The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-01-04
THE LAKE CRAFT.
HOW TRAOFIC ON THE GREAT
LAKES IS CONDUCTED.
Great Vessels and the Work They Do
"A Propeller and Its Consort
The Reckless Lake
Sailors.

The lake traffic, says Frank Wilkcson.
in the New York Times, is conducted
differently from any other system of
transportation on water. The men who
engaged in it were forced to compete
with skillfully managed railroads for
freight, and in addition they had but
seven months per year in which to carry
on their business and earn profit on
their investments. TO earn money in
the business, the managers of the lake
transportation lines had to be wise and
bold and economical. The methods en-
ployed to conduct this traffic were con-
stantly improved, until at present they
are considered to be almost perfect. But
with every improvement made tho cost
of the vessels increased enormously, un-
til now steamer and three consorts rep
resent large fortune. An iron or steel
steamer, strong and seaworthy, and
with great towing powers to carry
5000 bushels of wheat and tow
three consorts, costs about $175, 900. A
wooden screw steamer (all steamers en-
gagged in the business arc screw steamcrsl
of the same carrying capacity and towing
power costs about Sl25 900. A wooden
schooner to carry75 900 bushels of wheat,
or 2, $50 tons, costs about $75, 900. A
steel steamer and three consorts, as now
built, represents about 100000. The
schooners are equipped with three or four
short, thick masts, to each of which a
single immense sail is hung. These sails
are generally handled with the aid of a
steam winch. The schooners are ofticered
and manned as though they were to sail
by themselves, but they do not. They
are the consorts of the steamers. The
latter vessels in addition to carrying q
load of about rs, 900 bushels have to tow
two, three, and as high as five consorts,
each of which carries us much if not more
freight than the towing steamer. These
propellors are generally equipped with
two short masts, which carry enormous
sails. Through the deck Of the vessel,
and close to the stern, a heavy iron or oak
post is thrust far downward toward the
keel to enable the builders to brace
it thoroughly. So solidly is this towing
post built into the ship that to tear it out
would tear the stern of the vessel away.
The post pro ects above the deck about
six feet. One end of q heavy cable is
securely fastened to the towing post.
The other end is slipped through longi-
tudinal slot in the stern of the steamer
and then passed to the first consort.
where it is made fast to- towing post
near the bow of that vessel. Similar
lines connect the second consort to the
first, and the third to the second, and
80 on down the column. II the wind is
favorable the eonsorts hoist their sails,
and the steamer then tows them, rapidly
up or down the lakes. When the wind
is llnfavorable or dead ahead, as it gen.
orally is, the captain of the propeller
sits up o. nights to swearat theschooners
and at their captains and crews and cabin
boys.
ABut when fierce storm arises, and
the strain on the towing post is greater
than the Captain of the propeller thinks
his craft can safely endure, the cable is
cast off, and loud blast of the steam
whistle notifies the Captains of the
schooners to. look out for themselves.
The schooncrs, being sc;Lworthy vessels
and ably commanded, generally weather
the storm. After casting his consorts
loose the Captain of the propeller is as
sailed by doubts as to the wisdom of his
act. He hovers around the abandoned
consorts as hen around her chickens,
and he is not happy until he has them in
tow again.
The spectacle OF large propeller fol-
lowed by four consorts, all heavily laden
and with sails set, moving down the
lakes at the rate of eight or ten mics an
hour, is pleasing to anti-monepoliats.
The five ships carry the wheat that grew
on %, 900 acres Of productive Dakota
wheat land. In their holds is sufficient
wheat to load "a freight trains of 80 cars
each, and each car to carry 500 bushels.
1t is the chcapest transportation known
to man. Wheat can be carried from
Duluth to Buffalo, q distance of $50
miles, for cents per bushcl, and that
low rate is profitable, provided au up
cargo can be secured.
Annually the fleet engaged in the lake
commerce grows more and more efficient.
The new boats are larger and more sea-
worthy than the old ones. The losses of
ships on the lakes, which makes long
list as published when the season closes,
consist generally of old, worn-out, and
rotten vessels that were sent to sea to
earn a few dollars-and to scalp some
marine insurance company. One after
noon the mate stood by my side when we
passed some of these outfits. He pointed
toward them with horny index finger.
"Look," lie said, "look at that pro-
preller and her tow. They will sink if
they encounter storm. They are unsea-
worthy. The marine Inspector of tine
port they came from was paid handsomely
to rate them. Those vessels were sent to
sea to be lost, and they will be wrecked
before the season is over. And when
they sink or are smashed 10 bits on a
rocky shore score of brave, hardy sailors
will have to battle for their lives, and
some of teem will be lost
"Mate," asked, show are sailors in-
duced to ship on such rotten tubs2 Will
the lake sailors ship on vessels which
they know to be unseaworthy2"
"Will theyr' he repeated dcrisively.
Well, l should say they would.
These lake sailors will ship on anything
that floats. As long as there is plank
TO stand on they will sail the plank.
They are so careless of their lives and so
inherently reckless that they would ship
to sail log from New York to the NORTH
Pole. Every year we lose about 500 sail.
ors on these lakes, and nine.tenths of
them are lost in trying to sail just such
rotten old tubs as those Here he again
pointed at the asthmatical propeller and
her consorts. "The vessel inspectors do
not receive sufficient pay to place them
ohoye temntatien. They should be paid