A Heavier Showing of Commerce Than of Ship-Building

Special Correspondence of the TRIBUNE

Pentwater, June. 7 - "There was a time," remarked an old settle to your correspondent, "when Pentwater was the liveliest town on this shore. We had lines of steamers north and across the lake, but we don't have them any more and it seems the town is dead."

In contrast to this is the remark of an old lumberman: "There is as much lumber shipping from Pentwater now as in any time in the past ten years, while we make large shipments of farm produce which before were unknown." When this city was the last railroad station on this shore, it was an import distributing point for the whole country north, and lines of large steamer ran across the lake and north along the shore, but the building of the Flint & Pere Marquette and Grand Rapids and Indiana caused the business to take other routes, but the local business has remained constant and improved during this time, and the change in the nature of the business done in the city, and the different classes of vessels coming into use all over the lake, have changed the character of vessels, if not diminished the number of employed here, while the volume of business has increased. While the marine interests were entirely dependent on the shipment of lumber our lumbermen were all vessel-owners, and a fine fleet of lumber schooners hailed from Pentwater, but lumber has ceased to be our only important item of shipment, and sailing vessels to be the most economical or satisfactory method of lake navigation. For these causes the nature of the marine interests and shipping business in the port has changed, a fact of which the author of the "Old Settler's Lament" is probably not aware.

It was naturally thought that when the lumber business declined this port would cease to be of importance as a shipping point, but the reverse appears to be true; while the lumber shipments have not declined, there has arisen a new class of business which promises in few years to exceed the lumber business in value of shipments. The development of the interior, the opening and cultivation of farms makes a good market necessary for the shipment of farm produce, and such a market, this city, because of its good harbor, nearness to large markets, and ample shipping facilities, is able to furnish and pay prices for such produce far in advance of those paid by nearby inland towns, while the manufactures of brick, flour an furniture, though but yet in their infancy, have had an important effect on marine interests, not only in increasing the volume of business done, and the number of vessels employed, but have called into use a class of vessels which in the days of exclusive lumber shipments and handling of foreign freight were unknown. The farm produce trade, especially of fruit, has attracted here a large number of small schooners called "hookers" (whose name denotes their great characteristics, a class of vessels very convenient and useful to the farmer but no use to the lumberman. These small vessels on account of the shortness of the run and lightness of the cargo, can profitably engage in the business, doing the work of larger vessels, their captains trade on their own hook-er, carry their cargoes across the lake or to the northern peninsula, where there is always a good market for fruit and vegetables, making quick trips at good profits. These vessels afford a steady market to the farmer for his products, often at prices above what the local dealer can afford to pay. Large quantities of produce were also shipped by means of the shore boats W. H. Browne and John D. Dewar to Ludington, and thence by the Flint & Pere Marquette and Goodrich steamship lines to Milwaukee and Chicago. These boats did and amount of business not appreciated by the people; besides a large amount of fruit and vegetables, the Browne alone taking out 7,000 bushels of potatoes, the entire fish catch, some two hundred and twenty tons, was shipped over this line; four boats a day connected with the large steamers at Ludington afford to shippers a convenient, expeditious and economical route for shipment, much to be preferred to schooner or barge, and virtually doing an amount of business as great as that formerly done by the lines of large steamers. These steamers, with their four trips a day, did an immense business, and explains why the clearances are apparently in no proportion to the business done.

The gradual change of the carrying trade of the lakes from sail to steam vessels, the reduction of lake freights to a figure so low as to leave little margin for profit, and the change in the nature of the shipping business have also changed the number and character of the vessels owned. The lumbermen finding it more economical to pay freight than to run schooners sold their vessels, while the new business called for a different class of transport. Of the old lumber fleet, three schooners are left, the North Star, Julia Larson and Winnie Wing. The North Star is a fine three-masted schooner of 150 tons burden and valued at $4,000. She is owned and sailed by Capt. Rice and is at present employed in the lumber trade for the Sand & Maxwell lumber company. The Julia Larson, of 60 tons burden and valued at $1,000, also trades for the lumber company. The Winnie Wing, of 202 tons and valued at $10,000, is the pride of the port and one of the fastest vessels on the lake. Besides these schooners there are owned here two barges, two scows, two towing tugs and a freight and passenger steamer.

The barge Johnson of three hundred tons and valued at $11,000 was purchased this spring by the Brick and Tile Co. and is running for them to Chicago in the brick trade, and also carries considerable freight. The barge Daisy Day of one hundred and fifty tons does a general freight business between Pentwater, "The Point" and Chicago. For several weeks last fall she ran to Chicago exclusively in the fruit and vegetable trade. The Brick and Tile Co. had this spring began using large scows for the transportation of brick to Chicago. They now have two of these scows and are building another at their dock in this city. These scows carry three hundred to five hundred tons.

The tug Bertha L. Cockell, of 25 tons, owned by the Brick and tile company, does the towing business of the port. The tug Fred Melsen, (19) of 50 tons, is owned by Pentwater capitalists, but is at present towing in Sheboygan, Wis. This harbor is not the most profitable for a tug. It is well sheltered from storms and the entrance is wide and deep. During the worst storms vessels can enter the harbor without any difficulty. The harbor is large and of great depth, there is plenty of sea room, vessels can sail to any part of the harbor, and when loaded can sail out again.

The W. H. Browne is a steamer of thirty tons and is valued at $5,000. She connects with the Chicago and West Michigan trains at Pentwater, the Flint & Pere Marquette trains and steamers at Ludington and the Goodrich steamers. Besides the shipping already mentioned as being done over this line, large quantities of merchandise are brought from Chicago and Milwaukee by merchants. The Browne is owned by Capt. Jacob Fisher. During the winter she was entirely overhauled and repaired and made as good as new. The steamer John D. Dewar of Ludington ran on this route last season and part of this season, but after the death of her owner, Duncan Dewar, she was sold, and now runs of the Frankfort and Manistee route. The Pentwater and Ludington route is a good paying line for one boat. At the time the Dewar was sold it was reported that the Frankfort parties to whom she was sold were negotiating for the purchase of the steamer Gordon, of Detroit, with the intention of running the two boats between Pentwater and Charlevoix. Should this be accomplished it will be of great value to Pentwater as opening a fine route for trade in fruits, flour and vegetables, and one which would add much to the shipping business of the city.

In addition to the vessels mentioned there is another deserving of mention, the yacht Norden, owned by Messrs. Fincher, Neilsen and Ambler. She is a trim little sloop of 42-foot keel, sloop-rigged, and is valued at $2,000. She was built two years ago for the now-defunct Muskegon yacht club and was purchased by her present owners this spring.

In addition to the scow building for the brick and tile company, J. C. Jensen has on the stocks a schooner of ten to twelve tons, and which will cost $800. She is intended for the fruit and vegetable trade, and will be finished about the middle of summer.

The preparing of ship timber and spars was formerly extensively carried on, but now has almost ceased to be an item. There is yet much timber standing which would be good for ship timber, but can be disposed of more profitably in other forms, and because the greater number of vessels built are steamers there is little demand for spars. Last season, Nickerson & Collister shipped spars to the value of $2,000, their shipment of spars this season will not be half that amount.

Summarizing, the following is a nearly accurate statement of the total shipments during the past year: Lumber, 13,700,000 feet; shingles, 27,000,000; bark, 3,350 cords; ties, 53,000; posts, 55,000; brick, 3,000,000; flour, 880 barrels; potatoes, 18,000 bushels; apples, 2,600 barrels, representing a value, with other miscellaneous articles not mentioned, of $310,000. The imports of grain and merchandise aggregated $170,000.

Freights hold low, owing to the large number of vessels engaged in the carrying trade on the lakes, and it is doubtful if any considerable increase in the amount of shipments would make any appreciable difference in freight rates. The present rates are about as follows: Pine to Chicago, $1.50; to Milwaukee, $1.25; hardwood lumber to Chicago, $1.75; to Milwaukee, $1.50; bark to Chicago, $1.50 per cord; to Milwaukee, $1.25; shingles to Chicago, 15 cents per 1,000; Milwaukee 12½ cents; posts and ties to Chicago, 6 cents; Milwaukee, 5 cents; brick to Chicago, $1.25 per 1,000.

By the Browne and the Ludington steamers, the rates are to Milwaukee 15 cents and to Chicago 25 cents per cwt. The shipments over this line at present are poor, but this is their dull season independent of the labor troubles.

At the beginning of the present season the prospects were very bright. Navigation opened very early. The winter had been favorable for lumbering, and a larger stock of logs than usual had been put in the river; the brick and tile company had contracts for 6,000,000 brick, nearly double their last year's shipments; a larger acreage of wheat and potatoes than last year was in, while the fruit prospects were excellent. Everything was encouraging and business men expected a business a fourth larger than last year, but the labor troubles have upset everything. Shipments are about 50 per cent of an average, while one firm is making no shipments at all. But no one has the blues, and all are confident that the present situation will be short-lived, and that by mid-summer business will resume its natural volume, but the present troubles will work an injury, for wile business will be equal to last year's, it will not be as good as expected from the manner in which the season opened.

Notes

19. Tug FRED NEILSEN, b. 1868, Toledo, US#17333.

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