Morning journal and courier., 1891-08-24
coAsrwIsE CommEnCE.

 by Our Navisaters over Alleged Formidable CompetitIon-AS Serious Drop In Prices of Coal Carrying What Manager sutton Says Aboutl It. | Considerable interest is felt among sea captains and owners of vessel property, owners of the large three or four-masted vessels especially, over developments which are now all the talk of captains of vessels along the whole coast, from Virginia to Maine. Within the last few days there has been, said an old navigator to COURIER reporter yesterday, big drop in the price of coal carrying freights, and where from ssventy-fve cents to $1.s0 per ton have been paid the price has dropped to forty cents. In consequence, vessels whose charters have expired are lying idle, as captains say they cannot afford to carry freights at that price. Reports reach us from Boston that three hundred coal carry ing vessels are laid up at the wharves there, owing to the drop in price, and we have no reason to doubt the truth of the reports.
 What has caused the drop in the pricea Simply this, it is the advent of the new 2,OO0 ton coal steam barges. Now these big steam barges are new thing and the secret of it is that their expense for help is very light. They carry no sails, de- pending upon steam alone for sailing pur- poses. They employ but two or three men whose wages are small compared with the price paid good seamen. Hence they are | formidable competitors to the sailing ves- | sells which have to have number of ex- l perienced sailors on board. These steam l barges to get the business away from the sailing vessels take the coal at 8 very low price and even then can make paying l trips. It looks as if the sailing yes | sells would get left out in the cold. One of these steam barges, the R. K. Fisher, 1 has just arrived here in New Haven har- bor with 2,000 tens of coal on board for the Consolidated road. She is lying in the barbor out by southwest ledge, waiting for vessels now discharging coal at the railroad shop dock back of the Union depot to get out of the way: She comes here from South Amboy. I do not know how many of these big steam barges have been put into service already. Those I have heard of are the R. E. Fisher, the In vestigator, barges No. 1, 2 and 3-fve in | all-but I suppose if it pays well more will | be forthcoming.
 Here at the port of New Haven some three-masters are already laid up owing to the expiration of their charters and the sudden drop in the price of carrying freights, and more will soon be laid up here. The Emily E. Birdsall, Captain Chambers, is laid up off Long wharf. An | other hree-master, the J. J. Coolidge, Cap tain Strout, is also laid up off Long wharf. laid up at this city-all for the same req | son.
 1 The three-masted schooner James Boyce, Captain Rankin, has arrived in the harbor on her third trip this season. The Nellie | w. Craig has just arrived here from Phil adelphia She is getting 40 cents-that'f all. The Leander V. Beebe, Captain Beebe, has also just arrived, bringing coal from Philadelphia. The Humarock, brought from Philadelphia, and the Will liam Mason, Captain Studley, is discharg- ing coal at the Consolidated road dock. As I said, the captains all say that they cannot make any money carrying coal at 40 cents, even if not in competition with the big boats, which have so much less expense for help.
 It is whispered, however, that the coast wise shipping interest is not dismayed and has rod in pickle in store for the big barges; but whether it is combination or l WuhG CouTso WILL Do pursuou ls uot settleu. For years the three and four masted schooners have sailed in competition with the big 1OO-ton barges, lowed by steam tugs and requiring but little helI on board, and that of cheap kind as fal as wages are concerned, and the scare among the captains of vessels may be ill founded, or at least the present low prices for freights may be sure of only temporary duration. At present, how ever, many vessels are lying idle.
 Henry Sutton, manager of the Sutton fleet of three-masters, was enquired ot
 last evening in reference to thu
 alleged formidable outbreak of com
 petition caused by the appearance O
 the big steam barges and the dro]
 in carrying rates. MT. Sutton expressed
 no concern or alarm over the matter, ant
 had not heard of anything that should
 cause any uneasiness. His fleet of vessel
 was doing well. All were employed at re
 munerative rates. MT. Sutton thought thu big steam coal barges were not to b. feared, and New Haven owners of gooc vessel property need have no fears on thu subject. There was plenty of work. H' could not say how other vessels were situ ated, but the Sutton fleet was all right ant there was nothing ahead to cause any dis may.