Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-04-15
THE COLLIER'S NEW RIVAL
Whaleback Steamers Will Control the
Coal Carrying Trade
A NEW ONE BEING BUILT
The Pacific Steel Barge Works New
Steamer Will Be Completed in
Four Months

During recent visit TO Everett J. II.
Bloedel, of the Blue Canyon Coal COM
pany, met Captain Alexander Me-
Dougall, general manager of the steel
barge works at West Superior, Wiscon-
sin, and the inventor Of the now fa-
nous whaleback steamers, of which
the Wetmore, now stranded at Coos
bay, is the first ever seen on the Pacific
coast.
One of these steamers is now
under construction at Everett, the first
to be built at the yards of the Pacific
Steel Barge Works, and il may be that
her first cargo of coal, for which she is
especially constructed, will be taken
from the bunBers Of this Bay to San
Francisco.
This new steamer, which is 10 be
named the Everett, is 36l feet long,
with triple expansion engines, and
capable of making sixteen knots per
hour. She will have a capacity of
about 1000 tons Of coal, and will be
supplied with tanks TO carry 2, 900 tons
! OF water ballast on her return trips. if
no freight is offered. This will do
away with the greatest objection found
to the Wetmore, which suffered con-
slderably while coming up light ia
heaVy gales, from being too light to
properly resist the force of the wind
and sea. The new steamer is TO be
ready for sea in about four months. and
| IN il ltsl l.t
can carry coal at price that will make
TINS class OF steamers i'm great demand.
With the economical consumption of
coal and the rapidty with which car
goes can be loaded, the company ex-
pect they can carry coal from the
Sound to San Francisco for 81 so or less
per ton, while the present prices for sail
vessels is 81 or more per ton. These
same vessels are freighting coal on the
lakes from Buffalo to Duluth for forty
i've cents per ton. In this case the
distance Is greater than from the
| Sound to San Francisco, but return
cargoes there are secured both ways,
iron ore going from Duluth, and coal
returning. The facilities for loading
ana discharging are also much more
| complete than here, and il is no un-
usual occurrence to load one Of
these vessels i'm four hours,
as they are built with a
succession Of matches extending the
entire length Of the deck and coal can
be received a fast as the bunkers can
suppy 1t, the construction Of the
steamers making the trimming of
cargoes unnecessary. With the exten-
sion oi loading accommodations on the
Sound and the construction of more of
this class of vessels the price Of freight
VIII go down, and will doubtless reach
VI per ton, at which price the present
iieet of sailing ships will be driven out
of the trade.
The Blue Canyon Coal Company
have built their bunkers i'm such shane
that at very slight expense their capac-
ity can be increased to 4,5OO tons, and
should the condition of the coal mar
ket warrant it, preparations will be
made to put the entire storage capacity
into service, so that If this new steamer
Is chartered she can be loaded i'm "A time
never before equaled on Puget Sound.
The barge company Is not a bit dis
couraged at the i'll fortune which befel
the Charles w. Wetmore, as such an
accident has happened many times be-
fore TO other vessels and can not in any
way be charged To the peculiarity Of
construction Of the whaleback, as so
many Of her enemies have tried TO
make apparent. Reports from Coos
bay say that the wreck is still in good
condition, Notwithstanding the severe
weather Of the past winter, and this
alone should silence all reports that her
construction was faulty, as hardly any
vessel ever built would have kept to-
eether through such seas and gales as
have prevailed since she went ashore.
The whalebacks have come to stay, and
they are the coming style Of vessel for
on the lakes.