The Portland daily press., 1900-10-18
AMEBICAN SCHOONERS.
Figures Showing That Sails Not Re
placed by Steam.

America has just turned out from the
shipbuiidng yards OF Maine the two big
gest schooners ever launched, saws the
London Express. One is a tiye-master.
and the other creates a new record hy
carrying no fewer than six masts-each
Of them with over 100 feet Of Oregon pine
in the lower mast alone. The six-mastsr
Is more than 300 feet long, has 1900
square yards OF canvas, and can carry
5,o0O tons Of coal-a species OF freight
mentioned By our Boston correspondents
with keen appreciation of England's
present interest in Transatlantic coal sup
plies. Nest wonderful detail Of all, she
can be navigated by crew Of fourteen
men, whereas, our correspondent claims,
a square-rigged vessel would require
twice as many. This is a point on which
sailing experts may differ with him, but
the main point is that crew small in
numbers can handle huge carrying
machine deriving It's motive power from
the inexpensive breezes OF heaven.
Most ordinary people thought, and think,
that the day Of the sailing vessel is past
Sentimental folk, with an eye for pictur-
esque marine effects, may be heard on
any excursion steamer admiring the
casual bark or brigantine encou ntered in
the lower reaches of The Thames full
rlgged ships are less often met Withl,
and deploring the croWding out of the
graceful sailing vessel by the ugly and
Workmanl1ke steamer. 1t seems that the
plalnt is quite uncalIed for. Jhe STEAMER
has displaced the sailing ship for all time
as carrier Of mails and passengers and
OF perishable goods that need rapid transit
for the market, but there is pl5nty of
work for the good ship with stout wood
en- hull and futtering wings of canvas.
Her day is by no means over. Possibly
a new era OF activity is before the sail
driven vessel. With the price OF coal ever
rising and the difficulty of obtaining
sailors and hremen ever on the increase,
it may be found better economy to use
the slower sailing vessel than the hurry
ing steamer, with great saving OF the
initial expense of powerful engines and
the current expenses of crew and fuel.
1t may be interesting to quote a few
figures giving the relative tonnage of
steamers and sailing vessels dealing with
British commerce at q comparatively re-
cent period A dozen years ago the
steamships OF Great Britain and the Colo
MES represented a tonnage OF 4,615, 600,
as against the 4, 435, ,OO0 of our sailing
vessels, while the ships Of the United
States apparently about to show US the
way in utilizing sail power), were reck-
oned at 1,77O. 900 tonnage for steamers, as
against $780, ,0UO for sailing vessels.
Thus, in British commerce sails fairly
held their own against steam, while in
mn nj p3r7o ft1oc sol t,orS y
mage over steam. 1t is good news to
hear that the sailing ship is not likely
to be driven out of the field. She is
thing OF beauty, 10 begin with, and
aesthetic considerations are not to be
disregarded when they can be combined
with sound commercial advantage. That
this latter point can be secured, with the
combination of very big ships and rela-
lively small crews, appears to be clearly
indicated by the line of enterprise adopt
ed by our astute American friends-Who
are going to bring US cheap coal.