The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1886-05-26

Vessels Hauled OFF the sands and Set
Floating Again.

EHOattnS AKafns
With whom do you contract for salving
a ship ?" inquired the reporter.
We make no contracts. There is nc
time for that. The owners or underwriters
of the stranded vessel call ON us immediate
ly after they learn of the disaster and say
The ship So-and-so is ashore at Barnegat
go instantly to her assistance You know
what to do and We'll talk of remuneration
after you get her off, WE'LL that's all we
want, and if there is any chance of floating
her we do So While piece of her timber
holds to her keel we strive to font her %
What kind of gear do you use ~
Oh, it would take month to describe
the outfit. We are continually obliged to
buy new improved apparatus. We have
derricks, hydraulic jacks, pontoons and
chair pedants capable of lifting hundreds OF
tons, and, in fact, everything from divers
rig to marlingspike. Our pumps and
boilers to the number of twenty are made of
the best steel, and are improved each year
according to the defects found. All the
boilers are portable, being used for the most
part ON the decks of stranded vessels. They
are regular locomotive boilers. The pat
tern is used only by us, all the other wreck
ing companies believing in upright boilers.
In hauling ships of we use manila long
boat rope cables of from fourteen to twenty
two inches circumference. What Is our
gear worth? don't know what it would
sell for, but know it cost between $780,
600 and 100000"
" What salary do you pay your men ?"
"We have dozen divers who are EN-.
ployed all the year round. They get from
$10 to 800 day, according to ability and
rank. Our principal diver is James Hag.
gerty. OF their work can say nothing. II
is already too well known to your readers
to permit rehearsal. The wreekers receive
300 month and their assistants $75. You
see we have to pay these men whether they
work OF not, for if we do not other wreck
ing companies will gobble them up. They
are the best in the market and for that
reason we cannot afford TO lose them"
How do you get the information of ves-
sells stranding or sinking?"
We receive it by telegraph in some
cases Immediately after the disaster, and AZ
other times the Maritime Exchange fur
nishes MS with the Information. We have q
private arrangement with the hitter associ-
alton. 1t is invaluable, for when the intelli-
gence is sent us by the exchange we gener-
ally get it early enough to seek and make
arrangements with the parties interested In
the stranded or sunken craft
What was the highest amount of sal
wage allowed your organization ?"
must decline to speak of that. If the
public would derive any benefit from the
information would not hesitate to give Il.
But it is private business. Besides the
sums alternate with so much inconsistency
That l cannot recall the largest amount from
memory. In some cases we only received
$500 or 5000. Then again as high as 800.
600 was paid for the services which we rem
dered The best piece of work my fnther
ever performed was on tho Generate Trans.
atlantique steamer LAmeriquo. She was
bound to this city from Havre, France, with
full passenger list and general cargo valu-
ed in ALL l think, at 81 500 900. On the
morning of january 7, 1877, she drove
ashore three miles north of Long Branch, so
high ON the beach was she that Mt times one
could walk around her. The Coast Wreck
ing Company was then in full bloom. and
my father as head man was dispatched TO
her assistance. Well, on and off for 81 days
they labored about the craft, working like
beavers, whenever the clements would per-
init When finally she was floated and tow
ed to this city, you will probably remember
that the national ensign was hoisted on
nearly all the downtown business houses.
In fact il was a regular holiday. Salvage
claims are sometimes placed in the hands OF
the Admiralty Court. The award which 1t
grants is invariably based on the value Of
the ship and her cargo, together with the
quality of services rendered, risk taken and
time consumed"