New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-03-30
GPor the Sunday Republiean-l
The MOuth of she mississip pi-Tse Tow.
beat Association.

not QS6lre Ll6 Improvement OF tue oars DIT
the mouth of the Mississippi river:
REASON NUMBER ONE.
It is known that when there is an i'm
proved channel across one of the bars, our
harbor tugboats can well compete with the
association. and find it a lucrative business
to tow vessels to and from sea at lower
rates thar charged by the association.
Has the association no way of breaking
down such competitiou'
Two ways may be mentioned, both very
expensive and not always effective:
First-The hsrbor boats usually have but
little trouble. when there is an improved bar,
in getting tow from city to sea. This alone,
however, VIII not pay we'll enough for the
round trip to warrant the venture; there
must be warrant for getting return
tow This the association labors TO pre-
vent in this wise: One of its towboats is
put on special duty TO dog the harbor boats
at sea, and underbid the latter, ever TO the
extent of offering tow to the city free of
charge. This IS expensive, and not always
ffectual; for when there are several vessels
arriving at the bar at the same time, the
little boats sometimes elude the vigilance
of the big ones, and capture tow, thus,
not only robbing the association of the ex-
pense incurred for dogging, but also Of
towage charges and other perQuisltes.
SecOnd-There is another way, which
consists in paying the owner of the barber
tug his own price for his boat, or his own
price to stop his interference.
Third-The harDOr tug Ia placed at dis
i hnn nf 1fa EaJn Vlra-
fused the use Of the Balze telegraph line.
Do these attempts to preserve monopoly
payf 1t is presumed they do. but as the
dividends declared by the association are
only made known through the occasional
indisereton of stockholders, the question
can not he certainly answered. We only
know that the four lines forming the asso-
citation eau afford to keep separate offices,
presidents, directors, secretaries, etc, paying
large salaries also keep large numbers of
boats idle at considerable expense, purchase
about $40, 900 worth of coal in advance. and
then, according to the indiscseet, pay divl-
dends of fifty per cent per annum.
When the bar is unimprOved can these has-
Dor tugs interfereS No. They have not
sufficient power to drag vessels across the
bar through two or three feet OF mud.
REASON NUMBER TWO.
When the bar is unimproved il ;s a diff
cult matter 20 get ships drawing more than
fifteen feet across. The operation takes
days, often weeks, occasionally months
During this time the association, after get
ting the vessel comfortably grounded.
stands ready at the call of the shipmaster
to tug at his vessel each tide, with one. two,
three or four extra tOwbOats. only charg-
ing 500 per boat for each tide. of about
three hours duration. This work is done
cheerfully, and, as the towboats are not re-
markable for strength, pays immensely.
With an improved bar, there is no chance
for this lucrative employment, unless on sc-
count of contrary winds, or counter cur
rent or fog, or q "brute of a boat for steer
ing" or carelessness of pilot, or inadver-
tence of t0wboat captain, or some other
adverse freak of nature, vessel may with
propriety be grounded on the side of the
channel somewhere between the Gull and
Pilot town.
REAsos NUsBER THREE.
With an unir1proved bar there Is a rich
harvest 60 be reaped from tugging at
grounded steamers, 500 per hour for each
tuwboat employed, which Is all lost II the
bar is improved, for steamship pilots gener
ally find it TO their interest to know the
location and condition of the channel and
seldom run the vessels, with which they are
entrusted, aground, outside OF the channel.
REA5ON hGhBbk GOC Ae
The richest part of the business destroyed
| by Improvement of the bar is that of light
ering grounded vessels. This is usually
done by specia, contract, made after the
| shipmaster utterly despairs of getting kls
vessel afoat by other means, and after he
begins to fear that his ship. cargo and ALL
| will be eaten up by further towage.
It requires nice calculation to figure up
how much he will pay tor lightering rather
than abandon bis vessel, that must often
| emb&rrass the shipuasters. especially II he
| is poor at figures.
REASON ECMBEE FIVE.
When there are a great many ships tas
at presentl waiting outside for Tow
| in, there may often be lively competI-
| tien between shipmasters having the same
| kind of cargoes for the first opportunity TO
erose the bar and reach market. For ex-
ample, let us suppose two snips from Rio,
| with coffee, OF the bar waiting 10 come in,
! and that the stock of coffee on hand in New
! Orleans is rot sufficient to supply the de-
I nand--the price advances. Then At one
| cargo can be brought in week or ten days
before tho other, the privilege ia worth
| thousands to the fortunate owner; and fhe
unfortunate one, when he arrives finds his
| market fat. The conclusion may be drawn.
REASON SUaBER SIX
| though q small one. may be mentioned
| (painters, YOU know, are in the habit OF
| putting a tail to their anac0Rdasl
/ The gross amount obtained from
| charging from fifteen to twenty-hve
| dollars per tide for the use of hawsers
ghould indicate very profitable sale OF
| such articles.
After all these rpasons which have been
! drawn from nearly four years careful oh
| servatiOn, and In default of annual or
| Quarterly statements to show the status OF
! the Towhoat Association, let us have some
| figures of our own.
| The total tonnage of sailing vessels en-
! tering this port last year was 436, $50 44-l0O
/ tons; clearing, 457 1886 23l0e tons. This,
| at 81 25 towage up and forty cents down
| per ton, would make $729, ,03l 73 income;
| to which, if the bar had been unimproVed,
there might have been added for tugglng on
| bar and lightering, si50,000.
The total tonnage of steam vessels enter
ing was 639, ,943 $500 tOne; clearing, 739,
| $50 2ll00 tons (many of the vessels draw
J ing from eighteen to twenty feet, out OF
, which there might reasonably rave been
expected for tugging and hghtering over
| an unimproved bar. 100000.
Leaving out the hawsers, etc, let n@ say
| $3.50, 900 was lost to the Towboat Associa-
| ton during one year because of improve
| mepts carried On by the government at
| Southwest Pass. Now under this heavy
| Iosa, Is it not reasonable to suppose the as
| sociation must chafe, and would it not be
| human nature 70 throw every obstacle in
| the way of that improvement which cut
off fully one-quarter Of tieurishing busl
| nessI OF this 1 shall have something to
say when I again have leisure.
Patrick J. Kennedy has been commits
stoned by Governor Kellogg as commits
sLOnef Rt tho XIsnna ExpositiOn for the