Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-08-27
STEAM PILOT BOATs.


Agitation in Favor of Abandoning the
Schooner Rugged Cutters Now Used.
The agitation in favor of the adoption
by the Philadelphia pilots OF steam
craft to take the place of the light
schooner rugged cutters now in service
off the Delaware Capes has about
reached head, says the Philadelphia
Press, and at a meeting of the pilots
to be held September 1st, il is an
almost assured fact that out of the
whole number more than three fourths
will vote in favor of steam pilot boats.
In thissvcnt the entire cruising sys-
tenn Will be revolutiunized, the Della
ware and Pennsylvania pilots will once
moro be brought together and highly
efficient, as we'll as much more
economical service will be rendered
Philadelphia's commerce. Preliminary
meetings of the pilots have been held
at both Loves and Cape May, and
September lst has been arranged as
the final day for a general meeting at
which it is anticipated definite action
will be taken.
The subject of steam pilot boats has
long been the topic of conversation in
the pilot office and the younger element
of the pilots now feel confident that
they have persuaded the older men
that much more efficient and economi..
cal service may be rendered with steam
cruising boats. The long cruises will
be thing of tho past, rs one steam
boat of the capes would be able to
board all vessels coming as they may,
from the East, South or North. Again
1T is agreed that the business has
undergone marked changes since the
sail boats first came in use. Over two
thirds of the worlds commerce is now
carried on in steamships. and they are,
in order to make any dividends, com
PEELED to keep driving ahead all the
time. Their masters have instructions
not to wait for the off-shore pilot if he
is not ut hand, and invariably it is
now the case that inward bound craft
pass the off shore boats and take the
pilot from cutters close up to the
capes. With steam all this could be
obviated, as this kind of craft ia not
dependent on the elements, and is
alike capable OF boarding vessels in
time of storm and calm.
The past few winters clearly demon
strated to the pilots the necessity of
making this change, as at times the
entrance to the bay became so choked
up by ice that the sail boats were I'M
able TO either board or take pilots out
Of vessels New York and Baltimore
find steam pilot boats much better than
the sail boats, and at both ports an
excellent service has been rendered
with comparatively little exposure to
the pilots. The strongest advocates of
steam pilot boats are Pilots Long,
Clampett and Virden, who by recent
legislation by the Port Wardens and
Delaware Pilot Commissioners were
prohibited joining ships at neighbor-
ing ports to come to Philadelphia and
were compelled to take their chances
in cruising boats. The pilots claim
that two steamboats, would perform the
servi ce of seven of the schooners One
schooner they would retain in case of
accident to the steamboats,. The
undertaking meets with the hearty
approval of the entire shipping com
lnunity. A well-known pilot in speak
ing on the subject Wednesday, stated
that as far as he could learn there was
only one boats crew against the under
taking. That is the crew of the more
recently built cutter w. w. ker. 1t
costs about $3.50 month for the main
tenance of each boat. and by the intro
duction of steamboats, this outlay can
be reduced one-half. The pilots esti-
mate the probable cost of two steam
pilot boats to be $50, 600, and that at
least one will be In service this winter.