Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-04-08
Fifty Years Ago in
The Star

The possibility of a strike among
the Chesapeake and Ohio canal boat
men nowadays would
increase OF be of little moment
Canal Tolls locally. but fifty
years ago such a
contingency caused. great concern
here. as the following in The Star
of March 81, 1873. indicates:
The latest Intelligence from Cum
berland and along the line OF the
canal with respect to the boatmen's
strike is gratifying in proportion 70
the unpropitiousness of the circum-
stances. that such a. movement should
have taken place Just at the com
mencement of what bids fair to be q
most prosperous season for the canal
business. We still hope for the very
best, but IL still remains to be seer
that the newly budding prospects o.
the trade viii be able to bear this
fresh increase of cost upon top Or
the additional toll lately decreed By
the canal company. Under all the
circumstances Of the case and the
competition which the canal, with all
its natural advantages. has to meet,
| it does appear to us that, with re-
spect to the increase both OF tolls and
boatmen's charges, II would have
been the part Of wise discretion TO
allow matters to run on in their &C
customed channel 10 some period OF
the coming summer, say July or Au-
gust. By that time enough would
have been learned to determine with
certainty If the trade would bear an
increase in tolls and freights, when
I action could be taken accordingly. AS
II is, there has been precipitation
the sake of the golden egg. But the
cotemporaneous increase OF toll by
the canal company and tonnage by
the boatmen is not all that has been
done in this more or less perilous di
rection. The owners of wharves a.
Cumberland have put in their oar and
sent up their wharfage charges from
the old rate of to cents per ton:
so that altogether the consignee is
confronted with new and unexpect-
ed cost of 13 cents per ton, the effect
. of which upon the canal coal trade
may prove to be what all concerned
will helplessly regret. Some indica
ton of the result to be anticipated
| has been already furnished in the
fact that in consequence of the delay
of two weeks in the coal trade this
season later than last years receipts
by canal. the Baltimore and Ohio rail-
road is now actively engaged at Bal
timore in filling orders for home and
foreign account.
The loss of the steamship Atlantic
of the White Star line. plying between
| New York and
Steamer Atlantic Liverpool nifty
Lost With 700. bly, shocked the
people of both America and Europe
According to The Star of April >.
1873, she struck a rock as she was
making her way into Halifax harbor
at o'clock on the morning before
and went down, carrying with her
fully 700 people. She had left Liver
pool on the Goth of March, and the
weather being tempestuous she ex-
| hausted her supply of coal. The Gap
tain determined to put into Halifax
and get fuel to carry her to New
York. The pilot seems to have beer
unacquainted with the tortuous chan
mel, and In the gray twilight. while
the passengers were asleep. the ship
struck Meagher's rock, :'beat against
over on her side and went down with
all her precious freight of human
souls. save those who olung to the
rigging and a courageous few who
kept themselves afoat on pieces Of
the wreck" About $50 escaped to the
rock itself and were saved by fisher-
men, who went to their rescue,
though not before they were again
imp>riled by the rising of the waters
which in that region move through
distance of many feet in tidal action
All the books were lost and the names
of many Of the steerage passengers
who perished could thus never be
learned. Only one, boat was got over
board as the steamer was sinking
and that was carried down by the
suction and those who were in. IL were
! lost.