The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-04-16
THE SOUTH PASS WAR.
.rur DEMOCRAT ATTEMPTS TO GET AT
IT'S TaUE INwARDNEss.

Ing ships 10 SUCK ou tno pdl' hao eho"'0N
public sentiment and excited general curlos-
ity. If the accusations set forth against the
Towboat Association are true, that associa-
lion Is amenable to the community for
direct and unfair blow at its commerce 1t
: therefore becomes public duty to slit the
matter through and to that effect reporter
of the DEMOCRAT went along yesterday in
teryiewing parties who could furnish points.
Among the ship brokers he found great
deal of difficulty not so much In obtaining In
formation (many were willing and anxious TO
give it,, but in having the information anthem
ticated. It Is but too often the case that peo-
pie will willingly furnish facts that may help
their Individual interests but will not give
newspaper man the strength OF their names
to back his publication. The newspaper man
ia supposed to be professional Don Quixote,
poing for all the windmills in sight without
any backing. He must be the knight Grant
who espouses each individual quarrel on his
own hook, depending only on hard blows and
q heavy armor for personal safety.
AS II turns out, however, we find, from our
peregrinating inquisitions, that the shipping
interests Of this city are almost unanimous
against the workings OF the Iowboat Asso-
citation. which, though apparently broken up
now. still virtually exists, and Yields power
which can defeat any opposition by means of
its telegraph lines: OF these there are two
from the Balize to New Orleans, both consoli
dated, as il the complaint, In the interest OF
the Towboat Association. To counterfeit this
evil, we are informed that application has
been made to the Western Union Telegraph
Company to establish line from this city to
the Ba!ze, which application has been CON
line Is established then competition will be
fair and square, and our chipping interests
will not be exposed TO suffer from oombina-
tions.
THE CHARGES.
The charges for towage. according to unex-
pired contracts, Is ninety cents per ton both
ways. Since the split In the combination
contracts are made for much less. Capt
Eads, with bis two tugs chargesa slAIy,hlive
kers that fifty cents per ton would be fair
compensation, and every one OF them agree
that there are more seagoing towboats tout
necessary to carry on the towing business,
ten being the number estimated as sufficient
for the traffic Of our port.
In order to elucidafe the question on every
SIDE inquiry was made as to the
CUSTOMS OF THE TowBoATs
from those who make frequent trips to the
passes, and those too, by the way, who seem
to be well acquainted with the ways of the
towboat organizations. One gentleman,
who declined to have his name
appear in CONNECTION with wit any tbe
to use his own words, lone concern was as
bad as the other, and they were both bad
enough"
He had, he said, known of instances where a
ships bill of expenses in coming In from sea
and returning with cargo, including towage
up and down and pulling her off the bar,
amounted to $47o0, the "pulling" item
amounting to S170o of that amount, for seven
teen hours work at her to get her off the
mud-lump she had beenstuck on. This kind OF
work, the gentleman said, drove that ship to
New York on the next voyage, and 1t was Just
such work as that would drive trade from
the city to New York or other ports. He
understood that the recent exposures made
had already caused overtures to be made be-
tween the associations looking toa ''combl-
nation" or arrangement whereby the organ1-
cations would make pool" as Is done by
have the effect to increase the price OF towage
representative of the DEMOCRAT called
upon Mr.. w. G. Coyle, president OF the
purpose OF learning his version OF the jetty
blockading matter Mr. Coyle, in response
to the inquiries put to him, stated that al
ready card had been drawn UP in response
to that of Capt Blacks and it would be pub
lished. He said that the allegations set forth
i'm that card about the subject OF grounding {
vessel in the ietties having been before any
meeting of the Towboat Association was
false, for nothing Of the kind was there men
toned. He said that the reason Capt. Blacl
Withdrew was that he waS In the telegraph
station OF the company when The operator
Capt. Eads was present. Fearing ..at t !il
patch. he delayed sending it for some time
and getting impatient ordered the operator
out of the room. His action was not ,sus
tanned by the Towboat Association, and thu
use Of the wires was given to Capt. Eads
This SO chagrined Capt. Black that he with
drew from the body. Mr.. Coyle went on t.
say that the telegraph had been erected by tn
and was private property ana In
patches should go over it. Referring to tn
blocking of the ietties, he said that such al
idea had never been limited at except once b,
Capt. Black himself, and then every one tool
the matter as joke and paid no attention
to it.
He said that during the days of the associa
ton, which went to pieces early this month
the rates were higher than they are now
sition and no general association each com
pany underbds the other In order to secur
the tow. There are too many boats In Tn
business now, there being fully twenty six o
seven, when less than twenty could do tn
work.
Capt. E. A. Yorke. of
THE FLANAGAN LINE,
was next interviewed. He corroborated wha
Mr.. Coyle had stated, and said that at u
meeting Of the members OF the associate
nau the SuUJeCJ ol SloNAuinS rSSocA - "
ietties been mentioned. He had proteste
against Capt. Black taking charge as mans
ger of the boats of the association when \
did, for it was properly the month for M
Coyle to do 1t.
It appears that by a system the manager
of the different lines in the association alte
nate for certain period In taking full chare
in the management Of the boats belonging
the association, and on the occasion refe err
to it was Mr.. Coyles turn; but as CAP
Black desired to be absent during the sur
mer, Mr.. Coyle permitted him to take t
boats during February and March, so that
tBlack) might be able to get away later nj
La Combe, Of the
OCEAN LINE,
was also called upon, and whilst the report
was conversng with him Capt. Thos M
Lelan dropped in. Here, as before, t.
statements published by Capt. Black we