The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-02-14

month of January last, no less than eight YES
sells were totally lost, on the shore, between
Scituate and Plymouth, distance of twenty
miles, involving the sacrifice of more than
than twenty lives" He advocates making
Scituata Point this "harbor of refuge" and
goes on to say "that in aid of this object, an
appropriation will be asked of Congress. The
commercial interest of the country would most
assuredly cOncede that an appropriation should
be granted at once to make Scituate harbor or
some other safe point, "a harbor refuge" for
vessels approaching that dangerous coast"
passing into Boston harbor The great COM
merce of Boston should no longer be subjected
to such loss of life and property, if it can be
avoided by making Scituate a "hsrbor of
refuge" at an outlay of millions by the general
government
The Boston Daily Advertiser of February 9TH
says; "We understand that the Harbor Com
missioners will visit Scituate and the scene of
the proposed improvement this week, and, if it
seems practicable, will make some representa-
ion to Congress on this subject"
Now this loss of life and property and the
evident dangers of entering Boston harbor, is
thirty days, aud more than thirty lives lost,
and certainly. with one exception, no great
storm or very stormy weather, and an unusu-
ally mild January.
The commerce of Portland does not compare
with the great commerce of Boston, but for the
year 1877 there entered and cleared from the
port of Portland steamers ships, barques,
briggs and schOoners-all classes of vessels-992
entered and 1889 cleared. Certainly not a small
number; and would ask if there have been
during the last TWENTY-FIVE years as were
wrecked in entering Boston harbor in one
month? L think not, and was not my state,
ment that Portland had the safest and most
accessible harbor on the coast correct? This
comparison can correctly and truly be made
with New York, which is twenty-five miles from
Sandy Hook, Philadelphia, which is one hun
dred and three miles from Delaware Braakwa.
ter, and Baltimore, which is one hundred and
twenty-five miles from Cape Henry. The dis
lance OF all these points from the ocean abso.
lately requires pilotage for vessels inward bonnd
to navigate the difficult channels, and more or
less for vessels outward bound; and the pilot
dues, which are heavy, in these times of dull
business, are obliged to be paid; while Port
land has no pilots under state law, and no yes-
sci entering Portland harbor is obliged to take
pilot, or pay pilot dues, whether pilot Is TAX
en- or not. May the day be far away when the
exactions imposed upon vessels entering many
OF our Atlantic ports shall be in force in PORT
land. Should it ever come, the commerce of
the port will not require it, but it will be &C.
complished by designing men, for selfish ends
and purposes, and not in any way to promote
the commercial interest of Portland.
have remarked, in some of my letters upon
the short time required for steamers and YES
sells under sail, when leaving Portland, to be
beyond all danger out on the 'broad Atlantic"
But what is far more important is the fact that
steamers and sail vessels, bound into Portland,
with passengers and cargoes, can, within few
hours after they are sgnalled, be safe in port,
as was the case with the "Nepgap," and that
too in one Of the most fearful snow storms ever
experienced on this coast. This is not so with
Boston, New York, Philadelphia aud Balti-
more. Vessels bound into these ports NAV be
days coming to the wharves, and then only
with the aid of steamers, after they are report
ed as having arrived.
1t may be of interest to some of your readers
who have not the time to gather up
facts in regard to the commerce of Port.
land, to know that there are in this
port, loading and to be loaded, at the
Grand Trunk wharves and the elevator,
eleven ships, barques and briggs, also two large
steamers, aggregating about 1000 TONS all
bound for Europe. These vessels will take
away 1900 tons of cargo. The "Ontario" sail
ed February ID, with 200 tons of cargo The
of these vessels will be from two
to three thousand dollars each, an item of some
importance these dull times, and affording en-
to hundreds of laboring men at the
Grand Trunk wharves. The exports of wheat
and other grains from this port are increasing
rapidly, as will be seen in comparing the fol-
lowing: