Evening star., 1896-01-20
RIVER NEWS.
Harb0rmnster sutton Asks for I
$5O,O0O Fire Boat.

YOOsOttO F,lfe BOAT.
Harbormaster John r. Sutton was before
the House committee on District af-
fairs last week in regard to the appropria-
ton for the river and harbor expenses for
the coming fiscal year. After talking Of the
current expenses and some other slight
matters he called the express attention of
the committee to the urgent need for q
combined fire. ice and wreckins boat. In
reply to questions Capt. Sutton said he
thought that one boat of this description
would be amply sufficient, but that to build
her IN right manner and SO that she
would last for years would cost about
$4,000. He said that with such a craft
there would have been no loss Or possibly
only an incidental one when the ". W.
Corcoran was burnt, or by the fires which
destroyed the Colt and the Lady of the
Lake. OF the latter steamer nearly all of
the hull, which was OF iron, has been
raised from the channel oy the government
contractor; and is now lying in parts on
tho north shore Of the Hats waiting to be
sold at auction for old iron. After urging
upon the committee -he necessity of some
action in the matter OF a lire and ice boat.
Cspt. Sutton spoke of the present police
hoat, the Joe Blackburn. The Blackburn is
yet in good cordition, hut he thinks an
improvement Is much needed on her, and
SO recommends. Il is IL raise the side OF
the boat about foot and her house cor
respondingly. This will cost in the neigh
pals tha. would naturally go with such
work the Blackburn could be greatly i'm
proved. The new boiler and smokestack
authorized by the last Congress has been
placed aboard the boat, but has not been
tested, except by the government inspector.
1t is not thought that the new boiler will
he productive of any increased speed, but
in other direc tionS it was very much need
ed. In a few days the boat with her new
equipment will be taken for trial and
viii then be put in active commission
again. When the Blackburn went out of
commission in the fall the Lovey Ran
dali took the place Of the Blackburn and
has been acting as police boat ever since,
but will now be returned to her owners.
The ice over in Baltimore harbor dur
ing the past two weeks has been caus-
ing good deal Of trouble to the mariners,
but, strange as 1t may seem, 1t has caused
little if any trouble along the Potomac, ex-
cept to very small boats. Reports from
distance down the river. however. indicate
that trade is at a standstill at many of the
landings not directly on the river owing
to the creeks and tributary rivers being
frozen over. Around the harbor, the ice
this week degenerated from a field of two
or three inches in thickness to floating
cakes and no damage has been DONE ex-
cept that a couple of oyster pungies had
rents cut in their Sides There is very little
business doing now in the river trade and
even the oyster business is dull Some of
the ungies were stuck in the ice on the
lower inlets. The freight boats to river
landings, the T. V. Arrowsmith, Mattano
and Harry Randall. have all been taken of
and laid up. Even when spring comes
prospects arc not particularly bright, but
1t is probable that they will change in q
couple of months or so, except for the ex.
cursion steamers. The latter found great
competition from the land resorts on The
of the river men say that they expect tt
| find still more this coming summer.