Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-08-02
LOCAL MATTEEs.

LOCAL MATIEEss.
WEATHER PROBABILITIES. War Oeport
.,t OAfce of the Chief Signal Officer, Wash
' nto d. O., Aug. 2, lS17.l0:3o a. H.
1'g' the middle Atlantic States falling barome
~ hU increasing north and cast WINDS, stationary
ttee.I,,,neraure, cloudy weather and light rains
qur CANAL TRoUBLEs.-Tho Baltimore
c,n has the following report Of the conference
held in tbst city yesterday -
committee of canal boatmen yesterday bad
-, informal COD ference at No. SO st. Paul st;
Nth 4, p. Gormaa, president, and Michael
Eannon. John Humbird and Patrick Hannah,
Tractors of tho Chesapeake and OHIO Cana
:in,onany. The committee G! boatmcn, l1clad
;nr Mr, IIarrisoo. of Hancock, chalrnsu; Ihos.
n3onelly, Of the Borden Coal Company; Jack
en- locker, Of Brentlioger American Company;
VIM. II. Boyer, Consolidation Company, and
john Cahill, New Central Company were ap..
nointcd at q general meeting OF toatmeu at
iTnmhcrlsnd last Friday to como to Baltimore
and confer with Mr.. German, president OF the
canal, and the president Of the coal companies,
s;th view to q settlement Ct the differences
hctvccn The coal companies and the boatmen,
~, latter Of whom have becG OF strlkc tho
mast two mouths.
Mr. Gorman agreed to confer with tho COM
roit.ce of boatmcn informally, and invited sew,
syal Of bis directors to BE- present. Some OF
thc coal company presidents had loteudcd 10
y, nrcsert at the conference, but the burning
= canal steamer Star, No. 8, st dsu! No. G co
he canal last Suuday night by q gang ot anask-
q, men altered the whole programme. Ihc
zeal companies sect word TO the boatmen cola.
,,,;t;cc Yesterday that iu view CT that outrage
aad vandalism they would positively daelec 10
treat with the boatGlcn until tne canal blockade
!. broken, aud the boatmeC 60 to Cumecra1d
scd assist ia the punishment Of guilty parties
wao destroyed property % the canal 1hc'e
were consequently 40 representatives from the
coal companies at tue conferences, aud the bGat
men expressed their appoirtD'eut, While
t1ev denounced The Waato1 destruction OF thn
steamer and all other overt acts.
They presented Mr.. German with state
mant of their demands 10 substance as i0l-
lows
|. The boatmcu to receive 81 ton toS carry
;ny coz; from Cumberland to Georgetown, arc
i've cents InoGc too TO Alexandria; that rate
=, &C Gxod for the whole season by wrlttca con
tract
,. All boats to be employed and loaded it
tuTD.
:. Trirpagc to be reduced 10 SIS per trip.
They also presented stalcmcut ct n,!Gor al
i"sct grievances which they we're Willing to
discuss at length, but they ar DOT iea3!ns
p,jnts 10 the matter at isSu:.
Mr.. German replied 10 the frat icrl'Ad ior
an Increase to 81 a ton, that be would OK re-
commerd it to the coal coGnpanlcS because he
knew il would not be accepted. The coal con-
panlcs could not pay the boatmen such figures
and compete with tho low rates Tor carrying
a., Ia h !
bat lust that the coal companies should pay The
boatmcn uniform rates per ton, ami nc believed
such arrangement would he made At figures the
shippers could afford 10 pay. Before the
strike the price paid per ton was not uull1rln.
varying from 80 to Is cents.
To the second demand the reply was that 1t
would be impracticahle to employ all the boats
and load them by turns. There arc 56O boats
Oh he canal, with capacity to move = OOO, OOO
tons of coal ia the season Of eight mo1tts,
while there are but ahcut COO 900 tons to DC
moved this season. All the boats caunot be
cmploycd, nor can they be loaded In regular
turn.
The abatement of trippege asked for was con-
aidored just and proper, and tie coal companies
i was thought would agree to enforceit. Among
canal bcatmcn ''trippase" means payment on
tho ins!allment plan. Capitalists build boats
and sell them to tho boatmon, who are requlre0
10 pay m installInent of money every trip until
the boat is PAID for. It was stated the boatnen
by this process pay very high prices for their
boats, sometimes double and even treble as much
AS thoy can BIZ built for nov, and it was thought
the bostrnen should hsve a!l the advantages
incident 10 the chespeniaS of that Kind o. prop
erty. The committee wero promised ri! the
protection of law in that direction q bost FORM
erly cost 81. ECO to build and now could 30 con-
a:ructed for much less.
There was s general Interchange Of Tiawsa: tho
conference, which lss ed four hours. Tho boat
,lon said they ha1 hoped the canal company
cents q ton so that tho shippers could pay more
to the boats, but thoy were assured me canal
co1ld not take lower than its presents ratea =,
The bostmen at the end Of the conference saie
;hny wore sorry nothing had been accom- pilIn(o
;ihcy did not know whether aly OF the boats
would 80 to work pending settlement OF the
;nettcr with tho coal companies, which l@ttsr, L.
is understood, will confer ct Cumberland only,
and somo hsve not expressed as yet a wiling
ness TO unite in any conference. one OF lac
boEtmen remarked that he did not want TO go to
work at the prices because there were no caance
Cor making any money. =,
In the two months strike the burning OF thc
steamer on Sunday night was tho liFst decidedly
over act which required the active lntorveEton
of the legal authorities 1t resulted in q Rotl-
,a,ion to the she-itls of the counties on tho line
that property on the canal is endangered, and II
they arc not able 70 cope with the danger tho
powers of the State will be invoked through Its
chief executive.
Tho Cumberland Nows Of yesterday says
The captain Of the canal steamer star
No. j." burned by masked mon lsst sun
Gay night, makes 3 statement of the a'fSiF
similar 10 that Of his crew. He also says that tns
aCondarics moved the boat after It was on hre,
away from house near tho lock, co that toe
lanes should not 10 communicated 10 the
building"
Boar RAcEs.-Owiog to the troubles On the
canal there arc large number O vessels iylas
a; this port awaiting cargoes, and as oil the re-
painting, scraping Of mas;s aud other repair