Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-03-05
Defective Friendships.

4 The Transportation of grain in bulk
is such an immense Improvement over
the old method of moving it in sacks
that a return to the latter would seem
TO be out of the question. Yet this
retrograde step is precisely what Eng
lish ship.owners and underwriters pro-
nose to try on the ocean. Within the
mast wear large number of freight
steamers have been lost, in most cases
With all on board. In some instances
more or less of tbs crew have been
saved, and their report seems to have
almost invariably been that the disaster
was due to the shifting of the cargo,
which, in every instance, consisted of
coal or grain in bulk. So great has
the mortality been, especially among
grain ships, the ship-Owners have at
last instituted q movement to discon-
tinue carrying grain in bulk. This is
n matter OF great interest to Western
grain growers. for return to the old
and costly system of handling grain in
sacks will involve serious diminution
in their profits, already small enough.
The London Engineer, in discussing
the matter, asserts that ship-owners
can remedy the evil in another way.
As o rule, freight steamers, as now
built, are very bad seaboats. They are
long, narrow. deep in the waist, and
wall-sided. They are exceedingly ten
der, to use q sailors phrase in other
words, easily oversct. They are, for
the most part, we'll built. Their defects
are not in workmanship or material,
but in shape. The only thing that
governs their modelling is that they
Shall be of the largest possible carrying
capacity. AS result, they resemble
rwrow, tiat-sided, and 1at-bottomed
Trought iron boxes instead of ships.
The builders of freight steamers care
nothing at all about designing ships.
The last consideration is that they shall
be safe and seaworthy, the first being
that they shall hold great deal. But
the builders are not to blame. They
supply what the owners ask for. and
these gentlemen secure themselves by
insuring heavily, and the insurance is
divided among so many underwriters
that no individual retains sufficient in
terest in the matter to make him insist
that craft possessing some of the quail
ties of Il real ship shall be sent into the
Atlantic in winter.
The remedy for all this. says the
Engineer, is easily enough found. If
owners would enforce on ship-builders
the necessity that the craft which they
build shall be seawOrthy. the ship
builders would be but too happy to
supply what was wanted. Something,
no doubt, would be lost tonnage dues
would have to be paid for some space
not occupied by cargo, and for some
other respects losses would be incurred.
But, on the other hand, the vessels
would have more speed, the duration
of voyages would be reduced, and thus
most important advantages would be
gained. Furthermore, it is evident
that if the safety of ships were increased
the profits of those concerned In their
safety ought to increase also. The first
o)st of really good seaboat is 10
greater than that of "a floating coffin"
Thslworking expenses of the former
may, however, bear higher proportion
to the receipts than will be the case
with the latter but the former may,
and probably will, enjoy long life,
while the latter may, and probably will,
founder in the first gale she encoun.
ters. The first ship is really better
investment than the last, if only ship
owners could be made to see it.
The causes which have led to the
construction of the modern unsea-
worthy freight steamer are quite nu-
meroIS. The system of underwriting,
the mode of measuring cargo space, the
necessity for loading and unloading
cargoes without a moments waste of
time the mode of levying dues the
need for 80 arranging holds aud hatch
es that any kind Of cargo can be slowed
below-all operate to the same end,
and will continue to operate unless
ship-owners determine that change
shall be made for the better. The
movement now on foot for the abolition
OF the system of carrying grain in bulk
shows that ship owners and under
writer's have awakened to the fact that
something must be done. 1t seems a
rather strange proposition, however,
that the worlds commerce must be |
thrown back upon its rude and aban-
doned methods because the worlds
carriers built ships unfit for the service !!
required of them. II, as the Engineer
asserts, the old-fasaioned sailing ships |
were infinitely more seaworthy and |
safer in gale than the modern iron
steamer" there has been a serious
falling off where there should have
been great improvement. If the old |
sailing vessel "rolled but little and |
was practically safe from being upset."
while the freight steamer is almost Ger
tam to capsize in a gale, return to
gray sacks is getting back to old prac.
uees al the wrong end. The ship, and
not the cargo, should he reantiq uated.
-St LOUIS Globe Democrat.
:, FLOWERS. They notify the cradle
the altar and tha tomb What can