Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1869-10-28
Vol 1V Whsle No. 76e. No 43.
Tho Congressional Committee in Port
land


upon American Navigation Interests
met at the Custom House in this CITY,
Yesterday morning at 10 o'clock, Hon.
John Lynch in the chair. The other
members OF the Committee present were
Messrs. Buffington OF Mass, Morrell of
Penn. Wells Of Missouri, Calkins of
New York. There was large attend
ance of the shipowners and shipbuiIders
of the city and vicinity, besides several
other gentleman who are deeply in
terested in the commercial interests of
the State.
The Chairman first called upon Capt.
Washington Ryan, of the firm Rvan 4
Davis. Capt. Ryan, said he had been
much interested il, reading the reports
Of the ties imony given before the COM
nittce in other eiLlss and that he could
agree with most of it. He thought
there was one point that had not be. II
dwelt upon. 1t was the deterioration
OF the men who sail our ships. That
the officers and crew had been on n
down-hill road for several years. One
reason of this had been owing to the
apathy OF ship-owner> who cad not en-
deayored to improve the men who sailed
heir ships. There was no association
of the ship-owners but their motto had
been every one for himself. and the
derH take the hindmost." There had
never been Il meeting OF the ship-owners
Of the State since twenty years ago.
When YOU appeal to them ia regard to
the Improvement Of the men there va
no favorable response. We suffered
from the want oil Mercantile Marine
Law. At present the officers were like
so many Topseys, because there was no
Z , q
properly qualified for their duties lie
| then went on to explain the evils OF the
| Ship-master. Association in New York
They sent out printed forms to be filled
/ up. and required a certificate, from two
4 acquaintance of the man des. s.ring
| Captains berth stating that he was
/ capable, but there was no examina-
I tiou.
! He thought that if Government allow
1 ed IA draw back on materials that, when
/ the line railroad connecting Portland
/ with the West was built, the commerce
( oi the city would be able to support a
/ line oil steamers once a month to Europe
| il properly subsidized He considered
I that while our merchant marine had
been dcteriorating, that, by the laws
relating 10 the service in England and
\ other commercial countries, theirs had
been improving. He, himself, had been
q sailor twcnty-eight years and ship
owner fifteen years.
capt. Joseph ". Dyer, who has been
a -lnpbuiider OF this cIty Tor many years.
was the next speaker. He had no doubt
the remission OF duties on material used
in the construction OF vessels would
revive shipbuildIng, and would enable
the builders here To compete with foreign
ones. lie then spoke of the pay ship
"a pcntcls receNei. From 1852 TO 1861
their wages were Sl.~O TO - per day,
Now they received - per dtv. H.
didn't think there was ANY difference iii
the cost OF labor abroad and at nome
when you considered The efficiency Of
our carpenters. la io6a he oOoid D',,ii
II one thousand ton ship for 80 10 500
per ton. Now it costs from 80 10 $50.
That j., the vessel could be built nj
about the same price now n then il II
/ draw back ON materials was allowed.
He thought We would compete with
foreign builders ii dutic, were renttrd.
because he believed wc could build bet
ter vessel tor the same money. Wchavr
better material here to build them OIL
II Government did not help the ship
building interests he tcIt assured tAat
many ui the ship carpenters would leave
the country, and their number be 5rca
ly reduced. Oar navy wards present
get the best snip carpenters, Tor thcy
pay high wa e. and require less WON.
A, Tor taking common carpenter t"
make 4 ship carp :n,er ot (In answer t.
Hqdcstion pu' b, one OF the committee
he said hc would rather take i greeA
hand to make snip carpenter
Cyrus +. Sargent, OF Yarmouth. i
-hipbuildcr, Dut never Il shlpma,ter.
stated that lie thought the duty on ma
tcrlals should be rcinDv, Il. lie then eX
planned how the English were aDle %
sail their vessels Cheaper than rs b,
means OF requiring r,liicatcs OF scd-
man-hip. lie said that the law requir-
my our vessels 10 carry certain pro-
poriiol oi Americans Tor crews WAS Il
dead letter. because the American sea-
men were not III existence III il sufh
irncv. lie Thought tree trade should
be the word all over the country. \
general repeal OF the navigation law,
would, in his opinion, shut up tile ship
wards. la regards 10 the building of
vessels. he Thought a vessel could bc
built as chea, ly now a before the war;
that it was simply difference betwecl
gold and currency that made the cost
seem greater. But Mr.. SIrg Mt did not
seem To be able TO prove this astonish
ing statement, notw withs Standing hc
claimed that the difference between
gold and currency was AN imagnar.
one. lie thought Yarmouth shipbuild
ing had been a. brisk during the war as
ever, and that with free trade she could
compete with the world. He though.
the great reason for the decline in ship
"A. ~, lx.,t
itali,ts were satisfied with four or tive
per cent. on their money, while ths
Americans required eight where they
had formerly thought SIX an ample re-
turn. Then, again, English vessel.
| were insured against total loss, but
American only against a partial lJ,,-
He was OF opinion that the difference
| III the cost OF labor and material did noo
amount to the difference between gold
and currency. La tie vessels sailing to
foreign ports we have better masters
but poorer sailors than the English. la
the matter OF coppering vessels, it cos1
$1,000 to copper "A one thousand ton ship
abroad. and 1t was done as well there
as here.
M.. GILES Loring, of Yarmouth, an
other shipbuilder, took the same view
of shipbuilding, as it now stands, with
Capt. Dyer lie could not agree with
his friend Mr.. Sargent, that ship could
be built as che iply now as before the
war. He used 10 get floor and top,
or frame as it is sometimes called, from
Canada before the war for $40. Now
it would cost at least S1S. The incrcas-
ed cost of material was twenty per cent
more than before the war, and that, too,
in gold. Then capitalists put their
money into ships because it paid them
satisfactory interest; but now they in
vested in bonds, which gave them
higher interest and were not taxed.