The New York herald., 1868-02-28
OUR SHIPPING INTEREST.
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF TINE HERALD.

SrEtAl tVHnkoFuNuthbe W Inc HehAlU.
Iron Steamship Building In Wilmington.
Dei.-The Iron Works There-Exten, and
CaUacity-What They Have Done and Can
Do-An Iron Propeller In Process of Com
structiOn for the Panamm Railroad Com.
pnny-An American Triumph.
Wn'nsGros, Del, Feb. 30 1905.
Famous among her larger sister cities and within four
hours ride OF New York; is situated along tho limo OF tho
railroad and on the banks OF the Chrstana river ths
place. It's antiquity the excellent quality OF IFS people,
and s undispuisd manufacturing interests. make It
the town OF the state OF Delaware To the
visitor alone he who passes day within It's pleasant
boundaries Inspecting its industrial works cannot but
view with satisfaction the numerous departments OF
iron and machinery IL contaus particularly the large
engineering and iron steamship building establishments
OF the Harlan Holngsworth Company, and hessrs.
Pusey. Jones Company whose productions of marlnc
engines and OF iron steamships have gained for them
credtable renown as naval architects and engineers
These rms-tho former to the greatest extent-have pro-
secuted the building OF iron steamships for many years.
and In tbs and character OF hulls, with the eGi
cheney OF their engines, compare favorabiy with the
grauder productions Of the worlds famous builders on
the Clyde
AT this trno when the broad ocean is covered by a
fleet Of improved steamers--but not ton ropro-
sentug American intercsts-when the carrying trade
OF the wor,ts being monopozod by foreign corpo-
ratous and the supremacy Of tho seas slipping from
the grasp tho United States. In amen,ablo contrast
to her position iew years since. It behooves every
wel-mindod and rejecting citlzen--while tho mon
Of party, tho heads OF the government, and tho
country's servants are quarreilng over tho spois
0 oico at Washington thinking ittle aud caring less
Of the still greater degradation OF their land ak,
OF tho helpiessEess OF these interests to
cry for remedial action and suggest the to nau
gurate it, The course adopted by tue HERALD in prom
nenty placing the miserable maritime position Of the
hons of Interested people, and disseminating
screw propellers rapidly and almost entirely
displacng the padde-wheei q propeling agent
on tho great ocean highway, is highly commended
among community of industrial interests here and
10 Them that beacon light can DO discerned IN
the future that will soon develop t.ef into brilliant
reality the mechanical skill OF their engineers and
the haudwork OF their architects will again be prac-
ticaliy recoanizsd; that the establishments which
advantage of completeness OF arrangement, size and
quality OF tools TO cons ruct improved screw steamers
may find work TO the extent Of their groat capacity.
The ma .ndde of those extensive shops, with their
principal buildngs-ahat lasting monuments OF their
OF their various and the ability ner owners
possess construct the largest Of screw steamships,
that can take tho place in our national Commerce
of the renowned clipper ships--those winged mes.
sengers taat borc glad tidngs or salvation to
far OF lands; tnat carried food to distan.
Starving mouths, returning from long voyages burdened
with reghts OF gold and spices rich silks and luscious
iruils-gong to AMI fro like shuttles, weaving the
unseen threads OF gold that linked together nations
widely remote IN q community of interest-these they
viii replace aud wnen golden threads OF commerce
are rudey snapped they will DO of double service
in sweeping the main, irausht with the thunder Of
insulted nationality; then We can class them
with the brightest and bravest production of human
genius ranking their designers aud bullders with the
IN re glorious who have crowned art with an impersh
able halo of glory.
THE WORKS or ms HARLAN AND HoIILNGswoRrH COMPANY
These works. with all their brick and franc buildings
area Of thirteen and half acres They are On
the line Of the Philadephia, Wilmington and Baltimore
Ralroad, aud the banks Of tho Christiaua river,
which is nayigabe for vessels Of the largest draugh
1he rncipal buildings ar rs follows
Machine shop. OF brick, Two stories. 100 feet BY 60
Fitting up shop, LAT feet by 60 foot
Bolier shop, 1856 feet by 6S feet.
Blacksmith shop. OF brck lao feet by A feet.
Milwright shop 100 fee. by 80 ioet.
These, with several engine and boiler h0uEcs stables
Sheds store rooms and offices occupy the northern po
ton Of space, while bordering the aud around
the hlpyard thore are tho
Boat shop, $50 feet by so feot.
Blacksmth shop leo fee, BY 80 feet.
Moulding loft, $50 teet by 80 feet.
Rigging house. 80 feet by Is feet
yarnish house l3O feet by % feet, together with
paints oolroOms, boilers and engines The iron yard
Is 133 feet by 10 ieet
In .he erecting shop tho machinery is OF such char
that the heaviest parts Of engine tho hull Of
an iron may pe finished in IL. There are here
two travelling capable OF lifting the heaviest
weights and arranged that they can be deposited at
any part OF the aoor Ia tho first blacksmith shop,
which very pleasant pl,ce there are twenty -four
nno nis fires and two heavy furnaces The boiler shop
contains furnaces beside the fires for boys who
machines. heavy and light shears, cranes, &c.
In the construction OF iron ship building this COM
pany performs the entire work. from the keel 70 tho
elegant touch OF the artists hand Thus they have
facilities for the expeditions prosecution OF work not
possessed by some manufacturers Among the various
shops throughout the district Of the company arc
hardware shops, where $4,000 Of the small ar.
ticlos that arc almost constantly demanded
In the of the construction OF IRON steamers
with immense piles Of rubber for packing purposes
whistles gauges and the lesser htngs OF th'
engine room, stored. Tho plan adopted by the man.
agemen in the distribution Of these articles very sys
tematic aud OF nature that allows Of but to waste
and no extravaganza. In the pattern shops there
stored 500 600 worth Of patterns OF overy charac
ter OF vessel constructed both In hull and machinery
To enumerato every point OF interest that prominently
strikes the visitor In tour about these works, from
the moment OF entering the huge doors that lead into
the premises until he grees the pleasant foreman OF tho
boat yard nearly half mile distant would be quite
impractcable; but there are planning rooms, Joiner
shops, immense rollers OF iron that will roll platos
that sngly are almost large enough 70 cover q
iron punches shears and ootcut,ing
chimes everywhere 10 be seen. lntermingng with
other machines are angle iron cutters; rvet machines
where man makes ton OF rivets OF various sizes
every day. heating and bending machines fourteen feet
long by four feet wde the samo tha! heated and bent
tho araor plates OF the monors OF the late war con.
sructcd here. AZ the end or the shpyard. which 10
connected by the Philadelphia and Baltimore railroad,
also all the other portions OF the largo district
par OF shears capable Of lifting I2o goo pounds without
interest when the huge cables OF mania used In the
hosting OF boilers from the dock to tho hold OF steamer
by these shears we're shown and their strength ex.
aimed They contain i've hundred aud twenty differ
ent strands and each strand has been tested to the
pacity OF holding weight OF three hundred pounds
These are placed four times around boor before an
| attempt is made to lift H. thus insuring safety.
Along the front Of the river which this company
sixteen hundred foet frontage Of are at pressnt
the steamers g. Marys, Samuel d. Felton, John
Warner Edwin Forrest, Manhattan and Pilot Boy, the
| majority being iron vessels requiring repairs.
afr nfns