The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-08-14
From the Philadelphia Ledger.

CLIPPER SHIPS AND SCREW STEAMERS.
The employment almost exclusively of clipper ships
and to transport troops to India for the
British authorities is another of the signs which indicate
that coming change in the carrying trade of the world
which has been predicted from than quarter.
Time" as the adage goes, sis money" Whenever
the decentralization office discovers this, dnd employs
swift vessels in order to gain tme may be sure the
commercial world will do it also
In fact for several years the tendency of ocean trans
poraton has been towards clipper ships and screwseam
almost exclusively Nothing but the comparatively
large cost of freight the hand and the powerful
interest engaged the other has prevented their
complete triumph long before this. In the nature Of
things they must ultimately drive slower sailing craft
from the field The day is not far distant when the mag
nifcent fleet of packet ships of which New York is
proud will be left to rot. The very causes which en-
abled the powerful Liverpool liner to supplant
its tedious predecessor will in turn, supplant the elmer
For the history Of proves ncontestbly that
the quickest route swes sailing vessels will in the
long run, carry the day. The slow caravan which
brought the fabrics of India overland to Syria lost the
patronage of Western Europe the Cape of Good
Hope was circumnavigated. The Baltimore schooners
that could beat to wndward of frigate almost
monopolizcd during the at the beginning of this
century, certain descriptions of the carrying trade The
strongly SPARED and heavily manned new, by their
quick voyages secured the entire passenger traffic and the
most remuncrativc freights
1t was to the superior swiftness of American YES
sells indeed that the United States owed its rapid rise of
her mercantile marine Until within the last few years
our merchant ships class made quicker voyages than
any in the world But they now regret to say
losing this pre-eminence They losing it, however
not because cannot build vessels swift other
Tons but because continue building description Of
vessels which has had its day While Scotland is turn
ing out of clipper ships and scrowsteamers annu
ally America builds comparatively few of the first
and almost none at all Of the last
Iii plain that il this condition of things continues
the United States must eventually, TO rival Great
Britain in navigation That equality, which promised
npdly to become preemnence, and which we were SO
many years laboriousy attaining will be scattered to the
winds perhaps forever Our great shipowners must
me themselves hereafter exclusively TO clpperships and
wsteamer especially to the latter if they would re-
n their fortunes preserve the honor of their coun
Wy Already the foreign tonnage, in our ports in
ueases yearly. There Is time to be lost. The tide
nas turned against u.s. If not up and doing, we
'nah be swept away
IN this state of affairs, harbors like that of Phila
phia viii stand equal footing with their n
us than they did before The finest steamers be-
g TO Glasgow which lies under the natural dis
SH,antages, compared with Liverpool which Philadel-
~" does compared with Boston or New York