The Savannah morning news., 1903-05-25
MARINE INTELLIGENCE.
FLEET OF LUMBER SCHOONERs
ROUND INCREASING.

They are Coming to Savannah for
the Yellow Pine-GOOd Effects of
Deeper Water-DepressiOn in the
Worlds Shippine-Of Interets to
Shippers and Seamen.
The fleet of schooners bound for Sa-
yannah shows an increase of late,
which probably means that they are
to continue prominent carriers of lum-
Der, even during the summer, which
was thought improbable some time ago,
owing to the inroads being made by
the steamers into this business since
the cotton movement was reduced. The
American bark is also figuring more
largely in the lumber movement than
formerly, and the belief is expressed
that these vessels will be more gener-
ally chartered by their owners now
for lumber cargo. All things being
equal, owners must prefer to haul lum-
Der because it is about the cleanest
cargo offering. 1t is a pleasure to Off
GERS and crew alike to charter for car
go of yellow pine. The coming week
will likely bring in a number of the
Good EGects of Deep Water.
The deepening of the Savannah river
will soon be advertised abroad. The
effect will be to help the port in many
ways, according to the general belief
in marine circles, and will ultimately
result in increasing the business of the
port proportionate to the improvements
made. Since the harbor was put in
it's present fine condition the gain in
business done as shown by the Custom
House records has been very large, and
the improvements are expected to
strengthen further the confidence of
foreign ship owners in the harbor and
induce them to charter for Savannah
upon more equitable terms than they
were asking formerly. The risk in en-
tering port has much to do with the
terms of charter and whether the YES
sells can be chartered at all or not and
with 2S-foot channel clear to the sea,
and the commodious harbor room, own
ers are expected to be eager to send
their vessels to Savannah. And it is
claimed that when the vessels come
the effect will be to attract cargo and
add 10 the ports business.
Depression in Shipping Business.
From Philadelphia Record.
The International Mercantile Marine
Company was organized and entered
into traffic arrangements with the Ger
man and Dutch lines, to check compe-
tition and maintain rates. After year
or two of very satisfactory business
freights fell very low, for business was
light, and the lines competed sharply
for what business there was. The inn
mediate occasion for this was the
wretched corn crop in this country,
fol1 1aff OiaI1 cir
export. But there were two other
causes of a less temporary character.
One was the great increase in new ton
mage. OF all the steam tonnage in the
world in 1902 more than one-third was
constructed in the five years 1897-1901,
and very nearly one-sixth in the last
two years. The worlds commerce is
growing fast, but not so fast as that.
The other cause of permanent char
acter is the great increase in the size
of steamers. This has reduced the cost
of transportation when the steamers
get full cargoes, but they must get full
cargoes to be economical, and one
steamer carries as much as half a doZ-
en- steamers of twenty or thirty years
ago. Of two steamers of $500 tons
each one might be laid up when freight
was light, and full rates be obtained
for the other. But one steamer of 1000
tons cannot be divided, and rates will
cargo.
In consequence of low rates and
light cargoeS an effort was made to
arrange an ocean pool, and out of this
grew the Mercantile Marine Company
and it's traffic arrangement with some
of the continental lines. But the re-
suits have been disappointing. One of
the most prominent steamship mana
gers in New York said last week that
the greatest pessiTnist in the country
could not, two years ago, have pre-
dicted anything like the freight mar
ket conditions that have actually pre-
vailed during the last eighteen
months"
But the shipping business has been
overdone. It is overdone most of the
time. Englishmen, Germans, Scandina-
vians invest upon the sea because
of the scarcity of good investments on
land Americans withdrew from the sea
because, with a continental domain,
and the success of steam railroads,
there was more money to be made on
shore than at sea. The present de-
preston is not fully disclosed by the
rates, for these are pretty well main
tained by agreement. All classes of
freight are low, and the lack of de-
mand for cargo space has included all
the leading items of cargo from grain
to cattle. 1t is complained that moth
ing at all is moving in a large way"
A Boston dispatch says that when
the Devonian shall arrive at Liverpool
she will be laid off. Most of the Bos-
ton steamship lines have reduced their
tonnage, and other steamers will be
withdrawn unless there shall be a
speedy Improvement Six large freight
carriers from that port, besides the
Devonian, have already been laid off.
savannah Almanac. 18TH Meridian
Time.
sun rises at 5;22 a. m. and sets at
10 p. m. *
High water at Tybee to-day at 6:10
a. m. and 6:35 p. m. High water at
Savannah one hour later.
ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES.
Vessels Arrived Yesterday.
Steamship Lexington, Kirwan, Bal
timore
Steamship City of Augusta, Burg,
New York.