The sun., 1896-10-11

tation of lumber was the discovery OF New Bed
ford capitalists. IL is believed tnat the time Is
trade will drive out the hundreds OF schooner RS
engaged in this particular buriness. Not only
has the coal trade been ruined for the schooners
by the barges. but the barges have got control
of the coastwiSe oil trade; and are now COM
pettors for the lumber trade"
In carry ring out the Savannah undertaking a
tug will await tho loading OF one barge. and AS
soon as II Is ready will tow II North. By the
time another Is loaded the tug VIII retu rn and
lumber dealers say that a barge will carry more
than twice as much lumber as an ordinary
cheaper thau schoOnerS and consequently can
offer lower rates for freight. On the other hand
to encounter storms and the ,perils OF
the sea. But such perfection has been
reached IN the building OF tugs: W oarses, toying
probable the Southern towing will be made a"
much of a success as the short towing from
question but hat tho schooner men have already
been badly beaten. Larger barges and tugs arc
being built by the coal handling corporAtionss
are now In this service. The coal business has
reached point where the seller IN many cases
delivers the cargoes. He can use his own tugs
and barges at an expense below that of paying
living froghts to the schooncrs. The schooner
men ray that the seller does not expect re-
turn IN freight money from his toms. He i'm
ply uses the tows as means to AN end, 70 de-
il is impossible for the coastng schooners to
compete. ,,
An illustration OF the work done this season
by one OF the new class OF ocean coal-towinR
tugs may be given as showing how the scho9n-
ers fail in competition with them. Tho Phila.
delphia and Reading Railroad Company's steel
tug Tamaqua was completed last February. and
is said to be the largest and most powerful tug
on the Atlantic coast She was built 10 tow out.
side of Moutauk Point on the Philadelphia and
Boston route. She is of 1850 horse power. and
In two months last summer towed 33o3O tons or
coal TO Boston. returning thirty barges, Ihe
same value In sailing vessel property could not
nearly have carried this amount OF coal IN tho
same time. Tho lamaaua's average round Trip
required seven and three-quarters days. such
building a sister boat the CatawiSsa
The fight maintained by the Atlantic schooner
for existence has beon long and bitter one.
The schooner was a successor to the sloop IN the
early davs OF American commerce. anu AZ the
time OF the civil war there were swarme OF zoo
ton schooners making money along the coast.
Then the small harges appeared on the pro-
tected waters OF the coast and drove TINS CLASS
OF vessels largely out OF existence. Ihe
schooner men then built three-masters or
600 tons burden 10 compete Tor bnsi-
ness These made money for time. The
barCes steadily increased in size and numbers.
however and about eight years ago the schuoner
men found IL possible 70 compete successfully
with the bargcs in the coal trade only oy build
ing and nsing the four-mAsters, carrying ,oOo
tons and upward. In the mean time the size ut
the barges and the length OF the towing routes
have been steadily increased. NOW there Is
prospect that sails In the coastWise trade
may become as obsolete - IN the United
States navy.