Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-10-17
The Big Lillle canul- Boat War.

SECRETARY RIoHARDsoN's REPORTED STATEMENTS
MIR. GIBBONS LETTER TO THE PRECEDENT
SOME NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF FACT.
Charles Gibbons, ESD whose letter to the
President, complaining OF the seiz are of canal
boats, at this port, for not taking out a vessel
license, was referred TO, in the Associated Press
Telegrams, reported in the COMMERCIAL. yester-
day, and in the papers, generally, this morning,
was In this city, this morning, In company with
Mr. l. N. Howell the agent of tho Lehigh Nayi-
gatlen Co.. whose unlicensed boats have mainly
been the occasion OF this cana-boat war. HIS
letter is printed in legal pamphlet, Of Is
pages, and il before us.
There are three or four points OF interest to
the public in the present situation of the con :
troveTsy. In the first place. we are assured by
coal-dealers that most canal-boats coming here,
except those Of the Laligh Coal aud Navigation
Co., have taken out their licenses vessels." :"
The original cost Of license is about $l3 25, aud
for its annual renewal, about Sl25, only. 1t is
not true that these licenses cannot be obtained
by the eanal-bOats WHICH come here from the
Lehigh region, as has been alleged the fact be-
ing that the Collector OF customs at Philadel-
phla issues them when application is made for
them, Such a boat was i'll this port from Mauoh
Chunk, short time ago, with license just
granted by the Philadelphia Collector.
In Mr.. Gibbons letter to the President, he
says Of the boats soized in this port: Eight of
these boats were released by the Collector for
owners" The customs officers, here, complain
that this is apparently, whether 30 intended or
not. charge OF "black mailing - Oh brbe-takipg
and in that light essentially libelOus and untrue
They released some boats, upon their paying for
liconse, this action being approved by the Trea-
sury Department. and no charges were extorted'
from any one. beyond the legal fees, as author
lied By the Department. They also say that MIR.
Gibbons allegations that the officers of a revsn-
ne cutter, " led by the Collector, " boarded a
boat revolvers in hand &c &c, is entirely un-
true, neither the Collector nor any of his suDor-
dinates having done any snch a thing. The only
case which could be distorted into such story,
was one where the revenue cutter, at the Colleo
tors request put men ON board boat az watch
men, turing her dstention, when tho owner ap-
reared, aud WAS about to forCbly take her away
from them they tnen Obliged him to desist.
and, as his manner was quite violent, displayed
the arms which, in the ordinary line of their du-
ty, they always bear.
The instructions to Collector Nolento "report
TO the U. 8. District Attorney for libel" canal
boats "found trading upon the naVigable waters
of the United States" which had no licenses
were included in a letter from Secretary Rich
ardson, under date of August 2nd
1t is represented on behalf of the customs au-
thorties that the Lehigh Navigation Co. has
not only refused to pay license for its own
boats, but its agents have persuaded other boat
owners not to do 30, and tried to frighten them
from bringing coal to this port, even when they
had licenses, in order to aggravate the trouble,
aud disturb the coal shipments, I'VE know moth
Ing as to the truth OF this.