The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-11-30
THE UsE OF THE CITY's BUors.
Idle Steamers Crowd Out ships, bat the
City Gets Revenue.

Idle Steamers Crowd Out ships, bat the
City Gets Revenue.
The inability of the ship Levi q. Bur-
CESS TO fad buoy to tie up at has given
rise to some complaint At the insufficiencv
of such accommodations for shipping in
this port and some criticism OF Harbor
Master Jensen for allowing one of the
buoys 10 be occupied BY idle steamers In
quiry into the facts proves that the lack
of facilities for the ship is due to unusual
circumstances and that the city is receiv-
ing the full legal revenue from the tied-up
steamers.
There are altogether four buoys in the
barber in the vicinity Of the coal bunkers,
one belonging to the Oregon Improve
ment Company and the other three to the
city. The outer buoy. to which the North
Pacific and Sehome are tied, has for the
past year been used by different steamers.
the Mexico tying up there for some time,
and the two others have been used for coal
ships. The Oregon improvement Com
pany's buoy Is used by ships char
tered by it, and il was 10
that buoy the John Wooster
Was anchored the day the Levi g. Burgess
came into port. On that day one OF the
and the other two by the steamers Viii
Ispa, Sehome and North Pacific. The
Willapa was only there for ten days. for
the privilege of which she was paying $40,
and could not be sent away until that time
was up, hence the Burgess had to proceed
to West Seattle TO discharge ballast. Her
captain then complained that the buoys
were being used by steamers out of COM
sfst h. h 81 h. aar.
to an expense of 800 for towage to West
Seattle.
At the time when the buoys were placed
they were considered ample for the re-
quirements of the harbor. but since then
railroads have been built down the Sound
and taken away a large proportion of the
local steamboat business. The result is
that the Northern Pacific steamers Sehome
and North Pacific have been tied up for
some time. Simultan eously the amount
of ocean shipping which comes here has
grown, and these vessels also need to use
the buoys. The buoys are under the i'm
mediate supervision Of the harbormaster.
and under a city ordinance 1t is dis
cretionary with him just how long vessel
shall remain anchored at any of the buoys.
and his rate of fees for anchorage Is fixed
by the ordinance.
Capt. Jensen, harbormas.er, in speaking
of the matter to a Posr-ISTEILraEscEs
representative yesterday, said:
"Is has been very rare to have use for
all the buoys at one time, and the three
vessels all coming in at about the same
time the other Gay was an unusual occur
renee. IL was only couple of days before
that the representative OF the steamer
Willapa came to me and made arrange
ments to lIire one of the buoys for ten
DAYS, aud he paid me $40 for the same.
which amount Is ineinded in my Novem-
Der receipts I act under an ordinance,
which gives me the power TO rent the
buoys for a reason able length of time. and
the Willaps only asked for ten days,
which /. Of course. granted and collected
for. The outer buoy, 10 which the North
srn Pacific steamers. Sehome and
North Pacific are anchored, has
been used for long time
for that purpose I have an agreement with
the managers of the steamers that as long
as she buoy is not needed the steamers can
be tied there. for which the city receives
yiO a month. This Is clear gain TO the city,
as the buoy would not otherwise be used.
AS said. IL is very rare thing nowadays
for three vessels to be diseharglng ballast
AT one time, and II business Ii on the in
crease the city should build more buoya"
Section 3, of the ordinance Ia question,
saws:
Every vessel or other craft, or other
floating body. which shall be moored or
attached 20 any such buoy. shall pay 10
the port warden for the use Of the city for
the privilege of the use of such buoy not
less than s. nor mors than $40. as follows:
Any sailing vessel Of SO tons or less. s 90
Any sailing vessel d ever 800 tons........ 10 %
Auv steam vessel OF 80 tons less $780,. 8 o.
Anv steam vessel OF more tran 500 tons 49,. 10 60
Any boom or RAFT OF saw logs or piles con-
tanning AK sectioAs or less ............... %
ANY boom 81 rsft OF saw logs or plies con-
tanning mere taaa six sections 49,. 500. 10 90
Any scow. rast Or other eosnsS body not
above mentioned ~.-- .---- ---s.-....-.. : %
"aII such fees shall De paid before the
vessel or other craft or floating body Is at
tached TO such BUOY. or within seven d.ys
thereafter, aud IN any event. before Ieav-
ing the haFbor."
Capt Jensen ssys his books are open 20
inspection q. sny time aud. In allowing
the WillApa TO uncnor a. the city's buoy,
49, a.tfDr arra-sffuv n fustrnrffczz a1a