Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-05-15
COMMUNICATED.
Ywcufy-tiye Per Cent!

tempt by argument. to conVlhce puSilicss
man that twenty five per ct. is good invest
mcnt for money advanced for any object.
Doubt whether there Is Il capitalist Iii tins city
but who would be glad to exchange every dol
lar he possesses in bank stocks, railroad, water,
civ and other bonds, if he could be guaranteed
fifteen Der ct. annually on his money.
This morning, noticing several large and no
BILE locking three nllsted schocners at our Whar-
YES and anchored in the stream, an idea Sllg,
rested itself that might obtain some useful
,nf,rmation in regard to Shi r-bnilding and the
coal trade, So taking a friend, who is deeply
interested in the welfare of the city and It's
commerce we soon found ourselves on board of
the schooner 81. W." Captain r., who very
POLITELY invited lis to a seat in his spacious and
we'll furnished cabin, and to partakc OF g sSs
o,:-rod water and Il superb cigar These NV
England cap aims are nearly Nil cold water men,
which, to Il great extent, accounts Tor their
uniform success as navlgators and the Inc dis
cipliuc on board their vessels
We pulitcly informed Capt. H. that inter
viewing" prominent mcn By reporters was
now the order Of the day, and that our present
visit was to ''intcrview him on ship building,
cost, profits, aud the coal trade IN particular.
The following is the substance OF th;S interview,
us near It's | can remember:
Reporter-Captain you have fine schooner;
what did she cost, and what is her tonnage?
Captain She cost SIS, 900, and she carries
ESQ tons of coal
Reporter- is the average price paid
nor ton for trciglting coal from Alexandria to
Boston?
Caplain-Threc dollars 1t varies; sometimes
as low as 81. IS, and sometimes as high as st.
Rcportcr-lIow long does it take Tor Il yes
sci of this size and cost to pay for itself?
Captain-That depends OH the management
and economy of the master. This schooner was
| built lust three and u half years ago She has
neatly, if not already, paid for herself That
fine schooner in the stream, the"F f. Morris,
was finished one month after this vessel at a
cost of $4,000. The captain thoroughly IN
derstands his business. She carries 500 tons.
She has already paid back to the owners the
cost tor building and equipments, and to day
could not be bought for les, than $50. 600 cash.
Reporter will YOU take, Captain, for
| this vessel?
Captain-Wc (thcrc arc others inIcrested,)
will take just what she cost, SIS, 900; not one
dollar less We will sell for the rc:l."n that
we are now bullding Il schooner OF capacity
OF ,2UU ions, at Il COST ni over $1,000 She
will be the finest and largest Scho"ncr that
| flats.
Reporter Ship building seems to be great
SUCCESS ia New England, Pleas: tell us 4 lit
tic of your experience?
Captain-C Certainly, with pleasure. AIN
now past So years When | was , went
into the service as matc 1T S33 per month. |
soon was promoted to master. L saved my
pennies until had enough to buy an interest,
and | now have shares in fifteen different
schooncrs, and for every dollar have Invested
it pays me an annual interest of twenty five per
Ct rhrrc is nothing That pays better than
shares in well built, large and fast sailing
sclooncrs engaged in the coal trade on the Po-
tomac
Reporter-PIcase tell us the mo,7,s opcrmN
of ship building down in Maine?
Captain-Ship building in our State has be-
come regular system, and q profitable one.
For instance, want a new vessel go to my
friends aud tell them ing object One takes
/, another l-lG another l-332; in this way
company is soon formed and the vessel under
contract There is no trouble i'll getting money
where twenty-five per ct. interest Is tho usual
dividend.
Reporter Captain. what do you thirk Of
Alexandria as a point Tor building schoon"rs
for the coal and coasting trade?
| u
in the United States, as far as my knowledge
goes. Down in New England We get our best
masts and oak timber, at great cost, from the
Potomac banks The fcocomco river fur
nishcs the best ship timber now in use. am
SURPRISED your business men dou t invest more
in the business.
Here we took another cigar and another glass
of water and bid the obliglng captain good
morning, fully determined to organize at once,
if possible, "The Alexandria Coal Transporta-
ton Company" on the simple, yet profitable,
New England system. COMMERCE.
INTERESTING CAsE.-On Wednesday and
Thursday last, the usually dull routine bus
mess of Circuit Court, was relieved by case,
which, whilst like most questions that find their
way into Court of Justice, involved the title
of property. but was at the same time sur
rounded by peculiar circumstances, the discus
sion of which embraced many nice points OF
law and fact rendering it more than ordinarily
interesting. There were really three cases,
known as the NJ f. Church VS.. Hoskinson-
Harmony Church property; same VS. White
Parsonage property Hilisborough; same vs..
JanDey-1niunctiop to restrain sale OF Hair
mouy Church property. The object Of these
suits is to determine whether the legal titles to
the Harmony Methodist Church, at Hamilton,
in this county, and to the Parsonage proper
ty at Hillsborough are vested in the member
ship of what is known as the NJ. Il. Church,
or in that of the NJ. +. Church South !; both
properties are, We believe, at this time in the
possession of the latter. The argument was
commenced on Wednesday by Judge Willough-
BY of Alexandria, for the NJ. +. Church he
was followed in behalf of the NJ. +. Church
South, by j. NJ Kigour, Gen. Eppa Hunton,
and Nj. Harrison. The argument of each of
The contestants was most able and ingenious.
No decision will be rendered by the court until
the fall term and as it is test question, what
ever the decision of Judge Keith may be, it is
generally conceded that the matter will 90 to
the Virginia Court of Appeals for final aljudi
cation. -Lout}0m Mirror.
WIT FROM THE PULPIT.-1t is related of a
certain New England. divine who fourishcd
not many years ago, and whose matrimonial