The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-10-26
A THREATENED PORT

IL cannot ba ruined. mo- empire so firm
that it does mot suffer from the univer-
sal law of birth. growth. souile decay
and death. AS it is with the flower Of
the field as it is with the individual
man, $50 it is with aggregauons of men,
whether Boo cities, governments or ma
tions. We see these facts constantly
repeated in history, we see the broken
monuments Of passed civilization. and
yet we think that our own will last for
ever. Just as the new born infant
carries within it the seeds of death, so
do all nations carry within them the
seeds of destruction What is Babylon
now. once the wonder of the world? a
few mounds of burnt brick. What the
once celebrated harbor of Rhodes, an
unknown fishing port The Greece of
old is a memory, the Roman empire
but % name. To come TO modern times,
Bristol once had the Atlantic trade.
now for one ship that goes to Bristol,
five hundred go to Liverpool. Where
are the tail ships of New Bedford, long
since rotted away and the race of New
Bedford shippers is no more.
1t was Liverpool, which now ranks as
one of the foremost ports of the world,
that has aroused this train of ideas.
Liverpool has considered her position as
queen Of the Atlantic trade as impreg-
nable, just as San Francisco regards
herself as queen of the Pacific. But
Liverpool got a rude shock a month or
so ago when the Berehaven scheme was
developed, and a bill passed through
Parliament for the construction of a
pier and other shipping facilities, and
the establishment Of a line of steamers
that would cross the Atlantic in four
and one half days.
A reference to the map will readily
show that Berehaven is admirably
situated in a geological sense as the
eastern terminus of a transatlantic
line, but, in truth, the southwestern
and western coasts of Ireland have a
number Of harbors much nearer
America and Liverpool, capable of ac-
commodating the largest ships aloat
For many years Bantry Bay in which
is Berehaven Harbor, has been a rem
devious for the British fleet, and it is
admitted to be one of the safest and
most cOmmodious harbors in the world
The passage Of the Berehaven Harbor
scheme bill in Parliament has revived
"reminiscences of other schemes having
for their object the shortening of the
sea passage between Europe and Amer
lea. Most of these plans had in view
the utilization of one of the numerous
natural harbors of the west or south
western coast of Ireland as the eastern
terminus. None of these projects, how
ever, has ever passed beyond the ex-
perimental stage.
After looking the matter over the
Liverpudlians have come to the conclu-
sion that they have nothing to fear
from Berehaven and base their views on
the following arguments:
u The terminus of a steamship line
should be, within easy reach of the OBJ
jective point of passengers. Berehaven
does not meet this condition precedent.
The objective point of most Transact
lantic passengers is London or the Con-
tinent. In order to reach either point,
passengers who disembarked at Bere-
haven would have to make an addi-
tional change to cross the Irish Sea.
90 1t is necessary for a terminus of a
transatlantic line, both on the Euro |
pean and American side to be convenient
for the rapid and cheap distribution of
cargo. The population of Ireland, as
compared with the rest of the British
Isles, is small and indeed decreasing, |
and very little of American cargoes |
have Irish points as their ultimate des- |
tinations, and Ireland's exports to Anne |
RIGA are but small. The transshipment |
of cargo which would be necessary With
Berehaven as the eastern steamship |
terminus seems to put that place out
of the question.
so AS transatlantic shipping ter
minus, Berehaven would be under the
great disadvantage of having to bring
coal from a considerable distance
(Wales being the nearest point; there
would be lacking an ample supply of
seamen from whom to select crews, and
the commissariat would be much more
costly than from, say, Southampton or
AlNeipOOl.
TO each and all of these the promo
tiers of the BerehaVen scheme have an |
answer, so though Liverpool merchants |
and steamship owners are not afraid,
the danger still threatens. But while |
Liverpool shipping and commercial in
terests do not fear that Berehaven, or
any other port on the west or south
west coast of Ireland, can become
rival of Liverpool, there is much spe-
culation and some uneasiness as TO the
future Of the transatlantic trade. In
this connection, the press and the pub
lie seem to be more apprehensive than
the managers of the steamship lines.
There is undoubtedly in Liverpool a
deep-seated popular fear that the
British steamship lines-and reference
is more particularly made to the Liver
pool lines-may be outdone by Ameri-