Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-09-05
STEAM VS.. SAIL.
A Revolution In Our Coasting Business
Tne Schooners and Four Masters Must
Go.

I
'aAeh 20 prominent part But although i
mas been an important part in the business O
the State which these vessels have taken. indis
pensable as they have been in the coastin,
trade and in the affairs of our domestic com
neree, they have about accomplished thei
end, and the days of the sailing vessel in til.
coastlng trade are rapidly being numbered
wind is uncertain, and the sail and wind a,
propeillng power are too slow for the RAPID
transit and exacting demands of the bushes,
| OF the present day. Steam can out-do the
wind as general thing, it is more easil,
controlled, and the steam tug and sailing mer
chairman have commenced a race In the
business OF water transportation which is sure
10 De decided in favor of the former-in fact
It has already been so decided. This reyolu.
iion Is going right on here in the waters OF
the hennebec, indeed the inception of the
new system is the scheme of a Kennebee
nVer navigator, and it is sure to be adopted
upon all our Eastern waters till the coast
wise schooner is abandoned along with the
old stage coaches.
For many years schooners loaded with lum-
Der leaving our river, OF entering it 10 AIDED
with coal or corn, and later, loaded with ice
nave needed the assistance of tow boats in
getting from their wharf to open water at
sea, or wee versa. Hence started and
mas grown up the tug boat business on the
kennebec. The man to inaugurate this great
enterprise was the late B. w Morse ESQ. of
Bath, father of Mr.. C. w. Morse of that
CITY, now President of the Knickerbocker
steam Iowage company, which controls all
the tow boats employed in the Kennebec
waters. Mr.. Morse was the veteran tow
boat manager of New England, and the
Old tug boat Popham which was wrecked this
summer was one of the first tug boats in use
IN the river. After the business had as
'umed quite large proportions it was
leemed best to put its affairs into the hands
# a company, and the result was the or
ganizatOn of the
KSIcERKBocKER STEAM TowAoE Co,
Inch was organized in 1877, and has now in
semploy ten tug boats on the kenne bee three
the largest of which are engaged in towing
arges from this river to New York, Boston
'hilade ,phia aud Norfolk. The largest boat
'Wned by this company, and the most power
ul tug boat atioat, is the b. W Morse,
which has compound engines and is far
g, IL IL.
his tug that the owners of the big Joggin.
umber raft wished to secure with which to
ow that immense lumber forest from the
Naccan river in Nova Scotia to the Brooklyn
Basin, but the service of the Morse wa>
worth so much more here than the Offer
made for her, in the regular business of the
Company, that she could not be taken off for
hat purpose. One of the best boats nov
,wned is the new ting Perry, which has just
ONE into the river, powerful boat with
ngines rated at 22 by 80; and a new boat i,
lust being finished for the company in Bath.
which will be ready for service this month
This boat has been built from the models OF
he b. w. Morse but is six feet longer, thu
aving total length of III feet. Wher
his new boat is aHoat it will give the com
ANY fleet of sixteen of the most powerful
ow boats on Eastern waters, and they are
constantly adding to their number. Out OF
he business of the towage company has
grown the
TRANSFORMATIONS COMPANY
which is to revoutionze the coasting bust
less of the State of Maine. The two com
panies are in fact so closely connected in
ownership and business interests, as to be
practically one, although the headquarters of
he latter are in New York, and that end of
the line in the hands of the President of the
Company, Mr.. Henry W. Morse, son of Mr..
c. w. Morse of Bath these gentlemen being
The Manager of these companies at this end
of the line is Capt +. ID. Haley of Gardiner,
one of the veteran icemen and shippers of
the Kennebec, most genial and pleasant
gentleman to meet and who has kindly given
your reporter the facts contained in this
article. Yes" replied Capt. Haley, in an
swer to a question from your scribe, ''the
coasting trade is being shorn of its old-tme
glory Sails are too slow and uncertain, and
steam wins. Why, sir, just look at it. Our
company, or rather our two companies have
a fleet of sixteen transportation barges, ten
of which are owned by the Transportation
Company and six by the Towage Company.
These barges are converted from old ships
drawing % or % feet of water for the pur
pose of transporting merchandise, chiefly
coal The company purchases these old
liners wherever it can buy them to advan-
tage. These are all large ships, that is, those
of from 1900 to 2400 tons. We pay for
these ships from Sc 900 to S14 200. They
are stripped of all rigging excepting
The LOWER MAsTs,
and these are fitted with fore and aft sails,
Just to give steerage way, in case they were
ever obliged to cut loose and look out for
themselves, and also provided with hoist
ing engine, and then they are ready for bust
ness
Excuse me- captain, but do you mean
that these are good ships that You cut down
and make over into barges?'
Certainly; they were fine ships in their
az. but are now no good One of those
we now own was the old liner Washington,
once owned by the Government as gun
ship. No, not so very costly; it costs from
81 800 to So 900 to cut these big vessels
DOWN ana fit them over into our transporta-
ZION barges, The old rigging taken off, is of
course sold and helps US out on expenses"
And the barges are fitted up with regu-
lar crews, are they?" your reporter asks.
Yes" replied Capt Haley, leach barge
has a captain and a crew of four men usually
One of them is engineer, and one acts as
cook. These barges are each provided with
| fifty fathoms, extra, of chain, in addition to
the 1876 or $50 fathoms which each one occa-
sionaly carries. The engine on board is
used entirely for hosting the anchor. They