The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-24
MARINE INTELLIGENCE.
LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS OF
SHIPS AND SHIPPING.

SHIPS AND SHIPPING.
The Steamer Gopher TO BE Overhaul
ed-The savannah Schooner Island
City Sold to Parties in PhiIadeI-
phia-ArrivaIs and sniIings-Other
Items of Interest in shipping.
The steamer Gopher, which has been
laid up for several months, will be over
hauled and put in repair, to take another
trip through the southern waters this win
ter Prof Moore, and several of his as
sociates, will come to Savannah as soon
as the steamer is ready and resume their
researches for relics along the banks of the
rivers in Florida.
Niessrs. Schubert and Cottingham of
Philadelphia have purchased from ]. ].
Dale of Savannah, Ga, the schooner ISL
and City, now at Baltimore Capt. Hen
derson of Camden, N. j., has gone to take
command, relieving Capt. Harvey who
has made a record in the vessel The
Island City registers 427 tons. She was
built in East Boston, Mass, in 1871. All
her log books remain on board, and show
that in her long career on two occasions
she carried arms and ammunition from
the United States to Constantinople, where
she delivered them to the Turkish govern
ment. She has been to Australia, and for
the past ten years has been in the coast
trade, running between Savannah and
Baltimore
A man not familiar with ships, who saw
no rH lvin
wharf the other day, might have mistak
en- it for a mainyard, it looked so big says
the New York Sun. 1t was a new spar
for an American wooden ship of $500 tons
lying alongside of the wharf and was AZ
feet long. The mainyard of the ship
measured about SO feet in length The roy
al was of spruce the main of Oregon pine
On a ship built nowadays the lower yard
would be of steel.
Ships masts were formerly made with
the several parts each a solid stick. When
big timber became scarce and more cost
ly the lower masts were built up of num-
Der of pieces of wood and banded with
iron hoops. When ships began to be built
of iron the lower masts were made of iron
and also the lower yards; and when the
building of steel ships were begun, the
4OWeI SdIuS were IldQe OF steer. Inere are
ships now that carry steel yards up to
and including their top-gallant yards.
There are built nowadays ships that car
ry no royals. The other yards are made
longer, so that the ship spreads the same
amount of canvas, which is, however, car
ried lower With less weight aloft there
is less leverage on the mast5, and the
snip stands up better. Fewer yards are
required and less rigging. The low rig is
in line with the common modern endeaVor
toward greater economy of operation.
The New York, Philadelphia and Nor
folk Railway Company, on Friday last,
placed in operation the largest barge in
the world. She is of steel, and transfers
trains from Norfolk to Cape Charles, for
ty miles across the Chesapeake bay. The
barge will accommodate forty cars.
The wages of seamen on the Atlantic
coast have recently dropped about 81 a
month all around. On coasting vessels the
sailors now receive $22, for the West India
ports $50 and for South America $16
The Merritt & Chapman Wrecking Com
pany are at work blowing up the schooner
Lamson, which was sunk by the steamer
Rappahannock and which lies in twenty
feet of water off the Capes of the Chesa-
peake, forming a dangerous derelict. The
company is doing the work for the govern
ment. -..
The Merchants and Miners steamship
Itasca was hauled on a marine railway at
scraped and painted.