New-York tribune., 1908-03-01
COAL BARGES
THEIR GRAVES.
PERIL.S OF SE4F4REKO
WHO TRUST TOWLINE.
CONGRESS asked to Remedy EUits of
Const7cise Touboat Commerce
-Tugmen Blamed.
rcopyright. 1905. bv Edward A Aoree.

rCop-risht 1905 BY Edward A Ioree-t
The old barsenlan. who has followed ms pre-
carfous calling up and down the coast for fifteen
wears watched a string of barges as they were
towed out OF New York Harbor. squinted MS
weather eye off to tho northeast. lighted his pipe
and sat down with hopeless sort Of air.
Them tugs" he said. play snap-the-Vhip
around the Atlantic Coast with their barges. and
little do they if the devil does get the nind-
most. Now that string there IS putting 10 sea
when there amt chance in five thousand that
il won't get caught in bowling nor easter
You'll read in the paper in day or TWO tra'
the barge Helen Blazes was lost from the tow
boat Dvilmsycare off Point Judith IN herce ohz-
zard The crew of three and the captains s VIE
probably drowned This because the lowing COM
pany didn't keep them in when 1t was sure tfiihS
that there was going to be a terrible blow out
side
The old bargennan sy:rnmed up situation that
has aroused 10 action nearly every phtanthropic
association and person that has anything 70 20
with the sea or seamen. The attention of Presi-
dent Roosevelt and Secretary Strau5 has been
called TO the little regard for the lives OF the
bsr sreenen shown By the towing companies ana
several bills have been prepared for submission
in Congress TO rectify many slaring evils regu-
lating the length Of tovs. providing for safety
devices on barges and prohibiting towooat cap
tains from putting 70 sea when SPECIAL storm
warnings have been hoisted-
Secretary Straus has ordered a special tnvestl-
CATION Of the whole subject One Of the abuses
which have called the attention Of many persons
to the towing industry was brought out in a state
nlent by 2 tovboat captain the other day
what communication he was asked. do you
have with your barges?'
'fOh. we use glasses in the daytime he said.
and can always tell when barge is in distress
But hcT about the night, how can you zen
whether you have lost barge or whether the
crew Of some barge has slipped off into the sea-
'-Why." he answered we have a light which
we hoist every hour. This calls for signal from
each barge. II there is no response We know the
man is overheard or the boat adrift-'
The towboat captain refused to commit himself
as to how many times he received no response
He said that if of the barges failed to re-
spond he would. unless the was too heavy, cut
loose and anchor the tows which remained and
go in search of the missing barge, and IL u had
not broken loose lind out why It had not respond
ed to his signal.
Then, toe, even when falls overheard from
a barge there seldom is any report Of the acct
dent made at any port The men who take Joos
on barges are not seanen in the strict acceptance
of the term. They are either Scandinavian or
Italian laborers. dump trlmmers." or the lover
classes Of stevedores. who take jobs barSes be-
cause they cannot get anything else They are
hired at ) o'clock In the afternoon 90 aboard at
s and are going out of the NarrOTs in three
hours No record has been made of their names
and no has made inquiry as to whether or
not they are able to handle themselves at sea.
Often these ''snore Tnonsrels. as the shipping
agents call them, have wives and families al
home. But if slips off into the ocean some
dark night his family never knows anything OF
his end. Likely ne has never told them Of
his Job. This. the Police Department says. ac-
counts for many of the missing persons Of the
lower classes who reported daily at Police