Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-10
BIG RIVER LOSSES.
Dollars Kept Out of Steamboatmen's
Pockets by Low Water.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. WINTER
Freight Shippers Begin to Grow Anxious
for Cheap River Rates.
EIGHT WEEKS SINCE A BOAT WENT OUT

For eight long weeks Water street has
been shrouded with an occasional fog and
continued apathy. 1t is just that length OF
time since lower river boat has left port
and passed through Davis Island dam. To
those unacquainted with the river and
packet business it never enters their mind
what a vast amount of inconvenience and
financial loss is brought about by the search
tv of water in the channel and general sus-
pension of river trade Rainmaker Melbourne
would be welcomed BY river and coal ship
pers if be would shift his operations from
the grain growing districts and HE himself
up 10 the headwaters of the Monongahela
and Cheat rivers. There he could find alti-
tuGinous heights on the crested peaks of
mountainous West Virginia, and, by his ar
tifcial relations with Jupiter Pluvius, bring
about a new era in river trade. The uncer-
tainty of rise is as speculative as drawing
a capital prize in a lottery or picking the
winner in a sprinting match.
High Water Means Bread and Butter
There are hundreds and hundreds of men
who lock to boating stage for a liyeli-
hood, and this depression can be imagined
when the daily report is posted to the effect
that water is flour feet and falling" Look
at the captains, mates, deck hands, barge
ward men and roustabouts who are thrown
ont of Job Also take into consideration
the coal men, boat owners, river supply
companies, all of which depend entirely
on a big river from which to derive
benefits in their particular line of
business. In the terms of pool seller, who
has been selling on q sure thing, the books
are closed on the river 'front.' Of course,
the riv,r man who own mines on the line
of railroad can get his coal out by means
of the rail facilities, but the river shipper,
like Bre'r Fox, has to ''wait, lay low and
say muffin" To go into a statistical dis
sertation on the losses, number of men
made idle, amount of coal tied up and other
features incidental to the trade would be
tedious, both TO a poo- statistician and the
reader However. it is safe to say that on
ali of these matters there is decrease of
1j per cent in the general business.
What becomes of all the men who run on
the river for a living is 4 question which
necessarily arises during tie-up. There are
thousands of them In the barge yards and
sidings along the Monongahela fully 1,S00
men are employed during high water, but
when winter comes on they are compelled
TO jump out and do something outside of
luelr river
Have to Hustle for Outside Work.
This holds good in the case of engineers,
firemen, deckhands and roustabouts. Many
Of these work in the mills, while those who
have knowledge of machinery run station
ary engines or perform some other work
about manufacturing establishment.
Many of the deck hands are old lake sail
ors and are acquainted with work
oh ha of
schooner In this they are lucky, as their
usefulness is acceptable in the oil fields in
putting up rigs and work about the high
derricks The lake season closes in October,
which causes an influx of sailors to the
river towns until it opens again in May.
As to the roustabout wh0 YEARLY and
sleepilv awaits ''under the bridge" for the
coming of rise, he is of alternating
nature Driven by the pangs of hunger
and the scarcity of free lunch he wanders
out into the country at this season of the
wear and becomes the hireling of farmer
who wants good and efficient corn huskers.
After the corn is all in he hangs about
doing general work, but when the sky
clouds up in the spring his mind instinct
lively tells him that freshet is about due
and he makes tracks for the city and his
river haunts MANY Southern negroes are
left up North when the low water comes,
and big rise Is the occasion of this ever
happy ''river rat boiling over with joy as
he sings and thinks of that yaller girl of
mine on the Louisiana line when the Lee
gets down" The captains and pilots are
usually employed on yearly salary.
Freight shippers Are Fretting.
Freight shippers also take the low water
TO heart, as it touches their purses to ship
by rail. River rates from New Orleans,
Cairo Memphis, Louisville and Cincinnati
are over so per cent cheaper than by rail,
and in MANY cases more prompt in delivery.
The roads are so heavily burdened that cars
are scarce, tracks blockaded and other bar
riers which make the river more preferable
in some cases. The demand for coal in
Louisville and other Southern points is
enormous just at present and the price is
away up Goal will be coal in big letters
this winter" said John O'NeIl, of O'Neil s.
Sons The strike at the railroad mines dur
ing the last two months has made a famine
at all the manufacturing towns in the South,
as well as for family purposes In the
three years Just ended the pacFet bust
ness has wonderfully picked up compared
with the preceding six.
The pool boats have had lots to do, and as
they act as feeders for the lower boats, bust
ness has been kept uniform. There is,
though. at present a most painful ennui
pervading the coal offices, bookstores, ship
ping barges and everywhere on the river
front from the Smithfeld street bridge to