Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-12
FAITH IN PITTSBURG
Expressed by a Gentleman Who Is a
Champion of the Whaleback.
A POSSIBLE CLYDE OF, THE OHIO.
Boats That Could Be Built Right Here
Cheaply and With Profit.
THE POOR WAGES OF FOREIGN SAILORS

A gentleman said yesterday: ''The articles
published in THE DISPATCH regarding
whaleback ships, last week, have stirred up
interest in New York as well as in Pitts
burg. If Pittsburg loses the opportunity
of making the Ohio river the Clyde of the
Western Continent, it will be the fault of
those of her citizens who have the means to
make it so. 1 was in New York the other
day, and having some time to spend on Sun
day, went on board sailing vessel, and
finding an intelligent young Scotchman,
sailor apprentice induced him to give me
some points that might be valuable pointers
ormanufacturers of this city. The vessel was
a large one and complete in her appointments
and carried large crew. She sails between
New York end Australia. l discovered
that the vessel had been built at Greenock.
Her carrying capacity is 9, 100 TONS and she
cost ESQ, 600, S125, 200 in our money.
THE COST OF A wHALEBACK.
"1 have investigated the whaleback bust
ness somewhat, and know that one of 4,00G
tons capacity can be built in Pittsburg tor
SjJ.oJ0. or rather less, perhaps, as the freight
on steel plates to Duluth wOnld be saved.
just here it struck me that if the United
States expects within anything like re;t-
sOnable time to get back its share OF the
carrying trade of the world, it must come
about by having these vessels built where
they can be put out the cheapest.
/ broacned the subject to man
who has a considerable stake in line of
vessels plying between New York and the
West Indies and the Isthmus. lie was
rather inclined 10 diSparage the whaleback.
He admitted that he knew but little about
il. l found his opposition to be that which
vtTf~1,T la rxr tod JTsDU " had a Ia
amount OF capital in line of steamers
whose business would be badly hurt were
the whalcbacks 10 be turned out numer-
OVslv.
"You see. there is almost 500 900 difference
between the cost of the sailing vessel l
spoke or built on the Clyde, and a whale
back built at Duluth, and in following the
idea indicated Pittsburg might equal, if no:
eclipse the world
MONEY SAVED IN A CREW.
Then, too, the whaleback costing $4,000
vill carry 1850 tons, while the Clyde-built
vessel. costing three times as much, carries
only 2.l00 tons, and must carry a much
larger crew. While the Mentmore had 20 OF a
crew in her voyage to Liverpool Is will an
swer Now. you see taking the cost of the
two vessels. the whaleback has the advan-
ta-e ir saving 5000 "A year in interest, and
her carrying capacity being double and her
crew less, you can see that il is only a mat
Ter OF little arithmetic to demonstrate that
the wEaleback could pay even American
wages and drive the regulation freighter of
the ocean, without taking into computation
tLp value OF saving OF time, and her coal
consumption is but II tons Il day. Why, the
first two urned out earned almost their en-
tire cost in year.
we need to build cheaper vessels and of
greater carrying capacity, than our Eu-
Iopcan rivals. Why was astonished to
learn the low rates at which seamen are
hired in English ports. The Young Scotch
man with whom talked told me that he
was apprenticed for four years to learn the
business of a sailor. and for this four wears
OF service he will get $50. sl45 30 OF our
money, $50 80 year, or s. 0913 monitor
rather, he will have gotten that much in
clothing.
a SNAP FOR THE SHIPOWNER.
"IIe said he must furnish his own cloth
ing, and it was made by a tailor kept on |
board, and he also got his shoes from the |
and he and all the apprentices !
We're in debt for their raiment, a nd would |
he when their time was out. He said if he |
We're sure of employment in Pittsburg he |
would desert the snip but he seemed to have
very confused ideas Of what a landsmans
life might be, having never known any
thing except ships, docks, etc. l learned that
the wages of an able seaman on this ship
were IS Jos. per month, Sl5 % in our money,
aEd for this paltry sum. less than is paid
common laBurer ON 4 farm, Jack works like
a slave and braves the pcrils of the deep
"DG course we cannot expect to got Ameri-
can sailors Tor such mOneY-able seamen-
bur as l have above outlined much of the
handicap can be removed by building
chea per vessels, OF greater carrying capacity, |
and the whRleback is The safest freighuer
aiioat and the most buONant. The vessels |
could hc built here and loaded lightly and |
sent to sea via New Orleans. and whether we |
ever saw them again would make no differ |
Cuce so long as they were earning money in |
other parts OF the world.
FIRM FAITH IN PITTSBURG,
q firmly beiievc that il yards were estab- |
lshed for their building here the sound of |
the workmen's hammers would never cease, |
and that commercial depression would |
never he seriously felt in tie business, for l |
.EI confident that within a few years, per- |
laps few months, the building OF the old |
inc ircEhtcrs Will cease forever. Those al !
ready built viii be worn out in the most I
Ipiitahlc manner possible, and Pittsburg |
possesses facilities for building the Me |
ppU-al that / believe arc unsurpassed by |
amy city in the world, and Cur inland situa- |
tion protects us from possible disaster and |
interference in the event Of war with other |
powers.
SOME COURT HOUSE CHANGES