The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-30
Constwise Freight Carriers.

The old Norwegian ship Matilda was
being towed from Key West northward to
be changed into barge, when the storm of
a few days ago caught and wrecked her.
The old American bark H. l.. Routh has
just been changed into barge at Cooper's
Point, N. j., and will go into the coal
trade. The old Stag line steamship Gin
tonia, and the American bark Pactolus,
which recently put into Key West in dis
tress, are also recent additions to the barge
feet. 1t would be possible, by referring
to the records, to name a dozen more old
craft, both sail and steam, which, during
the past twelve to eighteen months, have
been dismantled and their capacious bulls
turned into barges. These ugly but cheap
craft are coming into direct competition
with the schooners in coastwise traffic. 1t
is said that barge can be operated at an
expense of about $50 a month, exclusive
of towing, whereas that sum would hardly
more than pay the provision bill of a 100
ton schooner. In at least one instance it
has been known that the owners of
barge paid a captain $3.50 month to cover,
all expenses aboard. Out of this sum the
captain hired his own help and paid for
his own provisions 1t does not require
a high order of skill to command barge,
since the craft never moves except with
the assistance of a tug.
How long will the schooners be able to
hold up against this sort of competition?
We have seen it stated as the opinion of
ship owners that, as things are going, the
time is not far distant when the schooner
will become as scarce along the American
seaboard as the American clipper ship has
become in foreign waters. The Phiadel-
phia Press tells of two well known ship
masters who In twelve months, have gone
crazy through worrying over the condition
of affairs.
1t cannot be otherwise than that the
growth of the barge fleet is the natural
evolution of the coastwise shipping bust
ness, under our system of laws. And there
is also suggestion of retributive justice
in it. Our registry and navigation laws
were designed and have been enforced for
the protection" of these very schooners,
which are now disappearing. The person
who desires to own a vessel and sail her
under the American flag is not permitted to
do so unless he has his craft built in an
American yard, or complies with other
requirements which amount almost to pro-
hibitIon. The American is not permitted to
get cheap craft wherever they can be had,
but is forced to pay tribute to the New
England and other northern ship builders.
The idea of the makers of these laws
was that the builders of the vessels would
be kept always rolling In wealth, and
that the few Americans, who would be
able to own vessels. would always be able
10 command their own prices for freights.
It is seen how the theory has worked out
No new medium sized schooners are being
built, and the demand for bottoms for the
coastwise carrying trade is being supplied
with old hulks of foreign or native craft
wherever they can be picked UP for
song. They employ no sailors; 1t is not
necessary that the commander shall be
seaman; any common labor will do for the
barge. VIII congress, for the accommoda-
ton of the schooner builders, pass a law
shutting barges out of the coaetwise traf-
fic? 1t would seem that is about the
only thing that can be done to keep the
barges from driving the schooners out of
the business.