The Portland daily press., 1877-11-28

MR.. EDIToR:-One year last May l arrived
| IN Boston and chartered my vessel to take
cargo of grain to England. The underwriters
| inspectors came on board and directed the car
| penter how to line my vessel. When the YES
| sci was filled with grain / found she was not
down to her loading draft. L asked the car
| penter what space he left between the ships
ceiling and lining. He said he had lined my
vessel as directed by the inspectors, twelve
inches on the floor and fifteen inches in the
bilges. I then said that the vessel was not
safe to cross the Atlantic, and if it was in the
fall of the year when we are subject to heavy
gales, l would demanded the underwriters to
discharge my vessel and line her properly, that
is to say, not more than seven or eight inches
on the floor and bilges. Any vessel that needs
to be lined more than seven or eight inches
from her ceiling is not fit to carry grain. and
any man that contends that ship should be
lined twelve and fifteen inches on her floor and
blges knows but little about a ship, although
he may have been to sea many years. To line
a ship by the rules of underwriters takes out
about one-fifth of her carrying capacity in the
lower hold where she wants her cargo
To pursue the subject further, 1 sailed from
Boston on the Sd day of June with light
southwest wind and before got ten miles out
SIDE OF Boston light had a sstrong wind and
at one time determined to return and have my
vessel discharged and properly loaded, and if
1t had been the stormy season of the year
should not have attempted to cross the Allan
tic in her without doing so. She was SO very
crank that when we had but fine topgallant
breeze on the wind, the water stood on the lee
side into the hatch combings and sometimes
lee rail under water. The ship-master above
all other men should know best how to load
his vessel with any cargo. The loss of the bark
Everett Gray with all on board, that sailed
from Boston one year ago laden with grain,
was no doubt caused by improper lining of the
ship, and the bark r. III. Purington was lost
about the same time laden with grain from
Boston, and now the fine bark George A.
Wright with cargo of grain from Boston has
followed. No doubt il the last named ship
had been lined as 1 have suggested she would
have been to-day at her port of destination
safe.
The ship-owners of the United States should
call ship-owners' convention to be holden
annually, to unite their interests and make
such rules and regulations that shall reduce
many of the expenses imposed upon ships by
Inscriptions men. Ship brokerage should not
be moro than q per cent. and sbip-owners
would be much better off if there were no ship
brokers in the world. This may be rather
nara nit, Du6 one cannot help 1T. Let it hit.
Compulsory pilotage is nuisance of the mean
est kind and should not be tolerated by ship
owners for moment. When we want men
let us employ them and only when we want
them. All compulsory pilot laws arc uncon-
stitutiona, and if Congress will not relieve
ship-owners from this great expense let ship
owners come together and pass resolutions that
they will never pay any more compulsory pilot
age and the thing is killed from that day. The
pllotage in many places has been increased
from time to time until the expense has got to
be unbearable.
Pilots choose their own trades as other men
do theirs, and let them stand or fall as other
tradesmen do Why should legislatures make
laws to compel one man to employ another,
whether he wants his services or not? The
pilotage into Gloucester, Mass, is So 80 per
foot and the Custom House not more than
three miles from the sea. This is the highest
pllotage in the United States and is downright
robbery. Touching at Hampton Roads for Or
ders in and out 1 paid over 1921 pilotage and
the distance about fifteen miles. There is no
class OF property holders in the country that is
imposed upon and robbed like ship.owpers. 1
should like to have the regulating OF some of
the maritime laws of this country. All want
II ask is right and justice.
ALVIN HALL,
Master brig Carrie Bertha