The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-06-09
ENORMOUS
EXPORTS
/ y,'.
Big Shipments Of Wheat
Are Being Made.
PILOTS ARE KEPT BUSY.
Many Steamers Came Here For
Their Carg0es In Ballast.
THE FUTURE BUSINESS OUTLOOK
THE FUTURE BUSINESS OUTLOOK

NEW YORK, June e.-[Special {. 1.-The
enormous volume Of our wheat exports In
the face of war with a foreign nation has
sailed out much admiring comment from
the world at large and proved source of
commendable pride on the part OF Anori-
cans, and to one class of men, tho
pilots Of this port, It has brought a great
rush Of work, coupled with corresponding
financial compensation. Every cargo OF
wheat carried away from New York ware
houses means two jobs for them-flrst,
bringing the carrying vessel safely TO the
dock and, second, taking 1t out again.
Without going at all into the details OF
the outward movement Of grain, which
has been sufficiently exploited In the dis
patches, 1t may be said that IL has ipcreas-
cd to such an extent within the last few
weeks that from one-quarter to one third
more ships arc now passing through the
Narrows daily than before the movement
began.
"In April" said Captain Sylvester, one
of the most experienced pilots In II serv-
Ice, to the writer yesterday, 1--WE handled
In the neighborhood of 860 vessels. In
May the number was nearly 480. That
means q good many thousand dollars more
earned by the members Of the pilots Con-
tinued permanently 1t would mean better
times than the old boom days even, and
while we hardly expect 1t will keep up we
do look for excellent business all summer
and a continuation through the fall unless
something unexpected happens. The early
close of the war; we are told, would boom
everything tremendously, and that would
of course keep our business up.
Preseut Situation Peculiar,
"But the present condition cannot con-
lures of the situation.
Thus, whilo the number of outgoing
wheat laden ships is unprecedented, SO also
Is the number of incoming ships bearing
nothing more valuable than ballast. /
have never before seen SO many steamers
standing high out Of tho water coming in
to this port as now. OF course that can't
90 on forever--couldn't If the world at
large were always to be as short Of wheat
and America as long Of that valuable ar
ticle as now-for, indefinitely prolonged,
the sending of light ships here for loading
would in time drain all the rest OF the
world Of gold.
I'VE pilots don't claim to be flnanciers
or business experts, but from constantly
having to do with the actual process Of
commerce we manage to pick up few
facts regarding its laws. One of these, as
we understand matters, is that In the long
run there IL as great n volume OF exports
as of imports and that rush Of imports
always follows an overplus of exports, not
of necessity Immediately, but as certainly
as the changes of the seasons. We there
fore look for big import business within
the next Few months and feel confident
that nothing but an undue lengthening of
the war can put it off.
Naturally we have all been much in
tercsted In the doings Of young Mr.. Letter,
the Chicago man who has made SO much
money out of wheat, and naturally we
have our own opinions about the causes of
tho high prices and the part he has played.
''wo think that the constant procession
of empty ships coming In here to go out
laden with grain upsets completely the no.
tion that his manipulations were tho chief
reason for wheat's rise They added sone-
thing to the figures, no doubt, but not SO
much as many seem to think"
The Harbor Closed at Night.
A popularity of the plotting business"
at this time lies in the circumstance that,
owing to the closing of the port at night
for the exigencies of war, there Is no bring
Ing In OF vessels between sunset and sun.
rise. This results in great and interest,"
Ing procession of ships up tho bay early
every morning--such q procession indeed
ms can probably be seen nowhere clse In
the world and never has been seen hero
before.
The Brooklyn bridge is the best place
from which to view this procession. 1t is
truo that 10 divides below the point of
Manhattan Island, largo portion Of the
ships passing up the North river to berth
on the west side Of tho island and on the
Jersey City shore, but the number enter
ing the East river Is large enough TO make
a very imposing marine display. A big
percentage of these vessels pass under the
bridge to berths in Brooklyn and on the
east side of Manhattan, and they can be
observed from the heights Of the bridge as
ships can be observed nowhere else.
That some of the sailors on wheat seek
Ing craft are now making their first visits
to this port was shown by little pan
tomimc on board the deck OF an incom-
ing vessel observed a day or two ago from
the footpath of the bridge. Every one
who is at all familiar with tho appear
ancc of that structure will remember that
IL seems much lower than II really is-too
low, In fact, for the masts Of most ships to
pass under, though actually Of ample
height. One of the sailors taking part in
the pantomime mentioned was clearly Of
the opinion that the spars of the vessel of
whose crew hc was member would surely
suffer unless they wero lowered, for no
could be seen pointing first to tho magnifi-
cent span and then TO tho tapering masts
of the craft while evidently expressing his
fears In an animated talk with two or
thrcc mates.
As tho vessel approached the bridge no
seemed TO be actually stricken dumb by
tho certainty of disaster, for no paused In