The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1886-10-21
A Sea Captain on Compulsory Pilotage,

open daylight, with the 18th of July sun smil
ing upon the toll gates of the Chesapeake whicl
| the creator of the world made for the free US
| of mankind, unencumbered bv pilots or tol
collectors. AS the day was exceedingly fine,
sought not to avoid any one who might come il
my course while crossing the Bridge. thinking
at the same time that the day was Sunda,
the toll takers possibly would be at home will
| their families attending church. In this hope
| however, was mistaken. The tow boat hat
come alongside for my letters and was helpin!
me out. AS was having a friendly chat will
| the captain of the tow boat we noticed row
boat approaching US from Old Point Comfort
There comes the pilot" says the captain of tn,
tug boat, che don't intend that you shall 50 ou
without paying your pilotage.' The boat came
alongside and asked me where / was bound
lot" was the response 81 don't want any pi
lot," said. But you must pay your pilotaee
$40 was the answer from the boat. 'Com,
up" said, 'and let me measure YOU" The
pilot came up the vessels side and on deck ant
seemed to be much of a gentleman. He said il
Il
ing vessel had sufficient knowledge of the Ches
apeake and Hampton Roads to enable him tc
take his vessel to sea without the assistance OF
a pilot. "Can you take this vessel to Rio Jan
eiro for me?" said |. ''Nly family are not wei
and thought as the time approached for me tc
leave for good, if ] had competent man al
hand would let him 90 the voyage for me ant
| ail1 utn oft I
thing; am pilot; | am not ship MASTER
said he. "Well." said, ''don't YOU think that
if have sufficient knowledge to find Rio car
manage to get to sen from here without the as.
si>tance of pilot. The tug boat will tow me
out for SIS and your pilotage is $40" "Wel,'
said the toll taker, "'you pay your potawe and
the boat can tow YOU to sea. The Virginia law
prohibits tug boats from towing vessels beyond
certain line without pilot" "Ihen must
either accept your services, for which you
charge me $40 for three hours work, or pay
you before can employ the steamer to tow me
to sea- Yes" ''Don't you think now,'
said, 'betwecn man and man, that it is a little
rough to be stopped on Gods highway and
compelled to pay certain sum before | can
proceed. and such an eXhorbitant price, too:
If il was any reasonable sum ii would not seem
50 bad" But" said the pilot, "this is the law.
We must live" ''Thcn will give you $40 and
90 out without y0u;" and he proceeded to ac-
ccpt the same after questioning my draft and
nquiring if had the necessary finds on depoS-
1t to meet the draft when presented. He left
me with his blessing and gave him mine.
This is not the first time but the fourth time
in two years that | have been Nictirizcd by
this unjust law. under " hich fees are collected
without the least services in return. These
people have license granted them by the State,
and arc protected by the United States to plum
der vessels by compelling them to pay certain
sum to the pilot monopoly who own the eXclu-
sive right to sail in the Virginia waters. There
is process by which vessel engaged in the
coa>ting trade may escape from pilotage, and
that is by buying pilot license, paying there
for Zoe. per ton ON the tonnage of the vessel.
This license runs one year, provided you con
tinuc in the cOasing trade, and is cancelled as
soon as You enter the foreign trade. Why have
not the Ship brokers the same right to form a
htphoioiN anu 'oiHl'ti tNtlN NtSSti 10 tDilt 10
them, and by this process do away with half Of
the brokers in New York; Why have not the
ship-chandlers and the grocery men. (whitc),
the same right as the pilots to compel me to
buy my stores and rope from them whether it
suits me or not? Why should not the tug-boat
man compel me to barter with him for tow
the merchant compel me to accept his charter
whether it suits me or not, and why cannot
scores of other people we do business with
form an association and compel every ship
master to either pay or employ them? Will
some one answer this and tell me why any or
all of the people have mentioned should not
enjoy the same right of monopoly that the pi-
lots enjoy. suppose the people of one State
should say to the people of the adjoining State,
YOU can not travel in our roads unless You pay
for it, and then proceed to build their toll
houses, and to make things more secure, stretch
toll gates across the different roads leading into
the State. How much toll would they collect,
and how long would the toll houses and toll
gates Withstand the Indignation of the people
against this unheard of law? Yet our COM
mercc has submitted to the compulsory pilotage
law, which is equally as bad, for over three
quarters Of a century. Let every vessel that
does not require the services of a pilot refuse
to pay them. One vessel refusing would be of
little use but one hundred refusing would raise
the wind and excite the people against this lln-
Just law. Now as it is paid without very much
remonstrance the public knows little or moth
ING about its unjuStness. We talk loud, and
biz words come out. with now and again Il
word not warranted in the Bible when we are
obliged to pay the pilots bill. The wind and
smoke soon die away and it is forgotten. We
should unite and Kill the law that compels Us to
pay any man for his services when we do rot
require them. | can easily prescribe a dose of
medicine that would purge the pilots of their
puIsory potage law. Let every vessel refuse
pilo: when his services are proflered and re-
fuse to pay his bill unless YOU require his SER
vices and it would create such a stir that Con-
grcss would be obliged to abolish compulsiye
pilot law III the United States. 1t is necessary
to do something to bring this question before
the public, before we may expect Congress to
AZ upon IT, I-A'itt tlt lcOlc against lillS INV
and you will have it abolishea for the peoples
will is law, or soon becomes So Every man
connected with shipping Insurance companies
eXceptetD are opposed to this compulSive pilot
age law.
1t is self interest that induces the insurance
companies to oppose aboshng pilot laws. In
surance companies take risks on vessels and
cargoes for the sake of the premiums, and moth
ing else. 1t is nothing to them if ! spend half
my freight in paying pilots, SO long as ] have
enough left to meet my premium note when it
becomes due. The difference between paving
premium note and collecting a claim is very
great. The pilotage fees in the United States
are three times as much as in any other country
on the globe. My pilotage into Hampton Roads,
for 15 feet is $j6.31. The same draft winter
piotage, in New York is SOTO This rate
averages nearly the same in every State of the
Union. In Mobile it is much higher, because
you are obliged to employ two pilots if you
go to the city, one for the Mobile Bay, or rather
the entrance of the bay, and another for cross
ing Dog River bar, which makes the pilotagc
inward 81 per foot on draft of IL feet In
Queenstown, Ireland, which is port of call,
there are fixed rates for pilots, but no com
pulson. My pilotage there would be f310
($16.S6) in Falmouth it would be f4.00 (S19.2S)
in France 100 francs fS00\. in Snain S11 O0