Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-24
rTRoN OUR SPECIAL COMMISSIONED

to the number and character OF vessels
owned bv Erie people, or at least credited
to this port That is, that sailing vessels are
rapidly being superseded on the lakes by
vessels propelled by steam. This fact has
considerable significance in connection with
a shin canal, as will be seen further along.
According to Mr.. Vogel, Chief Clerk
Of the Anchor line, a gentleman
who is we'll posted on lake traffic, there are
81 steam vessels and only sailing
craft owned in Erie. The records in the
Office of the Collector of the Port show Sc
steam and 5 sailing vessels registered. This
discrepancy of five, however, is of little
moment, as Mr.. Vogel did not count the
little dinkey boats, of which three new ones
have, combined, only a gross registered
tonnage of 4O48. The official records re-
veal but five vessels depending entirely
upon sail.
A GREATER DISCREPANCY.
For some reason, one that was not ex-
planned satisfactorily, there appears even a
greater discrepancy between Mr.. Vogel's
figures and those OF the Collector of the
Port. 1t may, perhaps, be accounted for by
the fact that Mr.. Grazier, the Collector, and
his chief subordinates, have been in Office
but a very short time and have hardly
''caught on" vet to the methods of work.
The discrepancy is this: Mr.. Vogel's
figures give a total gross registered ton
mage for 81 steam vessels of 1890 tons,
while Mr., Grazier's official records only give
57,337.S1 gross registered tonnage for Sc
steam vessels.
It probable that Mr.. vogel's figures are
the more accurate. They would make the
average tonnage of steam vessels S99 tons,
while Mr.. Grazier's figures would make the
average only 4S1 tons.
The largest vessel of the seven ships of
the Anchor Line has {, 800 tons gross reg
lister; the smallest has /, ,2SS 06 gross tonnage
according to the official records. However,
discrepancies in figures are immaterial and
do not affect this story. The registered gross
tonnage of the five sailing vessels is TO-
67491.
AN IMPORTANT POINT.
An important point is the difference in
carrying capacity of sail and steam vessels
in proportion to registered tonnage. It has
been said somewhere in previous letters that
a sailing vessel of 400 registered tonnage has
been known to carry 2,2OO tons of wheat
from Milwaukee to Erie, and ], 400 tons of
iron ore from Marquette to the same point
1t is not an uncommon occurrence, nor con-
rying capacity of a sailing vessel is about
five times its registered tonnage.
Yet this rule does not always hold good.
The schooner f. w. Clifford is one of the
largest sailing vessels owned in Erie 1t is
159 feet in length, 81 feet beam and II feet
draught, with a registered measurement of
t57 tons gross and 429 tons net. Owing to
the comparatively light draught the Clifford
carries less than 1000 tons. The Galatea,
-
gross and 1887 net tonnage registered
measurement and drawing IA feet of water.
carries less than 1000 tons. But these are
rather exceptions, which prove the rule of
about five tons carrying capacity for every
ton of registered capacity for ships propelled
by sails.
QUITE A DIFFERENCE.
II is quite different with steam vessels.
The method of measuring their carrying ca
pacity is different from that of vessels carry
ing sail. And then, when it is done, a
steam vessel can carry but a few hundred
tons more than its gross tonnage register
For instance, the Alaska, of the Anchor
Line, is 2l21z feet in length, 30 feet beam
and 1879 feet depth of hold. Its registered |
gross tonnage is 1,2SS.06, and fully laden |
the capacity of the vessel is not over !, 500 |
tons. The China, the India, the Japan |
and the Philadelphia, of the same |
line are about the same measurem ent and |
tonnage, with slight variations The Lehigh, |
which is 1882 feet in length, 81 feet beam |
and 1914 drsught. with 1,7O4.7 registered |
gross tonnage, carries ordinarily 1000 tons |
OF freight, and upon pinch can carry 9. 500. |
The Susquehanna, the largest vessel of the |
Anchor Line, has gross registered tonnage |
of 25OO and net tonnage of 2.20050, and /
draws 16 feet Of water; yet, according to Mr. |
Vogel, carries only 5000 tons, although she |
has. on rare occasions and in exceptionally |
good weather, brought in cargoes weighing |
2, 800 tons.
Taking into consideration the vast dis /
crepancy between the carrying capacity of |
Steam and sail vessels, it might on first |
thought seem remarkable that steam is so |
rapidly and 50 completely superseding sails
on the great lakes. But there is, in fact, |
nothing remarkable in it at all, when ali |
she facts are considered.
A QUESTION OF SPEED.
If steam vessel carrying 1000 tons can
make 80 trips during the season of nayiga-
tiOn as against u to Is trips of sailing |
vessel carrying ], 400 tons during the same |
period, and it is demonstrated by experience |
that the 80 trips bring in more money in the
clear than the IA trips, then astute business
steam rather than in canvas
The growth OF steam power on the lakes
has been distinctly of an evolutionary char
Rcter. A few years ago-and a very few
years. indeed-there was much of a ten
dency 70 use steam propellers with consorts
Of two barges without any method of pro-
pulsion themselves. Carefully prepared
statistics indicated that the idea was not
profitable, and there is little of that now
Ia I II
herself loaded, could not pull two others
and make profitable voyages. The time
made was slower than that of sailing YES
sells, and the expenses were greater
The fast growing change from sail to
steam in the navigation OF the great lakes
IL of peculiar significance in connection
with q ship canal. If sailing vessels with
maStI often 20 feet high were to pass through
the canals, it would, as has been previously
noted, cause great Inconvenience and incal-
eulable cost in elevating railroad bridges
It has been said that some Arrangement
might be made by which vessels could lower
their masts.
POSSIBLE SOLUTION.
Such thing has been done and possibly
might be done again, but 1t could not be
made effective for q genuine ship canal.
There are sailing vessels of 140 to 150 tons
measurement, that is, of 700 to 750 tons car
fying capacity, which have been SO arranged
that their masts can be lowered, but no
schooner Of 400 tons register, nor such YES
sells as the Clifford or the Galatea could sail
the lakes with mast that could be lowered,
30 that the idea Of hinged masts may be dis
missed without any further consideration.
On the other hand, it is not ct all a diff
cult matter TO lower the smoke