The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-01-10

STOW YOUR HAMMER!

The Portland press, with its usual
readiness to hammer anything headed
for, quartered in. or desired by Astoria,
is at present doing hysterical stunt
over the neglect OF the people along
the coast line by the shippers of this
port, whose vessels are alleged to be
dling and rotting at their docks in wilful
derogation of commanding commercial
duty OF those people and the trade in.
cident
1t is cold and simple fact that the
bars on the Oregon coast south of the
Columbia are series of man-tIaps AMI
ship.lures for the major part of the
winter season, and that no vessel of a
draft capable of taking them in safety,
dare attempt them except under certain
well-known conditions of wind and tide;
conditions that do not prevail often
enough nor with any fixed recurrence,
and rarely to be anticipated by the men
who have to take the risks and the
blame for non-success and loss
Just now the Portland hammer is
being employed on the devoted head of
Samuel Elmore, owner of the steamer
Sue Il. Elmore, and the motor schooners
Evie and Gerald c., which are used in
the commerce of the coast and especially
at Tillamook. None OF these vessels are
large enough to contend with the storm
that have prevailed for the past six
weeks, particularly on the bars below;
and that they have not given the service
for which they were bought or built,
and are maintained, is as well and easily
accounted for at Tillamook Bay points
as it is right here in Astoria. The
largest of this feet, the Sue Il. Elmore,
is lighter and smaller than the steamers
Alliance and Breakwater (the largest
vessels frequenting the bars and bays
down that way) and her master, Cap
tain Paul Schroeder, is counted among
the best mariners out of Oregon and
admittedly plucky when it comes to
taking the chace man ought to take;
but that he does not take enough risks
to suit the wranglers at Portland is 3
apparent. Oh course ii he should get i
in trouble, lose his ship, or the lives {
of one or more Of his crew Of passengers, s
damage his ship or cargo to the serious (
loss and disadvantage Of owners or i
patrons, sacrifice his reputation as {
reliable and trustworthy man and mas q
ter, these same sheets would tumble over |
each other to commend and uphold and I
endorse him, MT! This feet is not I
working its ports of call because com q
mon sense forbids it, that is all there 9
is to it. 1t is folly to argue that either a
owner or master would refuse the serv-
ice on any other grounds. The vessels c
are always busy in weather that per- a
mits their rational handling, and they q
make decent profit at the business for f
the men who are not altogether averse n
to that profit, and that they should hold C
up the trade and its income, may be 8
attributed to the one sole cause respon- A
sible for it, a season of weather that i,
forbade their employment. Il
Even the larger and heavier vessels, n
The Breakwater and the Alliance, have,
within this very period, each lost life
IN the bar of Coos, and Tillamook bar is h
he worst Of the two. Five years ago
he Alliance was bar-bound at Empire
Jity, loaded with passengers anxious to
each San Francisco on urgent business
rrands of one sort and another, and
,aptain Hartwig was simply bounded to
cath by that urgency, until he deter.
lined to test his skill as mariner and
ourage as a man, and 60 to sea. An
our later the same crowd was cursing
i'm bitterly for the deep peril he had U