Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-05-19
Iron ship Building on the Delaware.

THE PLUCK OF OUR wILNINGToN NBUILDERs-FUTURE
RosPEors-aovERNMEH POLICY IN THE CON-
srRUcTIoN OF IRON VESSELS.
A correspondent Of the New York Times has
been rambling among the ship-yards on the Del
aware, and writes that paper his Impressions
concerning them. and also gives the views OF
some OF the builders relative to future prospects
We clip portions of the letter:
at is claimed for the Delaware that the first
iron vessel ever built in this country was con-
structed on its banks and that the only iron sail
ing vessels ever built in this country were also
built in Delaware yards. In 1865, Mr.. Pusey
built the Flora Mcdonald, an iron river at ner;
in 1856, he built the schooner Mahlon Belts. OF
$50 tons, which has since been converted into
steamer. In 1869. the Harlan " Holngsworth
Company built the bark Iron Age of 700 tons.
But the Delaware ship builders have done more
than this Under the most depressing and dis
organizing influences, they have been true to
themselves and have refrained from following
the example of so many others in abandoning
their Yards and putting their capital ana ener-
gies in other and more immediately prohtabiein-
yestmente. They haYe never lost courage, but
to use a slang phrase. have stuck to the ship
80 long as she would float.
In the course of his ramblings, the correspon-
dent questioned Mr.. Roach, OF Chester relative
to future prospects, This is his reply
Our prospects in the future are certainly far
brighter than our immediate ones, and for these
reasons: Before the war, when our mechanlcai
resources for the production of iron and coal
were not 30 well developed as they are at pres
emit pig-iron was made in Pennsylvania and sold
in the New York market, at a proht, OF 12O 10
$23 per ton This is thirty per cent. less than
the cost of it's production in Scotland to day
Had il not been then for our civil war (England
mind you. had no civil war to upset her financial
arrangements) no man would be 80 foolish a. to
assert that we should not to-day be able to pro-
duce pig-iron cheaper than Great Britain. We
frnn a Ta0I0-
Iy recovering Yes, and more rapidly than many
| of us hoped for. We shall soon begin to go
ahead again. and, with wise legislation and re-
turn to specie basis, ,our opportunity for cheap
eping iron will be as good as is that of Great
Britain to-day 1t is q thorough misapplicltion
| of the word to speak of the import duties on
| iron and coal as projection. Coal and iron ore
can be bought in the mine in this country as
cheaply as any country in the known world. The
protection then is to labor. Now it appears to
i me that there ID not only tendency to but GER
l tainty of steady rise in the price OF European
| labor till it approximates more nearly TO tho
| price Of labor in this country. Ihat Is 70 say,
/ that the English and German laborer Will not
| perhaps have facilities for saving money to any
| extent but they will be able to live better-as
/ we'll as our laborers live. Every rise OF one per
/ cent. in labor in Europe will permit reduction
i of a one per cent in our tariff and while labor
/ in Europe will be rising labor here Will have
| tendency to go the other way in consequence OF
/ the decrease to taxation. Then the vastly su-
perior natural resources Of this country will place
| the American ship-builder in position to COM
/ mand the markets Of the world
Government policy towards the construction
of iron ships did not escape the attention of the
| Times correspondent. We present the pro and
nti-tarif views expressed to him by the build
| ers
Mr.. Gibbons Gree Trader), of the irml oil
/ Pusey Jones II Co., even went 30 far as to say
that, :" In an American ship-yard of the first
class labor il utilized to SO great degree by the
- Ia TnanhinarV that the total GOR
| of the labor in the construction of an iron shiI
ia really less in this country than anywhere elst
in the word, leaving only the difference in th,
cost Of materials as against the American build
ar in the competition with the foreign construc
tor" He went further. He gave it as hi
opinion that " the great desidn'Gtum for th'
American builder-that which will enable him Il
| oompete with tho constructors Of England AMI