New-York tribune., 1873-03-13
RESTRICTING COMMERCE.
STEAMBOAT WHARyEs ABOVE C0RLEARS
HOOK.


THE hill now before tho Assembly Committee
ON Commerce, compelling the steamboat conipsrno'
whose boats now start from points on the North hVer
m Tho sond to remove TO Corlears Hook or TO points
ahove on the East River Is meeting with much oppo'r
ton from the mercantile community atnousn IL "''
received the approval OF the Chamoer oI oonho'00'
The advocates lof the bill urge that there Is hot room
along the North River front for tho proper ahsacton
% business and that thero is great danger OF running
- ,ho ,errvboats which are continually plying be-
tween New-York and Brooklyn. In order 70 a'cer'""
the feeling among the steamboat men, and 10 learn On
rbat grounds they base their objections 10 Ithe D ie
porters have conversed with many OF theth'
w r Parkes. agent Of the Norwich line at PCT
No 40 North River. thought that the chahBo
might in the end be Of benefit to the steamDos' cop
MES but It would require considerable outlay AZ 'is
outset. During the Winter their DoatS "ero u""oe So
more by ice encountered of the Battery and In the Nor
pver than in tho entire passage through the Sound ana
the Fast River The effect the merchants however
would be disastrous At present they pay from u 20 "
Al 50 per ton carriage. To Corears HOOK or any PoiD'
above they would compelled to pay from two 20 tnee
tunes these rates Undoubtedly removal would nave the
effect OF disorganizng, at least FOR the 'he
OF the various steamboat companies.
CHANNEL WITHIN THE REEF
co, u q Rahcock agent OF the Fall River line, at
Pier No 80, N r. thought that removal to the points
proposed would ruin the steamboat freightng business
AT least seyenelghths Of their reghts came from DuS
ness houses within radius OF half mile from Ihe Oon
panys pier II h than four times that distance 10
Corlears Hook He did not think moreover that there
was any point on the East River below Fourteenth-st
that would be found available. reef extended from
GrandSt 20 a point near Fourteenthst. Between thls
reef and the pierne the channel averages ABOUT 'o
yards in width and OFF Santonst 1t is much narrower
This channel is not wide enough to allow the large SOuhu
boats to swing around in either in entering or leaving
their docks; so that they would be strung along
from Fourteenth to Twenty-third-sts., aud per
haps even further up. He had just hlred
pier at the foot Of East Twenythirds for the accom-
mediation Of East Side travel but did not expect to land
pound OF freight there. This question OF removal Is
nothing new il has been agtated from time 10 tune
during the past ten years, and the SteamDoss
men have made up purse and purchaSed
immunity many occasions. They were ureu
OF doing this, and proposed to test tne ques-
ton and If they had rights in the matter Five
years ago, when he appointed agent OF the Fall
River line this question came up in the Legislature,
and he was asked to contribute toward fund to be used
in preyenng the passage OF the bill He refused to do
So and the matter finally dropped. They proposed
to see whether not they were to be allowed to DaVl
gate an arm OF the sea without being hampered by
restrictions that would materially njure their business
He to believe that tho proposed act would be
uncon stutiona and had been informed that the Ator
Legislature were bent causing tho removal Of the
Companies wharyes, 1t could be done through
the Harbor Masters. Although the Companies do
such immense business, and nominany have
the control Of their piers the Harbor Master of the dis
rict the boats leave the docks, can permit
vessels enter tho slips. and the owners to use the
piers. and the companies will have redress He did
not say that this was done, but it could be. and they
would be poweress to prevent it, Really, the merchants
were interested in the matter than the steamboat
companies The only railroad TO compete for the East
ern freight business was the NewYork and New-Hayen,
capacity not sufficient The carriage to Forty
secondt too, would cost more than to the boats
in their berths the East River. He did not be-
eye that such measures would be adopted as
were proposed absurd suppose that the carriers
could be driven away from business centers They FOL
lowed business and did not make It, Their boats are
With reference the assertion that there was danger OF
running down erryboats he could only say that within
his recollection he could not recall instance Of this
kind Their boats ran slowly until they passed through
Hell Gate and were in the hands OF competent ana ex-
noon and the pilots OF tho know When to ex'
pect and avoid them.
LEGISLATIVE JOB.
A. p Bacon, Superintendent OF the Narragansett or
Fall River line at Pier No % " r. thought that the
mediate effect OF removal would be loss Of onehaf of
their business. They would lose nearly quite all of
their Southern and Western passengers. At present
these were transferred from the NewJersey. Pennsyl
without inconvenience. Under the new arrangement
they would be compelled to large section OF
near them. To accommodate these the Company had
talked of removing five or six piers further up Was 1t
likely that the companies would willingly remove sew
eral miles away Very much OF their freight dry
goods, mainly from houses between Chambers and Ca
na-sts and west OF Broadway lie thought legislative
Isaac Odell, agent OF the Providence and New-York
change would utterly ruin the business OF his line. The
Company receive daily from the Erie Railway Company
and civ in fnrp md fhn
vana Railroad 50 tons. All the fast freight lines center
the Companys pier and the freight is transferred
and Pennsylvania Central Railroads. He conjectured
that the bin drawn in the interest Of Dropertyown-
in the vicinity of Corears Hook who beeved that
If the Eastern steamboat companies compelled
remove, stores would be built and property wound aa
He was much surprised TO see the Chamber Of
Commerce advocate the measure, and could
reason for its action in this matter. For he
did not propose to allow this to be cOnsum-
mated without determined effort to prevent 1t. II
compelled 20 remove, he believed that his company
stevens in they removed to Hoboken, had offered
facilities for their business IN the way OF piers, lighters
from lighters but it would be very serious blow TO
their business II they compelled to any
tance from their present docks.
LOSSES TO OTHER COMPANIES
J. B. Hubbell, Superintendent OF the Bridgeport lne
said that the damage which would be caused by the pas
sage of such act would be rreparabe TO the several
companies, while it would drive thousands and thou
sands OF dollars away from the city. lie thought that IL
would kill Bridgeport line. It cost the company
$1,000 10 erect their Sheds and $4,000 to rebuild the
piers. which amount would again have be expended II
they moved He estimated that 100000 would not paw
the expenses OF reestablshing themselves above Cor
lears Hook TO say nothing OF the loss OF business IL
would have the effect OF doubling the cost OF carriage
The inconvenience ana immense expense OF moving
would also them TO lose all local freight while
Western freight would be driven through another chan
mel Nh Hubbel also thought that the property owners
ABOUT COrears Hook were directing the movement for
the purpose of making their land more valuable.
r. Cornell White Of the NOrwalk and Greenwich line
was al his office, No 15 South-st. He has always
been active opponent OF the scheme and he de-
II emphatically. He alleges that such law
would be unconstitutional. Toe East aud North Rivers
,,n1,lo A srhx md Iar