The Portland daily press., 1878-03-27
The Loss of Grain Ladeu Ships.

MArANzAs, March 8, 1878.
from Portland for Havana in December the
Boston Advertiser of December 18th published
an article from the Marine inspectors of Boston
in reply to an article written by me and
published in the PRESS of December 9Th. The
Boston inspectors think they have crushed me
with an empty sugar hogshead. but if they
think that I am so easily crushed they do not
know their man. 1t is understood by all that
from the first communication that I wrote upon
the above subject, my arguments have
been based exclusively upon the proper hight
to dunnage ships cargoes from their ceiling.
I said that in the many cargoes of sugar that I
have taken on board of my vessel, that I have
never damaged cargo more than from to
inches and never has one hogshead or a box
been wet in vessel that I have commanded,
meaning on the ground tier, by not being
dunnaged high enough. The hogshead Of
sugar that the inspectors refer to was slowed
forward on the second tier. There was small
leak in the starboard bow port and some water
came through into the breast hoek, aud down
into the hogshesd of sugar and melted the sugar
out Suppose there had been leak in the
deck also and some water had gone down and
wet hogshead or box of sugar, what has
ton. Any person with common reason must
know that il would be impossible to melt out
one hogshead of sugar on the ground tier with
o1t others being damaged around it. The
inspectors seem to think that by misrepresent-
ing the case 1 am quite shorn of the honors
that claim from ship owners, and the cham
pionship of the widows and orphans. 1 claim
no honors or championship, but one thing do
claim and that is to know how to properly
load a ship with any cargo, and as long as life
lasts SO long shall my voice be heard on the
side of humanity. L have now disposed of the
hogshead of sugar that the inspectors called
upon me to explain or correct, and if they
have gained anything by it, they are welcome
to the victory. l think it would have been
we'll for those Boston gentlemen to have used
hogshead of sugar. They should have known
that it could not have been melted out on the
ground tier.
And now for the grain laden ships again.
About the time the bark Everett Gray was lost
with all on board, have been Informed that
the brig Alberta of Maine, laden with gain
was also lost with all on board, and I see
among file of papers that had sent me that
the bark George Krenaelburg was passed in
September on her beam ends loaded with
grain from New York for Europe, land the
bark Geo. A. Wright is the fourth Maine
loaded with grain, and no doubt there are
others. The inspectors very modestly say that
the Wright sprung leak, but the public know
better. have been informed that number
of the crew left the Wright near night, and
the next morning she was boarded again to
take off the rest of the crew, and her FORE
hatch was taken off, and no water was seen in
her. To say that she sprung leak even
before she encountered gale is libel on her
builders, and on her superintendent and on the
inspectors that oversaw her while building
and then gave her a first class for eleven
years. The Wright was no doubt one of the
best vessels that was ever turned out of a ship
yard. These four vessels were all first class
and instead of being lined IL and Is inches on
the floor and bilges, if there had been lined
only or inches I have no doubt but they
would have crossed the Atlantic safe in any
weather.
By lining vessel for grain as have sug-
gested she would carry at least fifty tons more
in the bottom of the lower hold, with fifty tons
less in the between decks, and it would make
the difference Of one hundred tons 10 the
lower hold. The inspectors say the Everett
Gray had carried one cargo of grain with the
same lining. We admit the fact that she
went across in midsummer, about the time
that we crossed the Atlantic nearly on our
beam ends, after being lined and loaded by
the injudiclous rules Of underwriters.
The public will not be surprised at what I
have said, or what l may say upon this mo-
mentous question. The shipmaster is not al
lowed to know anything about the vessel that
u6 COWmauus, Ne IL uOG ask0u Wu6tuer HIS YES.
sci is crank or not, no attention is paid to his
remonstrances, there are the rules.of the under
writers and they must be carried out, sink or
swim, hence the loss of these four vessels and
many others. If these vessels had been loaded
with pig iron or marble they would have
crossed the Atlantic in safety. There are some
of our best shipmasters in this port today, that
say they cannot take charter for grain unless
they can have their vessels lined not more than
one half the height of the present rules No
seaman can tell why these stupid, insane rules
were first established. A vessel with a wide
fiat floor can be lined by present rules and carry
a cargo of grain with safety, but take vessel
with short floor timbers and round bilges, for
such built vessels are always crank, and load
her by present rules and her destruction is al
most sure in the heavy weather that we have
on the Atlantic in the fall and winter.
The Everett Gray like the Carrie Bertha, had
small floor. She capsized on her first voyage
to London and filled with water. This fact
should have never been lost sight Of If the
captain of the Gray had been left to line and
load his vessel as he knew best how to load her,
she would not have been lost. ask then
whence the responsibility of the loss of these
lives and property. said to the inspectors in
their Office in Boston, that if could have the
say, in lining my vessel, that would not line
her more than or inches on the floor and
bilges. Capt. Candage made reply to me, eyes,
you would do what we would not" l an
you would not. I would have my vessel or any
other that was entrusted to me properly lined
and loaded so that she would safely cross the
Atlantic in any weather."
Those knowing inspectors say, "What shall
we think of mans Judgment who says that
by lining q ship - and 10 inches on her floor
and biges it takes out nearly one fifth part of
the carrying capacity of the lower hold" tell
you gentlemen, the cargo of ballast in the IL or
Is inches of the bottom of ship has more eff
feet to keep her right side mp than any other
one fifth part of the cargo in the ships lower
hold. A ship carrying grain to Europe and
coming back in ballast without taking out the
lining needs about one half more ballast than
she would if the lining was taken out and the
ballast put down on the ships ceiling, One
ton of cargo or ballast in vessels bilge has
more effect to keep vessel on her bottom than
three tons alongside tie keelson.
To line ship for grain by the rules of under
writers, the cargo is more than SO inches above
the outside planBing Of the ship on her floor
and bIges. You may ask how 1 make that
a vessel of eight or nine hundred tons should
be, say inches, and the floor timber heads 10
inches, and the thick work in the bilges not
less than inches, and then the lining in the
bilges Is inches. Pat these together and see
what they make. Now please draw diagram
of ship through the main hatch, say 40 feet
depth of hold and 80 feet beam and lined -
and Is inches on the floor and bilges, and see
what large part Of the cargo is carried in the
upper part of the ship. And when we see
these points can any one wonder at the loss of
so many grain laden Ships
l would not have discussed this question so
fully, but consider it to be one of the most
important questions that ever came before the
ship owners of the United States. Shall my
words be needed, or shall this course of death
and destruction still be carried on. have not
exhausted this important question, and if called
upon to speak again shall have more to saw,
ALVIN HALL,
Master Of the Brig Carrie Bertha.