Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-12-17

from any cause; a living and eyer-present
safeguard TO master, owner. and insurance
companies. and lastly. QUARANTINE officers
to the adjacent ports and llfe-saving sta.
tions to worn-out and wretched crews. lt
this is not full and complete service for the
paltry sum of ten cents per ton for one
year then wo cannot comprehend sufficient
recompense for 40 small charge.
in connection with the quarantine scr
vice performed by the Virginia pilots, we
submit On extract from o letter written re-
Gently by DR.. L. NJ. Urquhart. United
States quarantine officer at Cape Charles:
The abolition OF compulsory pilotage on
coastwise vessels will seriously affect the
carrying ont of strict quarantine at the
Capes. have relied almost entirely upon
the pilots to prevent foreign and coastwise
vessels from passing nay quarantine. and
do hope there viii be no interference IN
this matter" Also. letter of DIR. William
4. Thom. State quarantine medical Of
fcer
OFFICE OF QUARANTINE COMMISSIONERS,
DISTRICT or ELIZABETH RUTR.
NORFOLK. Va, December 10, 1889.
To the General Assembly Of Virginia:
For nearly four years have been quaran-
tine medical officer Of the District OF the
Elizabeth River and its branches. During
that time each day has taught me the abso-
lutte helplessness Of my Office without the
aid OF the Virginia Pilot Association. They
ere required by two statutes OI thls state
20 aid in the enforcement of the Quaran-
tine regulations. and are the only available
means by which the said regulations can
be made known to the masters OF incoming
vessels. These two statutes make the pllots
the responsible parties for any breach OF
the quarantine regulations by vessels un-
der their charge. During my whole o1pe-
rience I have known hut one single case
where the pilot has failed TO do his whole
duty. and that one was the case OF young
man just ont OF his apprenticeship ana
who had the good sense q understand the
pfoprietv OF the fine imposed upoh him
and to appreciate the necessity OF en-
forcing it,
During the last four years theirs have
been two cases of yellOw-fcyer at my sta
tion--onc on board the l.. $. Newman.
brought I'm hy TUG Olive Branch owned IN
Richmond which I was enabled 10y the Vi
gilance OF the pilots 10 detect. although
the vessel had passed NV station and made
fast 10 the wharf. N time 60 prevent the
Infection of the city. The Otherinstancew was
that on board the Elidl. brought N 10y the
Ajax I think. of Richmond, last summer.
which vessel. IN sDlte of the tlct that her
captain was DYING of what Was % the cap
tam of the tug-b0at an unknown disease.
was brought within stones throw oi the
city before she wGs stopped. Here thcn
we have the contrast. On two occasions
ships with the actual disease were brought
into oar port 10y tug-boatS both owned ii
Richmond without oucdieuce 70 laW, ana
striving 10 escape consequences by using
the absence Of witnesses, and on" clean
ship brought in by q young man whose eN-
perience was just beginning, and who
walked up like p man, entered no plea. and
paid for his fault
All this I lave written TO show why |
deem n Of the utmost importance 20 tnls
quarantine district that the Virginia fllot'
Association should have its hands su.-
tanned, and why none Of the Tees now Il, l.
lowed to the association should bc reduced,
a. the efficiency of this brave, relan nle set
of men would boz most Iniuriously affected
by any reduction of the means necessary
to keep up is fleet. Respectfully,
WILLIAM 4. Inom JR., ". d.,
Quarantine Medical Officer.
Aooin. thev say compulsory pilotagc on
coastwlse vessels has already been abolish
cl IN twon.y-seyeu States: thattheamount
of tax thus collected of the people - not so
bad as the ruinou3 effects upon our COM
merce. driving vessels away from our
Wntcrs. \ few more years ol the operation
of this law will almost entirely destroy ouI
cOaStwise trade IN sailing vessels. ana
consequcutl, the poor farmer and miner,
the consumers. will greatly .uncr, etc.,
etc. We say u is untrue that twenty seven
States have abolished compulsory puot1ge
on coastwise trade. but assert without Tear
ot fuccessful contradiction that the SIX
States. Massachusetts. New YORK. NcW
JERSEY, Iennsylyama Delaware, and Gall,
forua, having only four commetcia
ports. to wit-Bo>ton. New York, Pnlih
delphia. and san francisc0-are tho
ouB States that have abolished com
pulsOry pllotagc on codslwl,e yes
sells. The remaining twenty-0ne state.
never had any compulsory plOtase O.
abolish, most Of them beng inland
States. These fix states only abolished tn'
same when their pilot systems were amply
sustained hv compulsory pilOtage t'tci@i
commerce alone. That with one -lnSic eN
cepti0n (Georgia. where the license-taS D.
- cents per ton every state south ot Nir
GINA requires full compulsory plot-iee
upon cOastwlsc vessels. as they do upon
foreign, for every trip made. We submit
that we have shown that the amount on tn'
hcensc-taX per ton on cOastwiAc Fessel'
regularly engaged ia the coastwise trade D.
SO nhnite--iIudlly small that the pooi
farmer or miner. the con 5umers, VIII mover
be benefito, By the relief from the charg'
oftWO thirds OfOne cent cftOn, but that ta'
northern ship-OWner vii pocket the same
the ship-broker. and tug-owner. especially
when combined m one, Is Is the case 81 a'
least one ardent friend and promoter o
this measure, will pocket many times tn'
amount of the same. and suile out loud ~
the gullibility Of the farmer. and miners
the consumers. They who are really int
rested IN having cheap freight rates VII
wait IN vain for the same from tbs souic'
so long as Their charges are limited only bi
the.rcapacuy 10 squeeze, and the dOchdg'
on vessels in Richmond, amounting n 1881
according TO their statement, % -Zl,OJD
over seven times the amount of hcanse-ia'
collected this yeaI to VIII, sz.lJJ.jD. INA
this tax affects the trade of great clti
claiming 10000 inhabitants, claiming 10 10
a seaport (and she seems 10 be clalmin,
everything clsel. appears 10 us 70 be Zoe
ridiculous and absurd 20 merit serious con
slderatiOn. ] he truth j., her batc has gou
Ia def,o ,r0fer-West Point. Newport News
aud Norfolk. The United States COmmi-
siOncr Of Navigation say $ IN ms last rrror
that the cOastWl-e trade ~ IN pr0spervu
condition: but Richmond viii not rectg
nize the old saying, that 1T is hard q
make u silk purse ont of sOw's ear
that IL is hard 10 make Richmond, naturally
and essentially place Tor manufacturing
q seaport when she j. up on the hills IL
miles from sea. beautifully situated on th'
historic james, which IN tho summeT-tlm'
you can almost step over dr5-shod, anf
which the United States coast survey, u
in their report for $50, estimated II wOuil
cost about So 600. 900 To dredge out 10
depth of twenty-five feet from IT. mouth
when twenty-eight feet depth Of water 3
had at NewpOrts News without any dredging
ut all. Where will these coastwise vessel
(g0 per cent. Of which are owned north o
u.s. be driven TO If this license-taX Is no
repealedy If driven away they must lal
up at their homes IRON Maine TO Boston
or 20 10 ports south # us, where the pilot
age IS absolutely compulsory for each trip
except IN Georgia, and whore the pilOtag'
or license, as the case may be. IS from TIVE
and "a half to ten times as much ~ IN Var
ginia. The truth is, the persons benefited
by the repeal Of the hcense-taX will be TN
( ship-owuers. nearly all of whom are non
residents, the license being the only u.
J which they now pay. They VIII travers
+ our highways, receive all the benefit Of pro
lection given under our laws, without On'
cent of return: and this. too they woull
have you authorize them 10 do 20 the detri
meut Of hardy, courageous. law-abldinl
and taX-paying natives and citizens, th
Virginia pilots, who, wherever known. ar
respected and regarded az the peers OF an
Virginian, who al Virginla's call RESPONDED
10 O man. gave faithful. skilful, and II