make navy of the pro-
| pellers now used for commercial purposes SO
| lar. then, from considering this point an objec.
| ti0n, it needs only little reflection to find
IL il, ree.pIme endatien of the most important
character. With the yearly increasing fleet OF
| tugs, they would help to form a feet of steam
| gun boats maintained with0Ht cost to tue Goveru-
| ment, yet forming in the moment of emergency,
/ one of the most efficient arms OF national de-
| fence. ..ta '.,fr' :
/ would also suggest that these cutters or police
boats being the spot, could be of great service
to our commerce by affording relief to vessels in
distress. which those vessels might look for in
vain from any other quarter. 1t is very often
the case that prompt relief could life and PRO
perty that xht be lost BY th, delay necessarily
involved in sending to Norfolk some other por
for assistance, or waiting for chance reiiet This
is an important point, and one, in my opinion,
worthy of your attention. -
The main expense and trouble of executing the
proposed oyster law viii accrue during the first
two years After that time parties interested will
become reconeiled to it's effects, and it is probable
three-fJurths Of the people of the tide water re.
gions will be interested in carrying cut its pro.
visions. q
Very respectfully,
Your .obedient servant.
MARSHALL PARKS.