The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-12-29
New England Steam Craft.

New England Steam Craft.
Census bulletin 272 gives the statistics of
the steam craft of the New England States
for the year $780, At the close of that year
there were 515 steamers of all classes owned
in these States. Their measurement amount
ed to 120, 177.S3 tons, and they were valued
at S., OIL ,250. OF these steamers, 81 in num-
Der, measuring 1,623.09 tons, and valued at
$147600, were in use upon the waters with
In the States of Maine, New Hampshire,
Vermont and Massachusetts,, and were there
fore not subject to the custom and inspec-
tion laws of the United States. Maine, how
ever, has law regulating the traffic upon
the waters of the State and providing for in
spection. Regarding the valuation of steam
boat property, it was thought best to take
the estimates of the local United States in
spectors, who, from their familiarity with
the boats, may be considered as experts. The
valuation was thus placed upon each steam
er, based upon the condition and age of the
hull and boilers and the capacity of the en-
gines. 1t may therefore be considered as
nearly correct as it is possible to attain, and
represents their market values. Adding ST.
703,600 as the value of small craft to the
amount invested in the large passenger and
freight lines, we have an aggregate of S12,-
343, ,413 as an approximate of the capital in
vested in the steamboat interests of the New
England States.
The nasean0or ,,,ounmant Amounting tn
1851, ,2S0 passengers, may be divided into
1902, $50 ferry and 3,544,3 regular and
excursion passengers. An analysis of this
movement, as far as it is practicable tomake
it, shows a movement on Long Island sound,
by steamers owned in these States, of 937, ,33S
passengers. During the season, between Bos-
ton and the ports Of Maine, the movement
amounted to 113, 800 passengers. and between
Boston and the ports of Nova Scotia, New
Brunswick, and Prince Edwards Island, di-
rect and via Portland, tapproximated $4,000
passengers. Along the coast of Maine, from
Portland, Rockand, and Mount Desert,
eastward as far as Calais, it amounted to ST.
557 passengers Besides IL ,261, ,935 passen-
gers carried by the ferries of Massachusetts,
there were 52,367 teams, carriages, carts
and horses reported by the ferries Of Boston.
The number of lives lost by accidents was
30, of which q were passengers, making an
average of one in 131, ,273 regular aud excur-
sion passengers carried, and, including ferry
traffic, one in 577, 800 for the New England
States.
TI,o frnio io1,t 4roff g tJ,o 81 IS f1,o
New England States, amounting to 2,680,S74
tons, represents the amount carried, the
towing lines not reporting traffic, owing to
the desultory nature of the business. Of the
amount of freight transported, 2,760 tons
were reported by ferry and transfer compa-
nies, includiOg the traffic of the New Eng
land transfer company around New York
city, but not including the car transfers of
the New York, Providence and Boston road
at New London. The freight movement by
the Sound lines was reported at 1,470,235
tons, while the ocean steamers to Philadel-
phia and Savannah from Boston and Provi-
dence transported PA, ,S47 tons. The move
ment from Boston to the ports of Maine
amounted to 1SS, 800 tons, and to the ports
in the Dominion of Canada it approximated
100000 tons. The exact figures cannot be
given, as accurate returns were in one in
stance inaccessible.
Gross earnings equal Ga per cent. on the
capital invested
The relation of the leading lines to the
railroads of the New England States, with
the exception of those on Long Island sound,
lake Champlain, and lakes George and Win
nipiseogee, are rather remote. As a general
thing they are represented in the ticket and
passenger agents associations, and some
lines are bonded with roads running through
the Dominion of Canada for the transporta-
ton Of freight in bond. 1t is therefore prac-
ticable to show only the relations, without
giving any details of the interchange of traf-
fic.
The Eastern Steamboat Company, at Bath,
Maine, sustains the relation of a feeder to
the Maine Central railroad and to the Ken
nebec Steamboat Company. and the Port
land, Bangor and Machias Steamboat Com
pany sustains a similar relation to the East
ern and to the Boston and Maine roads az
Portland. The Portland Steam Packet Com
pany and the Maine Steamship Company are
bonded with the Grand Trunk railway of
Canada, but in other respects they are indie
pendent. The Sebago Lake Steamboat Com
pany runs in conn ection with the Portland
and Ogdensburg road, and on lake Winnipi-
seogee one of the lines is owned by the Bos-
ton and Maine and the other by the Boston,
Concord and Montreal roads. The Boston
lines sustain about the same relation to all
the roads leading out of the city. The Bos-
ton, Halifax and Prince Edwards Island
line issues tickets over the Central Vermont,
Old Colony, and Boston and Providence rail-
roads in the New En- gland States, and over
the International, Windsor, Annapolis, and
the Western Counties railways of the Do
minion. The Boston and Savannah line IS
sues tickets and through bills of lading over
the Georgia Central Railroad and Banking
Company and its connections, and over the
Savannah, Florida and Western, and the Sa-
vannah and Charleston roads. The Boston
and Philadelphia Steamship Company and
the Sanford Steamship Company are both
Independent. The latter, however, is fed to
some extent by the small lines of steamers
that connect at RockIand and at Belfast,
Maine.
The Continental Steamboat Company aud