Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-04-06

marine JOutnaID
The carefully compiled records Of fires
in cotton cargoes during the season just
closed shows an alarming state of
affairs, and presents very fOrcefully the
fact that American cotton is an unsafe
staple for handling under existing
methods. Fortunately, however, the
transportation OF cotton is now almost
entirely done by iron and steel steamers
which have means Of subduing fires in
their cargoes. such as the injection OF
seam and mechanical pumping apparatus.
which renders them incomparably more
able TO cope with such fires than If they
took place on board OF wooden vessels
with nothing but hand power for pump
ing. II IS TO this feature Of cotton trans
portation alone that the immunity from
greater disaster by fire al sea has been
due. and no doubt. many incipient fires
on board such vessels Fave been. with
such means for extinguishing them con-
siantly at hand. put out with such trivial
damage that they have not been reported.
Had the forty-fve fires enumerated FOR
this season occurred in wooden sailing
vessels. IL is safe 10 say that few, If
any. of them would ever have reached
port.
IL is impossible TO estimate the actual
loss that has occurred through these fires
OF cases has the statement Of loss been
even Appropriated in the reports avail
able for compilation Not only the actual
damage to cargoes and vessels by fire
and water must be included in making up
an aggregate statement Of such loss. how
ever, but also the delay and detention
10 the ship by puttiEg INTO an inter-
mediate port, with, perhaps. claims for
salvage for extinguishing the fire. besides
cost Of discharginB. restowing, etc. In
one case I'm the list referred to 'his Geten-
ton amounted 10 nearly a month, besides
damage 70 cargo alone Of more tnan So
go. II Is probable, therefore, thst this
seasons losses through fires 81 cargoes Cf
American cotton viii largely exceed 81
C0OOI1. And II mast be borne In n.nd
that by contrast with Egyptian ana In
dian cotton this loss is beyond ~ com
parisOn, for such thing as ire N Fgyp-
tian or Indian cotton Cargo-s is praCt-
cally unknown.
The reason ascribed 10y all experts for
this state Of affairs j.. as the Marine
Journal has repeatedly shown. because
the American cotton Is loosely baled and
caralessly covered ana handled. whereas
the cotton Of the other countries referred
10 is baled 50 tightly that ii hecOmts
practically as imperViOus to combustion
a. log of wood. 1t has been shown that
the Indian and Egyptian cotton Is com
pressed 20 Il density Of NOR than lorty
pounds to the cubic foot. while An.r-
can cotton goes at less han twenty
five pounds. and hence the .feater OPP
portunity for fires in this proluci In the
holds Of vessels a. long a. this state q:
affairs continues. II is probably true
that i'm Egypt and India there is a differ
ent class Of labor. besides different MA
chinery; possibly different climate and
a variation Of quality in the cotton It.
self, from what ~ the case in our cOttO1
States and at our shipping ports. But
all this is not sufficient To account FOR
the great discrepancy an safety of hand
ling the products Of the different cOun-
tries and when IL must be admitted, as
this year. that numbers Of the fires in
American cotton were undoubtedly due
TO incendiarsm, the contrast with the
Eastern cotton becomes even stronger.
The question as to what they are going
10 do about ii Is consequently. We fear.
not yet settled by our cotton people. nor
will il be until a radical reform is in
stituted in the way Of baling. II Is
nonsense 10 say that OR cotton cannot
be more closely pressed and more neatly
baled than in the fashion i'm which II Is
constantly exposed about this and other
ports.