The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1912-07-12
SEAMEN WATCHING.
VANISHING FLEET
Not a Sail win Be Seen, It Is
Said, After the Panama
Canal Opens.

An incident filed with Significance
to those who have watched the gradually
disappearance of the sailing vessels
from the high seas was recorded at
Philadelphia last month, when the PhilS
adelphia Vessel Owners and Captains
Association went out of existence after
an active life of thirty-nine years.
The directors, most of whom have
been among the most noted owners of
American sail tonnage, voted to dis
band because so few sailing vessels are
now in commission that there is no
further need of the association.
Many causes have contributed to the
vanishing of the sailing feet which
once was the pride of this Nation. The
principal cause is the coming of the
steamship. But within the last few
months the heavy gales that ravaged
the Atlantic Coast have brought dam
! age to shipping estimated at $4,000 900
practically all of it falling on sailing
coasting vessels.
| Many of the craft that were driven
ashore, foundered or were abandoned,
/ would never have met with disaster
4 had they been steamdriven. Steam
power also is more economical than
sail, in that steamship can he relied
upon to make her runs between ports
within given time. barring accidents
and because she is not restricted 70 tbe
carrying of strictly non-perisbahIe
| freights.
Steam Is Economy.
Ono shin Gunner l., aino,,.;. A.,
subiect vestar1o,, 'drorr ti' o usIlns Ine
tween +bo Froir;b+ .4", a. il"Iosy pe-
taxicab Like fbe +ayi cHi Io a nHd .he
steamship costs more to nathan but
her earnings are so much greater in n
given length of time that she is ami.
nently worth while to investors.
Steam within the last five wears has
Invaded every field formerly in undis-
puted possession of the sailing craft.
The steam whaler, for example. has
become such a commonplace that only
Portuguese crews now man the whai-
ing brigs and sehooners of New Bed
ford and Dundee These men, most of
whom hail from the Azores and the
Cape Verde Islands, will accept fore
castle ration that no other sailor in the
world will consider and viii work for
wages that no other sailor will accept.
Steam has also invaded the fishing
fleets of Gloucester and Provincetown
Ola coasting SHIPPERS who have spent
their lives navigating Long Island
sound and the waters between Cape
Cod and Nova Scotia, now gaze from
the quarterdeeks of their droghers
upon new form of freight carrier
the ocean going tug trailing a tow of
from three to five modern steel barges,
each built with careful thought to
cargo capacity and economy of main
tenance,
seaworthy Barges
These barges, with their steel decks
and matches, can lie in the trough dur
: ing a cape Cod fsnorter'' with the sea
breaking over them at will and no
harm done. The tug which has them
In tow rides the gale out under easy
; oea1 ana al, tne WINE the oid 1asn,
lore'' sI ~ ai1unG ana ABOUT thelh
are suffering costly damage from the
oa''eLiIgs Oh the seas. Many sehoon-
ei sH!Pper IN tne coastihg traue mas
lost MS Eessei because with ooid
sho[e unue, ms zee ne eaIeu NOT ne
. 70, put ha1 10 nuke niue san ana
try WIN an tne odus against MN 10
w0r r, ms way 10 open wafer.
ING sleaL square-rlsgeu sulllIs sup,
WhIch reached such high deVeioPmeht
it ,4 -. 70 ~ -
1 InaU the PacNeGs peIWeen LlNerPool anu
:, New YORK ana New YORK ana oan
Francisco made ther runs with almost
: the regularity of steam passenger ships,
d has practically disappeared from the
k sea; Ihere are very rev deep wafer
a sailing craft now under American
registry, and such as remain are Tor
the most part barkentines and brig
!, antlnes ana parks OF low tonnage'
Only eight ships carrying yards on
all their masts now fly the United
States flag, and of these the newest,
: the William T. Frye, was built eleven
5 years ago. or the eight SHIPS only one,
: the famous Aryan, built IN 1898, has a
wooden hull.
i A Vanishing Type
u She probably represents the last of
e e built in any of the worlds shipyards,