The Portland daily press., 1885-02-19
Thirty-six Hours ia the ice.
NEW STEAMSHIP PRoJECT.
Proposed Lime from Long island, ". NJ, tC
Milford Haven. Eng.

Milford Haven, Eng.
WASHINGTON Feb. 15.-Representative Clsrdy
has been instructed by the Committee on Com
merce to favorably report to the House Repre-
sentative j. j. Adams bill authorizing the regis
tration of certain steamships as vessels of the
United States The vessels are 10 be constructed
by company incorporated under the laws of New
York, with q capital of ten millions. They are 60
ply between New York city or some point on Long
Island and a suitable pert in Great Britain, and
are to have speed of 18 knots hour. The re-
port to accompany the bill says: "The population
of the United States is approaching 60 100000
people and that of the United Kingdom So 600 000
The introduction Of some means of transit be-
tween these two Englishspeaking nations, wholly
free from the inconvenientsdeay and hazards due
to tides fogs and storms encountered in narrow
and crowded waterways such as beset the present
routes, is growing necessity. The committee is
advised that the port of departure in the United
States will be Fort Pond Bay, L. l., that in Great
Britain, Milford Haven. The saving in distance
by the proposed route is about 170 miles at one
end of the route, avoiding the enclosed waters and
currents and great dangers of St. Georges Chan
mel, and lis miles at the other end, avoiding the
risks incident to the coasts OF Long Island and New
Jersey. From 20 to 80 hours in time will be saved.
Ten days and three hours are now required to
transport the mails from London to New York.
The proposed new line will be able to deliver Lon
don mails in New York in six days and three
hours.
1t seems little strange and peculiar that Ameri-
can citizens who desire to engage Ia business
as legitimate and unquestionable as that of trans
porting passengers, mail and freight between two
great continents, who expect to spend their own
money asking no pecuniary favors from their
Government, obliged to ask Congress to do this
business under the colors of their own country in
order to relieve themselves from the necessity so
humiliating their of national pride of seek
ing protection for that business under foreign
flag. With the exception OF few Old steamers
commonly denominsted 'tramps'' and few coast
ing steamers engaged in the domestic trade there
is not steamer leaving the port OF New York or
calling into it that is not differed and manned by
foreigners and that does not float at its masthead
foreign flag. If in dire distress, this Government
could scarcely collect feet large enough and OF
proper character to carry single division of troops
upon the open sea. 1t may be said that the policy
of the Government is to develop the shpbuilding
interest at home. But this policy has been tried
for hundred years and the result has been that
the American flag has been practically driven from
the seas If the experience of the past has demon
strated the unwsdom OF this policy is that not a
reason why we should strive 10 secure our just
proportion of the benefits resulting from the bring
Ing of foreign vessels into our ports, giving en-
ployment to our own people under our own fog
instead Of permitting foreign vessels to control our
business in the interest Of foreigners and under
foreign fagsP'