The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1873-09-25

|
Iron Ships.
| We have ALWAYS believed. if iron ships
were found to be desirable, either rs sail
| ing vessels OF steamers that American in
| genuitv would find means to compete sue
cessfully with the builders of the Clvdc.
| That English iron built ships have proved
dangerously unreliable is we'll known. and
it is equally a fact that American plate
iron is vastly superior article to that
used in English ships.
We notice that Mr. John Roach. former
| ly proprietor of the Morgan Iron Works.
| in New York. and who was one of the
| most indignant OF those who testified be
| fore the Congressional Committee in 1870,
is meeting with great success in new To-
cation, as a builder of iron vessels To
tain head OF information about it. in the
! yards on the Clyde. and spent conSidcra
| BILE time in studying the >hip-buildn@ art
as there practiced He made him self
| familiar with all the improved machinery
! and processes. and obtained practical sue
| gestions from toremen He then selected
the best machinery and made some i'm
| portant Improvements, SO that in this Re
| spect he claims to have considerable ad-
vantage over his British competitors. On
this point he says:
| Unless you We're practical ship-builder ii
would be useless for me to explain the details
| of improved machinery, but | got rid Of every
| machine | owned and bought new. | save i'm
| immense number of hands by the operation.
and save relatively more hands than any of the
English shpbullders do, because adopted after
thorough trial labor-saying machinery that they
have recently adopted, or expect 10 0dopt IN HE
Juture. so ] an head Of them IN thai. They
are slow and want to Use their Old machinery
| for Il while.
Next he bought a site for a shipyard at
Chester, on the Delaware river and in
comparison with the builders on the CLYDE
saved the whole price of his machinery,
for he found that his land and machinery
cost him less than land sufficient to CON
duct the business on the Clvde would have
cost there. Capitol a,N t1lfertM on q most
lnlpOrtant 1,alt OF his business ult4 tins
be snld Ia be qiifn him to,' nothitg ont 81
the underelope0 resources Of Our cou71try
The position Of his establishment is re-
markedly advantageous, more 50 than
most, perhaps any, of those on the CLYDE.
tie has communication by both railroad
and river with the iron and coal mines
There is a down grade from the mines to
the yard, and trains loaded with coal and
iron IN with no other power than that OF
gray tatlon to the exact spot where
they are wanted, 50 that the only use TO-.
locomotives is to haul back the empty
cars. SO perfect is the system of delivery
by rail that not a horse is used in the ward.
He could not procure the skilled labor,
SO he went to work and made it,. First Ire
secured experienced foremcn, and hired
shad fishers Of the Delaware and the farm
ers OF the surrounding country He made
ship,joiners Of carpenters and timbermen
OF Wood-choppers; 1.-THE former did splen-
dldly, and the latter handled the broad
axe and adze with surprising ACCURACY
And now, after eighteen months OF train
ing, the force is as good an one as can be
found on the Clyde
Mr.. Roach boasts that he can build bet
ter ships than the British builders and
compete successfully with them He saws
his improved methods and machinery and
superior advantages for procuring. coal
and iron more than make up for the higher
rates OF wages he has to pay, and he
cllnches his statements by asset ing that
he not only receives orders at home, but
has already been approached in a bust
ness way in regard to building iron steam
ships for merchants in certain country
near England"
He began his works only eighteen
months ago, and has now 2. 800 men work
ing as hard as they can, with prospect of
plenty to do for their life times, and a de
sire on his part to employ more The only
thing he fears is free trade in ships, and
he does this not because he cannot stand
against ordinary competition from foreign
countries, but because he thinks the build
ers on the Clyde might combine to under
sell him and drive him from the field. lie
says:
Were it not for the fear of such :, combination
on the Clyde, | would hold up both hands and
say, NOW come OH with your free ships we
are ready for you,' because we can make shins
better and as cheap as they, but the world
does not know it yet.