Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-08-10


w. Elwell: Captain A. H. Strong, of
the schooner Henry Crosby: Captain
A. N. Marshall. well-known tugboat
man; Captain w. e. Brown, of w. e.
Brown Sc Co.; Odell Brothers. owners
of small craft; Louis Fnerstein and
Hopkins Oyster Company, whose bust
ness is largely with owners of small
craft; Mr.. Emmett Crump and Mr.. w.
w. Robertson, president Of the Poca-
hontas Lumber Company, both heavy
shippers of lumber; Mr.. Charles Scroe-
der. dealer in ship supplies. Besides
these men who are identified with the
marine interests in the manner stated.
the Pilot printed other inter-
views yesterday from several business
men.
Commenting on the interviews, Mr..
Dobic adopted MIR. EaStS language,
and said. OF course If you went to a
man and talked as Mr.. East said ne
understood the matter had been put,
the party interviewed would oppose
the Norfolk and Western plans. He
could not, however, state to whom the
matter has been put in 4 misleading
light. Speaking of Mr.. Spedden's in
Nterview, he said that the Lambert's
Point light had not been used for
eight years, and that navigators de-
pend on the pier lights.
Mr.. Dobie stated that he would act
as he himself thought best, thus init
ion would have little, If any, weight
in the matter; that he knew what
was best.
If Captain Eudgins, Captain Mar
shall. Mr.. Hudson. Captain Goodman,
Captain Strong and other vessel and
tugboat men, whose views have been
given in the VirginianPilot, are not
maritime men, 1t will no doubt be news
to this community.
CAPTAIN LOVELAND.
Captain Loveland who has been COM
ing to this port for eight or ten years,
and who is now here for load of coal.
states that the present piers should not
have been permitted to extend out so
far as they are. He states that from
his own experience. and the expert
enre OF other captains with whom he
is we'll acquainted, he can state that
the present piers are an obstruction to
navigation, and that similar added
piers will only aggravate the evil. He
is not only opposed to the building of
the new pier as projected, but thinks
that the present piers should be short
ened.
CAPT. GEORGE f. PHILLIPS.
Capt. George +. Phillips is a practical
mariner. TIc is connected with the firm
OF Hudson e Bro. in the towing and
transportation business. Speaking to
IL reporter for the Pilot yes
terday. Captain Phillips said that the
Lambert's Point piers are to the Eliz-
abeth river what Cape Hatteras Is to
he Atlantic coast-the graveyard for
vessels. The greater per cent. of the
Cape Hatteras and the greater per cent
age of the accidents of this harbor &C.
eur at Lambert's Point.
The reason for this. he said. is prac-
tically the same in both cases. In
rounding Cape Hatteras vessels Of all
n n In Ia 1nn c1r1
1t is inevitable, therefore. that there
should be accidents and wrecks. The
same Is true of Lambert'S Point piers.
All vessels. great and small. sailors or
steamers. must take the same course by
those piers. That causes accidents, the
larger part of which have occurred in
the vicinity of those piers.
Speaking of the obstruction to navi-
cation. Captain Phillips took his chart
used the compasses and showed that
the channel at the piers is crooked and
narrow. Now. said he, take vessel
which Is $50 feet long. n hauscr attach
cd. which is $50 feet. and q tug 100 feet
long and you have a straight line OF
500 feet going around those piers in a
narrow channel See the danger! The
channel is 450 feet wide. while the tow
Is nearly twice that length. If there
should he no accident TO the tow there
is no possibility of any other craft en-
tering the channel at the same time
All other vessels must wait. That is
obstruction. That is one of the most
serious objections TO the piers at Lam
bert's Point. They should be cut off
| several hundred feet, SO as to permit
tho free traffic this harbor ought to
have.
CAPT. w. NJ TILLEY.
Captain w. NJ. Tilley said that while
he is not an expert engineer competent
to say, precisely, what effect the Lam
bcrt's Point piers have on shipping, he
can say that his frequent association
with the boatmen led him to believe
that the piers were not q great dis
advantage to shipping. AS an original
proposition 1t would be better If all of
| the water were preserved, and II the
piers had not been run so far out But
since they are there one more pier of
not greater length would be no greater
obstruction. He said he believed that
no pier should be built any further out
than the present piers are. Mr.. Tilley
discussed the probability of having the
piers shortened. and stated that even
If that should not be done the proposal
OF the Norfolk and Western to dig
away the sand bar from below the
piers would be a great benefit to navi-
cation. Many shippers. he said, would
be satisfied If the sand bar were cleared
away.
CAPT. II. CURTIS.
Captain r. Curtis. of r. Curtis &.
Co. shipbrokers. said that he had been
on and about ships ever since he was
nine years old. He grew to manhood
aboard ship. and. therefore. is thor
ouSh!y convcrsant with navigation
questions. but as to the questions of
whether there ought 10 be piers at
l-ambert's Point or not, and whether
they affected navigation or not. he
could not say. He said he did not con-
slider that the present piers could have
been serious obstruction to the gem
eral traffic OF the harbor. because he