New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-10-25
NEW ORLEANS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25 1874
Tho C0wb0nt Monopoly Checkmated-A
New Era for ahO Sailors.

New Era for &h0 Sailofss
For years past shipmasters, merchants,
underwriters and all commercially inter.
ested in the port Of New Orleans have de.
nounced the high rates Of towage to and
from sea, adopted by the Towboat Associa-
ton. At the same rate of frelghts all other
guilt ports were preferred by ships in con.
sequence of the enormous rate Of tOwaee
Several times one company or another has
split off FROM the association and endeav-
ored TO do justice to the public and them.
selves by towing at fair living rate, but
sooner OF later, in consequence Of the Belize
telegraph being in the hands Of the then
heaviest corporation. they have been obliged
to give it up and come back into the cing.
Recently. however. the prominent owntrs
of the Ocean Line conceived the idea OF
establishing an Independent telegraph from
this city to the Southwest Pass via Pass =.
rOutre and the head of the passes, and
working their boats at the lowest possible
figures. In order to carry out this pro-
grsmme. they Dissolved with the association
in Juno last. since which time they have
erected first class telegraph line from the
city TO the passes at cost of over $50 900,
with stations At Poverty Point, Pointe q la
Hache, Quarantine, head Of the passes.
Pascal Outre. and Southwest Pass. The
rates of telegraphing are just one half those
charged by the old association: One dollar
for ten words. and each additional word
five cents extra. All public information is
gratuitous The company is styled the
Ocean Towboat and Telegraph Company.
The boats Of the company consist of four
first class side.wheel steamers, and one
propeller, the Charles Chamberlain, Ro.
chester, Rio Grande and Ocean, beside
the Admiral, which is used as harbor tug.
The Ocean has lately been rebuilt from
her keel up, and is as staunch as when first
launched. The other vessels are in perfect
order, having been thoroughly overhauled
during the summer months at large ex.
pense.
The outlay Oh boats and telegraph has
amounted to nearly 100000. To show
what good has already been done by them
we give the following rates now charged
and those charged heretofore. The rate OF
towsge by the old association was 81 Is per
ton inward and to the city: outward. fifteen
cents per ton tor ship drawing less than
sixteen feet Of water: twenty-five cents per
ton for q vessel drawing over sixteen and
up to eighteen feet; for one drawing over
eighteen feet always a separate contract
was necessary, and never less than fifty
cents per ton. and if draxiIssgg, raxiIssgg,sd ds nineteen
feet it frequently ceptss.on At the =. $500 to
$1,000 to get to ss.to@aessss sniasss; faI 1pv.~
The present ns.eiT. Hs sis} g port. an
s lime fSHF1 fFSsFsy: t. rate pylge by the ocss,,
poFs,he bu 81 per- and out >,
o2 o. iiyy'H9hakiug y a saw SE $1,000 At ~ is.st ~
live I" twelve bundrelt ton shin. Beside
enis' no matter how fine the wearber vhas
no opposition existed all ships had to sa;,
up 70 the bar and anchor before be;nn
~" y"..ueo' no" they are being boarded ali
sns I ay 'rom twenty to sixty miles off shore
ana lowed to the bar gratis. Durin. ,he
psss week the association ha, been on..;. .o
unoer IN price; the ship Norris was sha
This pr4as a. 1orty-five cents up and dovr :,
and u 10 W oo nopo>0ay tor the coal T. s,ill
-----. and that the shiph =,
least, patronlze those who have s>.
vast amount oe money in their interest a..
the interest of the whole merchant marine.
The principal stockholders of the Ocean
line are gentlemen Of enterprise and capital,
we'll known among us. among whom are
Mr.. William H. Mcclellan. Thomas McClel.
Ian, L. LaCombe. Joseph Cooper and
George Porter. Esq. Messrs. William and
Thomas Mcclellan have been untiring in
their zeal aud have spent the most of their
time since last June among their boats and
along the line of their telegraph. There is
also in the course of construction at Algiers
a m mammoth sectional dock in which Mr..
William Mcclellan has large interest.
This dock will be completed in a few
months, and when done will be capable of
taking in the largest vessels that come to
this port.
The superintendent of the telegraph and
towboats of the Ocean line Is conducted by
Captain Tom McClellan, who keeps himself
always thoroughly posted in all that is
going on from the elevator to sixty miles
outside PASCAL 'Outre.