The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-11-07
SHIP OWNERS CRAFTY.
Declared That the Navigators of Ma
nfls Transports Imposed on the

Government-

Yokohama. Nov. War is never an
economical operation, and history tesL-
fes that patriotism seldom acts as a de-
terrent TO modify the rapacity OF those
human harpies who consider the puDllc
treasury legitimate prey at all times
and whose appetite becomes phehoI4lss
nal whenever an emergency ARISES AZ
the life of a nation. ---,4,.
Our hasty preparations FOR war viii
Spain naturally cost enormous SUNS SUNS
11ecause the government was at q 5LS1l
disadvantage in the market, partlcu1
" in the purchase and hire or VesseIS2
and there are many eases To- 10 VIZ +T7e
well known to need repetition where tIe
owners of comparatively worthless
ships have gotten rid OF their properly
at extraordinary valuations, put II may
have escaped the notice OF many "1lO
are interested in such details thaL the
exDedition to the Philippines has peen
conducted with the most wasteful ex-
penditure of money, particularly Az
4he TRANSPORTATION of troops.
without going into confusing paruc7
ulars it may be stated that, IN genera ia
terms the steamers which conveyed the
troops were hired at rates varying from
$500 to 81 500 per diem, the government
to furnish the coal In addition to TINS
price The obvious way or deaAnS
with this problem would have been to
have put the transportation an com
Enand of naval officers, or, II that were
impracticable, to have appointed 70
each ship an expert whose duty would
have been to see that the vessel unoer
his inspection fulfilled the contract IN a
reasonable way.
thought of, as far as is known, and,
consequently, there was an enormous
bid for fraud. Steamers which We're
claimed to have a speed OF 10 knots
never reeled of, under the most favor
able circumstance, more than IL When
the troops were on board, and on their
return voyage that speed was diminish
ed by at least 20 per cent
A fleet of these expensive transports
aay off Cavite for weeks discharging
in, IA HpfihRTafR
when they were finally ordered home
proceeded to take on their coal in a
manner which would put even Span
cards to the blush The case or one snip
was particularly ridiculous; it was coal
ing at the rate of only % tons a day and
burning from ten to fifteen tons to run
its pumps, dynanOs, distillerS, and ice
machine Others. to be sure, did bet
ter than this vessel but not one per-
formed this operation with AWNING
like an approach to the ordinary speed
of coaIing. Once away from Manila
and on the homeward trip the captains
s'soldiered'' as much as they chose, for
there was no check gut on their navi-
cation.
The coaIing operation becoming, fin
ally, almost a scandal, The ships were
ordered to take IN only enough to last
them to Hong Kong, and, after partial
ly filling their bunkers there, to proceed
to Nagasaki and finish BY this plan
tt was proposed to save money, because
coal is slightly cheaper IN Hong Kong
than in NagasakL
But at the rate the transports
steamed on the way home 1t took two
days longer to go by way of Hong Kong
and they saved say $500 on the amount
of coal they took in at Hong Kong at
a cost to the government of $4,000 in
some cases and $4,000 or more in others.
Their speed was simply ridiculous.
The Morgan City daWdled along near
Ay seven days from Hong Kong to Ma
gasaki, less than 1, 100 miles. The City
of Rio de JanierO never did more Titan
II knots an hour, although 1T easily
makes Is. The vessel arrived at Hong
Kong at IL o'clock on Saturday night,
and finished coaling at 4 o'clock next
day and had everything on board at
that hour but did not sail until the fol-
lowing morning. At Nagasal1i it made
a repetition of this farce, and finally
fingered along homeward at the COM
Portable speed Of IL knots, presume bly,
because it was not in demand to re-
turn to Its schedule on the Pacific pas
senger route until Decembe TO-
The zealandia was caught in a ty-
DhoOns or at least in heavy gale, on
the way to Nagasaki, lost some of its
upper works, went into dock there for
one month Cthe government paying
1890 per diem for its hire was thor
oughly refitted at the cost to the gov
eminent of $4,000 yen, or about $165OO
an gold, and then sailed for San Fran
cisco. The board OF surveyors which
inspected the vessel found that it was
IN a bad condition and had been for a
long time, but when it left the dock a
lev days ago it was in thorough order.
Iney were chartered in good faith on
terms most favorable to the companies
have squeezed" the government Of the
united states is now, and will be for
q long time, common talk IN SHINING
circles in the east.