The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-04-18

points When she Gets enough iron into her
construction TO give her sufficient strength TO
carry said cargo properly, she will cost as nuen
as other vessels Of other forms proportionately
i think it viii be found that 10 put the Wctmore
into proper condition TO. sea service 100 or 30
tons more iron will have to be used. Ifthat had
been put into her construction originally,
doubtless money would have been saved in the
end But in that case the cneapuess of con-
struc.ion would hare been absent of course
And moreover, that excess OF carrying capacity
over the registered tonnage would have been
materially reduced, because there would have
had to be more vessel to obtain the necessary
buoyency
I still maintain, notwithstanding what Cap
tain Griffith sayr, that this form OF steamer is
not q success. The opinions expressed in my
former communication are fully substantiated
by the condition OF the steamer is now in after
her voyage in ballast. It should be borne in
mind that no ship or craft Of any kind is ex-
empt from the laws OF nature. Every ship must
climb to the roaring wave when she meets il, II
bnoyaut enough TO do SO, or else she must take
the blow like half-tde rock. Now this type OF
vessel has not sufficient buoyancy to do any
climbing at all, but lets the climb her.
This Is feature of her form Of construction.
With the loaded vessel the sea can sweep her;
but, when in ballast with that peculiar ugly
bow away out Of the water, the sea does not
sweep her and she then is subject TO the same
laws as other vessels, and is no: given enough
strength to Withstand the blows she gets. This
vessel coming up the coast in ballast pounds SO
heavily forward that her plates are started and
she comes into way port with considerable
water In her hold. With a decent bow and de-
cent strength of build she ought to have stood
all the sees she met.
Perhaps on the lakes, where the vessel is sure
o. a cargo both ways on her yoyages, she may
answer passably well. But on this coast, where
she is not sure of a cargo both ways, and in fact
is apt to get it only in one direction, she must
go half the time in ballast, and she is not
adapted to go in ballast, as present experience
proves. Meeting the big seas of Cape Mendo-
elmo and whereabouts is trial for any vessel.
and none improperly constructed can expect to
be successful. That high bow, blum. and with
no sharpness whatever, is not adapted for sea
service, in my opinion.
The fact is, and it cannot be gainsaid, that
these vessels have thus far been failures as far
as our experience on this coast is concerned.
Whether they can be made to do any better re-
mains TO be seen. In my view they cannot, but
l am willing to be convinced when | am proven
wrong.
When this vessel first came, she struck the
Coast without rudder, as her rudder WAS orig
inally of such poor material that il shook all to
pieces on the voyage. She was towed in, and
has big Libel on her hands for that Then the
cargo was in very bad condition. Now comes
this accident, where the vessel comes into the
port of San Francisco leaking and in distress.
1t seems to me that these things prove my posi-
ton pretty clearly. l do not believe that the
type of vessel is adapted for our purposes on
this coast. l think that we could build such
vessels just as cheaply here as on the lakes, if
we built them with proper strength and ma
terias and made them strong enough Tor the
work they are expected to do at sea.
/ have been at sea good many years, and
have some practical knowledge of vessels and
what they have to undergo. With this expert
ence. l expressed myself as disbelisving the
theories concerning the new type OF vessel, and
l am satisfied that the experience of this one
vessel has proven nay position to be the correct
one c. F. SWAN,
Master of bark McNear.