The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1908-01-15

little of their present trade. Yet 1t is in
their very location that is explained In
some degree the Londoner's lack OF knowl-
edge of the port. Why should Bayswater.
for example, trouble itself about Tilbury
and its relation to the biggest port in the
world?
Much nearer the Tower Bridge lie the
older docks. To the London Dock, the
first of the chain which extends eastwards
far down the north side of the river, there !,
come today n few steamers from the
Mediterranean and a few sailing ships.
Time was when this up-river dock was q
forest Of masts and spars, for IT was
coming home from Australia with wool or
some other colonial cargo. In the last ten
or a dozen years., however, these white
winged clippers have gradually become re-
duced In number. and at the moment the
only iron sailer lying in this dock Is the
Myrtle Holme, a handsome little barque
of less than a thousand tons. which for
many years has been regularly trading be-
tween London and Tasmania and Aus
tralia. She is the last Of a small fleet of
clippers, and only a few days ago was
reported to have followed the lead of so
many British sailing ships. and to have
been acquired by foreign owners. Thus is
quietly snapped an established link be-
tween the mother country and The colonies.
But her case IS only typical. The curious
point is that, although these sailing ships
may change their flag they still continue
to frequent the port of london.
Certain trndes OF the Thames, and some
not the least important, are practically con-
fined TO foreign vessels. More often than
not there are four or five wooden-huilt
foreign barques discharging ice or wood
from Scandinavia In the London dock. Ice
Is largely made by artificial means. but the
import Of the article still goes on. and
enormous blocks are hauled out of the
holds Of Norwegian boats. Some of these
tinber-built ships, with deckhouses whose
white painted windows and projecting
eaves give them the semhlance of cot
tages. have a number Of close-ftting
square ports near the water line. which
are used for the discharge of wood cargo
In this way the necessity Of hauling the
cargo on deck is avoided. Queer-looking
craft are some of these scandinavian
%sailers, with their falr-haired crews. II
these vessels at least train many capable
and hardy seamen, who may eventually
md their way into British forecastles.
The infinite variety Of the produce. which
is brought into London is indicated by the
cargo being discharged from a regular
Mediterranean cargo steamer. She puts
on the quay or into barges innumerable
sticks In the rough. Nearby is a Guernsey
boat, engaged running to and fro to the
Channel Islands, bringing broken granite
once a fortnight comes the steamship. Mas
terful, the largest steamer in the coasting
trade, and noticeable as the only Brit
iSh coaster fitted with submarine signal-
ling apparatus. Into the Regents Canal
dock, a busy centre often overlooked in
the computation of London's dock accom-
] itIbudl lJils lutIG dlSh tliAtlS u FAtadV "a
of coasters and Of Scandinavian barques.
A frequent visitor here is the Norwegian
baruue Berean. with a full cargo of Ice.
AT ono time she was a regular trader un-
der the British flag between London and
Australia. She was one of Walkers
ships. which is a sufficient testimony to
her character. Yet she was sold to for
eigners some few years back for less than
G1,000, and is said to have paid for herself
in two years. 1t Is odd that British owners
let these sailing ships go when there are
n11pTq who seem TO do so we'll with them.
In the West India dork. II quarter Of m
hours walk to the eastward. there IS
quite q representative gathering Of ships,
including the Fort Jackson, which re-
Gently took out a hundred Warspite boys
to Australia and back. Il couple of cable
steamers, and the barque Loeb
Torriion, which Sir William White once
spoke of MS ''oue CT the most elegant AMI
graceful models ever launched from the
Clyde" The Lady Jocelyn, once a we'll
known East 1ndiaman, but now a store
ship COR he Shipping Federation, and the
old Royal Naval Reserve training ship
President. also lie here, clOse TO the new
Yarrow-bullt destroyer Goyaz. fitting OUT
for the Brazilian navy. OF the few sailing
ships which nowadays load genera! cargo
Cor the Cape or Australia, nearly all come
into the West India dock, but their mum
Ter is yearly diminishing. IL used to be
possible 10 walk along the wharf under
the projecting jib-booms-many of them
adorned with sharks tails-cf scores ~
l~ong-voyage sailing ships. Now 1t is the
steamer that does the bulk of the busl-
ness, There are at times quite O number
of big cargo lines in this dock, which Is
the winter resort Of the Hudson Bay Com
pany's little fleet II traders. that later IN
the autumn will come in laden With furs.
1t Is South Africa which largely domi-
mates the East India Dock. Here the
gray-painted liners OF the Union-CaStle
Company lie alongside the quays. The
Dock, and the British India Company that
and the Victoria Dock. 1t Is hereabouts
that one gets an impression OF the vast
ness Of London's trade with the East. The
Iascar seaman is much in evidence, and
so Is the Chlnaman and the Japanese
Huge boats are the characteristic of these
lower Thames docks. A notable feature
is the disappearance of square yards ana
the substitution OF the pole masts, which
serve the purpose Of carrying the mast
head lights and facilitate signaling. Sails
are not wanted. or other docks which
have their own special trades, there is the
Millwall, and there are the Surrey Com
merclal docks on the south side of the
river. Grain is n great feature at Mill
wall. These cargoes are not handled by
men. as in the old days. Elevators empty
the holds. Nitrate comes into Millwall
from the west coast of South America.
This is 4 heavy cargo, which binds to-
gether. so that there Is no fear of shift
ing. The Surrey Commercial docks do n
very large business in grain, timber ana
provisions. Indeed, each dock has its
own special characteristics.
Apart from the docks, there Is. Of course,
an immense business done by the private
wharves which line the river on either side,
and at which boats from the continent or
from British ports are constantly nrriv-
ing. The huge oil-tankers which come into
the Thames discharge much lower down
the river, and slip into port and out again
with such celebrity that one is fortunate
to catch a glimpse Of them. One OF the
queerest craft that puts into the Thames
is q 3.C90-ton barge. lowed over from the
States full of oil. Then, again, the Thames
has an enormous barge and lighter inter-
Test, and on its banks an immense amount
Of work goes on In the shape of ship
repairing ship construction and dry dock
ing. Indeed, there is no end TO the nctivi-
Ties associated with this famous river.
whose tides and the craft they bear so
largely tend to make London a hnbitable
city, and to place at the disposal of its
fortunate but unsuspecting millions the
produce OF the most distant portions Of the
globe.
r,r,.ngo. EoftOu GRoxNEuU