The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-02-23
MARINE INTELLIGENCE.
,o.DING OF sCHOONERS CLEARS
wHARvEs OF LUMBER.

r schooner Joseph ID. Thomas to
Garry 10000 CrOss-ties, or 1,2OO,-
ooO Feet of Lumber-QuicIx Work
in Loading Belgian Steamship
,,is-Natters of Interest to Ship
ners and Mariners.
While there are complaints in some
,carters about sufficient cargoes for
vessels. this is not the case with the
american schooner that comes to South
american ports for lumber. The yellow
nine is here in abundance, and no
aoonar are the wharves cleared by the
loading of thousands of feet until load
ad cars come and the pile again APP
rears on the docks. Every freight
train entering the city brings few
oars and at times a solid train of lum-
Der.
The schooner Joseph B. Thomas, now
loading for Philadelphia by j. A. CAL
boun. gives some idea of how quickly
wharf of lumber may be cleared
away. She will take out $4,000 cross
ties. measuring about 100000 feet Of
humber. The Thomas is next in size
here some two years ago, and loaded a
solid cargo of lumber at the Georgia
lumber Company's wharVes. The
THOMAS was engaged in the coal trade
exclusively until she came South for
lumber.
cant. Peter Moe, stevedore for the
Antwerp Naval Stores Company, lost
no time in starting, the loading of the
steamship Iris. She was being loaded
on Yesterday and the day before, and
with no unforeseen hindrances it is ex-
pected she will clear on Wednesday.
She will take a large lot of spirits and
will finish her cargo with rosin.
Sixty of the new storm-warning tow
ers referred to in the annual report of
Chief Willis L. Moore of the Weather
Bureau were installed during the past
wear. and each equipped with i'm
proved lanterns. In the majority Of
cases electricity is used as the illu-
minant AS result of these improve
ments the distribution of storm warn
ings to shipping interests along the
seacoasts and on the Great Lakes has
been made much more effective. The
work of placing these towers and Ian
terms at all the storm warning display
stations of the service will be prose-
cuted as fast as available funds will
permit.
Much of the phenomena of the sea
is unaccountable. The Dutch steam
ship Prins Maurits, from Hayti, reports
that on Feb 10, lat. $3.50, Ion. IA, she
passed through vapor rising from the
sea, covering the surface with a line
of fog. The water appeared to be
boiling; the clouds changed quickly and
repeat edly and a great many water
spouts were seen in the distance.
A brief statement of facts regarding
the pay of the superintendent of life
saving stations ought to be all the ar
gument needed to impress upon Con
gress the justice of increasing the COM
pensation of the men who perform such
hazardous services for mankind. There
are thirteen districts on the United
States coasts. The highest salary paid
to a superintendent is $1,000 per year.
Five of the number receive but 81, 600
each, and one receive $1,000. Three of
these officers are required to furnish
bonds in the sum of $50, 900 each; three,
$4,000 each; one, $4,000; two, $4,000
each, and one, $4,000.
These salaries were fixed by law near
ly twenty years ago, when salaries
were lower than at present and before
the life saving service had developed
into its present acknowledged great eff
ficencY. No other class of officers in
the whole government are so poorly
paid and there are none, except mill
tary and naval officers in time of actual
war, that face such dangers. The life
of these men is one of constant hard
ship and peril and their pay should be
somewhere commensurate with the
work they perform. At present is is
not so.
The bill passed by the Senate last
session provided for an increase in the
pay of the superintendent to $4,000.
The House did not act on the bill for
lack of time. This year the bill has
been amended reducing the annual sal
airy to $4,000. The reduction ought not
to have been made, but as the bill in
its present shape is in fair way for
adoption, its passage should be facili-
tated. The measure is one against
which not single reasonable objection
can be raised.-Marine Journal.