The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-09-20
TALKS ABOUT THE SEA.

1ALhS AbOUI id6 SCAs
From Northeast Grocer.
To a lover # the sea and nautical
lore the most interesting wharves to
visit are those to which come sailing
vessels, both great and small. Here
one avoids the turmoil and mad rush
of the multitude. and can observe I'M
disturbed the different phases of the
seafaring life and cogitate upon the in
evitable decline that has taken place
during the past quarter of century in
our shipping traffic.
One dreary. drilling day-partly TO
escape the inclement weather and
partly to crafty my curiosity took
refuge in ship chambers store near
one of these wharves. 1t was curious
old place At the windows were sus-
pended from the low studded ceiling
dubious shaped lanterns that reminded
one of the pictures of Aladdin's famous
lamp in the old treasured book in the
Ara bian nights idea
Models of ships, barques, briggs and
schooners decorate the walls of the lit
tie counting room; these forms serving
as pathetic little monuments to the
memories of the original vessels, which
have nearly all long since been either
lost at sea or have met even worse
fate in being made into coal barges
and mud sorrows.
This store was opened in 1s49 by it's
present owner. That magic year, when
so many found fortunes in the far
west gave a decided impetes to the
shipbuilding and ship chambers bust
ness. Strictly speaking, ship chand-
lery furnishes what the ship requires
to wear, such as duck for sails, paints
and oils, rigging, blocks, hooks, tin
ware, glassware, crockeryware, etc.
One thing on the list of supplies with
an extremely unpleasant association
was handouts.
Ship stores consist of everything
eatable for the sailors, and what
change in their diet has taken place in
the last forty years. Then canned
fruits and meats were almost unknown;
ice was great luxury; salted meat and
pork were the staple articles of food.
In these days brisk trade was done
by the coasting vessels from Maine;
laden with hay. lumber or stone, they
would arrive in this port, carrying a
cargo of molasses, sugar, coffee, tea
and other provisions to supply the
needs of their country villages. Now
that traffic is entirely done by the rail-
roads and steamers, diminishing not a
little the profits of the ship chambers
business.
1t is almost in the scene of memory
of the younger generation that the
birth of the fruit trade in our southern
states took place. The long, tedious
voyages to the Mediterranean sea will
soon be thing of the past; or else, if
that commerce be not abolished, it will
be carried on by the fast freight steam
ers, whose rates are low and whose
calculation of time is almost exact.
There is vast difference in the reg
ulations or laws with which the
freight steamers and ships have to con-
form. No better illustration could be
given of this than the following fact:
Not many weeks since steamer fiv
ing the English flag arrived at this
port with q cargo of twelve hundred
tons, in three days time she had dis
charged her freight and was under full
steam down the bay with a return car
go Of sixty-four hundred tonsi
If. instead. ships had been sent here
with the same cargo, four ships. with
from twenty 70 twenty-five men in
each, would have been required, prob
ably twenty days spent in unloading
and reloading the freight. and the trip
across the ocean OCCUPYING thirty DAYS.
while the fast freIghter would make
the passage in seven days
Had sailing vessels arrived with this
immense freight more delay in unload
would have been caused: for the steam
ers with their huge boilers demanding
tons of coal a day, command inn
mediate attention, and get il.
while a ship is practically under
no expense after arriving in
port. The building of vessels at the
present time Is almost wholly confined
20 those rugged schooner fashion. with
three or four masts. Steam IS utilized
for the handling OF the sails, and only
one-third OF the former number of
sailors are now required 20 man a ves-
sci.
There IS something almost tragic.
and at leas; pathetic. IN the knowledge
that these noble ships costing over a
hundred thousand dollars. are dis
mantled OF their splendid masts and
rigging, shorn % their former splendor
and beauty, and while stu IN their
prime sold for the sum Of eightesn or
twenty thousand dollars 20 DC used as
coal barges- And 50 with the old snip
chambers stores-once famous render
vons-they VIII soon Dc only memory.