New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-06-06
Something Was shown. bat More Was
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The list of vessels towed TO and from sea
ard crossing the bar at Southves. P as
during the month Of May, as advertised il
one or two daily papers, is suggestive.
Il IS advertised 20 show ,hat the Towbo a
| Association mas done better, in the matte
OF getting ships across the bar at South
west Pass since the abandonment Of tha
| Pass by the United States dredgeboats
! than it did before. /. shows that cone lu
| sively. lis further design is % induce be
| lief that a better chsunel can be kept with
| OF. tie aid OF the dredgeboats than can b,
KEEP: with their aid.
II does not state tha: dE.ius Tie month
OF May there was a better channel pro
Guced by the work Ct the dreGgesl at Pass
a-fOutIe than there was at Southwest
Pass; nor does it make a statement of the
extra expense to ships, obliged per force oi
towboat monopoly, to go 10 Southwest Pass
for beS1g tugged across that bar. Ii does
not give an account OF delays which oc-
CURED on the bar for lack of sufficient
depth of water in channel. J: does not
state how long many vessels were delayed.
oE.side waiting scr favorable wind 10
sail.
1t srggeste to those eorversaI: with the
facts Of the case this pertaiLelt question:
Why could pc. tie sane results have been
obtained in March and April, and the
recent blockade avoided! 1t is known that
.lere was better chanel at the time the
blockade wac started than :bere was at
Any tire in May. Why did sa r.socia:icu
having the interests ct commerce deeply at
heart allow the bar to be blocked while
there was , better channel than in May,
allow it to remain bio:ked for six weeks
and then, after the dredgcboats abandoned
attempts to prevent continued block
BY resortirg 70 PsssarOr.rs, Why did
the association fnd it necessary to make q
better record daring Mxyi
TO those acquainted. with :he facts ths
answer Is plain.
IT was to TIE interest O: the association
to block The bhr, ard it wcu.d tEve done 30
had the channel been twenty i-e ieet deep
at extreme low tide ius :ead Of seventeen, ss
j. was at the tiue the blockade vas started.
The blockade started. the association did
everything in its power 10 maintain it.
This course aroused storm Of public in:
a:gnAt;0r. 1t ia mcre-:t forced the
dsedeehoats to make channel at Pass.a.
fOutre. 1t was necessary tcqriet the one
and render inu.ie the other, for all the
towboat and pilot interests are centered at
Southwest Pass
Now what better. way to do this than to
force, by power of monopoly and by misre-
presentation, all vessels TO Southwest Pass
work faithfully, es hey should have done
before, to cross vessels. ana then come out
with flaming list at the end of May!
The owners or agents Of vessels who have
paid, and dearly, eco, for this squirt will
perhaps better appreciate it than tie gen.
eral reader. Il las cost in the neighbor-
hood OF 100000. about $4,000 being clear
profit to the association-judging from the
tonnage displayed by the list, the card
rates of the association. the ships requiring
special contract Lancaster, 1or example.
$1,000 to sea-, and the known expense Of
running the towboats employed.
Ii this would last commerce would IN.
doubtedly be benefited. and the towboats
would mako plenty Of money. If it does
not last commerce will suffer, as it mas re.
peatedly done heretofore, ard the tow boats
will double profits. viii it last, Or will it
not!
Towbcatips is bueiaess Iencrat!e, if
monopoly does not tempt TO extortior Or to
foul practices to increase gain. The Tow
boat Association has been accused Of both
extcrtion and forl nratt:ce. The latter has
been stoppe'. t:v pubic oririon. When tho
public, under The in:' 'uenee of srch o,iates
as offered u the ';ist befcr. referred to,
cuie.s down, what assurance have We Of
continued refoIpations
So long as southwest rass bar ccn;iaues
to afford with the aiG of The tow BOATS, a
passage for vessels to anG from sea, New
Orleans will continue, no doubt to pay q
little extra for the privilege of using it.
When it becomes so badly blocked that it
can no longer lie used, it will yet be graft
flying to know that another channel will be
available-one where pilots alone will be
held responsible, under the law, for block
ade, towboatmen being outside all law ex-
cept that of their own making.