Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-25
AMERICAN SCHOONERS.
Figures Showing That Sail is Not Re-
placed by Steam.
PENNSYLVANIA AVE. AND SEVENTH ST


From the London Express.
America has just turned out from the
shipbuifding yards of Maine the two big
gest schooners ever launched. One is
ffve-master and the other creates a new
record by carrying no fewer than six masts
each of them with over 100 feet of Oregon
pine in the lower mast alone The six
master is more than 500 feet long has T.
600 square yards of canvas. and can carry
5000 tons of coal-a species of freight men
toned by our Boston CORRESPONDENT with a
keen appreciation of England's present in
terest in ansatiantic coal supplies. Most
wonderful detail of all, she can be navigat
ed by crew of fourteen men, whereas our
correspondent claims, a square-rigged YES
sci would require twice many. This is
a point on which sailing experts may differ
with him, but the main point is that a crew
small in numbers can handle huge carry
ing machine deriving its motive power from
the inexpensive breeZes of heaven.
Most ordinary people thought, and think,
that the day of the sailing vessel is passed.
Sentimental folk. with an eye for pictur-
esque marine effects, may be heard on any
excursion steamer admiring the casual bark
or brgantine encountered in the lower
reaches of the Thames (full-rigged ships
are less often met with) and deploring the
crowding out of the graceful sailing vessel
by the ugly and womanlike steamer. 1t
seems that the plant is quite uncalled for.
The steamer has displaced the sailing ship
1OT All time DIS Il carrier VI anu pas
sengers and of perishable goods that need
rapid transit for the market, but there Is
plenty of work for the good ship with stout
wooden hull and fluttering wings of can
vas. Her day is by no means over. POSI-
bly, new era of activity is before the sail
driven vessel With the price of coal ever
rising and the difficulty of obtaining sail
ors and firemen ever on the increase, 1t
may be found better economy to use the
slower sailing vessel than the hurrying
steamer, with great saving of the initial eX-
pense of powerful engines and the current
expenses of crew and fuel.
1t may be interesting to quote few
figures giving the relative tonnage of
steamers and sailing vessels dealing with
British commerce at comparatively re-
cent period. A dozen years ago the steam
ships of Great Britain and the colonies rep
the 4, 435,OoO of our sailing vessels; while
the ships of the United States apparently
about to show us the way in utilizing sail
power) were reckoned at 1,7lO.000 tonnage
for steamers, as against 2,540oOO for SAIL
ing vessels. Thus, in British commerce
sails fairly held their own against steam.
while in America the sail had big lead in
tonnage over steam. 1t is good news to
hear that the sailing ship is not likely to
be driven out of the field. She is a thing
of beauty, to begin with, and aesthetic con-
sidera tons are not to be disregarded when
they can be combined with sound COM
mercal advantage. That this latter point
can be secured, with the combination Of
crews, appears to be clearly indicated by
the line of enterprise adopted by our astute
American friends-who are going to bring
chpan coal.