The Morning herald., 1875-09-02
WILMINGTON IRON SHIPS.

NO CHEAP JOHN SHIPS BUILT HERE-WHAT
OUR YARDS HAVE ACCoMPL1sHED-soME
INTERESTING FACTS FOR THE PFEss.
In an article in yesterdays Baltimore Sam
on "Our Iron Ship Building" referring to
the failure of the Steamship. City of Peking,
we find the following statement
''It is alleged that one of the most serious
drawbacks to American supremacy in iron
steamship building is the superficial charac-
ter of our workmanship, which is alleged to
be made of piece with the "Cheap John"
fabrication of furniture and the construction
of cheap contract houses. A statement has
been lately made in illustration of this fact
in regard to the great Steamship "City of
PelSing," the launch of which at Chester,
Pa, a few months since, drew together
concourse of citizens of the principal cities
of the country, including our own, who
lavished much praise upon the builders
for his enterprise. Business men are said to
have pronounced the event a new era in
American Architecture. y = X And
yet thus early in the career of this vessel
story comes from San Francisco, that the
getty of Peking" is literally going to pieces,
as the result of imperfect workmanship"
It is true that there are "Cheap Johns"
in the Iron Ship Building business, as well
as in every other business under the sun.
1t is also true that the steamship "City OF
Peking," is in desperately bad condition,
and that it will probably take as much, or
more, than the amount named, (S250, ,00O)
to make the necessary repairs and
alterations to her hull to fit her to
60 to sea, even on such placid waters
as those of the Pacific Ocean. Her consort,
the "City of Tokio," built from the same
specifications and at the same time, it is
feared will turn out no better.
1t is mistake to suppose that these ships
are fair samples of the work done in this
country. This error may be natural on the
part of those not directly interested in our
shipping, for the reason that so. much was
done by the Pacific Mail s. s. Co., and
the builders, in the way of advertising by
special palace trains, gorgeous banquets and
expensive trial trips, to give to Congress and
the country the impression that then for the
first time, was the business of iron
ship building being developed in
done mainly to influence the then pending
action of Congress on the application for
subsidy to the Pacific Mail Co., for carrying
built iron ships. And it is well to note here
that if the money and energy expended in
this way had been put upon the ships, there
would to-day be no cause to complain of
their weakness and the bad workmanship on
them.
It is q fact, however, well known to all
persons interested in shipping matters that
The building Of iron ships has been success
fully conducted on the banks of the Chris
lana for more than twenty-five years. Dur
ing that time more than two hundred ships
have been constructed which are now rlfn-
hing and doing good service.
Some of them have encountered the most
,rying perils, but have, in all cases come out
rs strong and staunch as ever, and no CON-
)laint has evcr been made Of ercakncss or
ligttea scork. As conspicuous example of
heir ability to stand rough usage, we quote i
he report of the officials who surveyed the
he Steamship Josephine, after she had been
,uffeted about on Santiago Bar for over ten
lays.
CITY OF NEW ORLEANs,l r.
April 18th, 1868.
"We hereby certify that we made special
survey of the new iron side-wheel steamer
: "Josephine" of the Morgan Line, now on
the Valette Dry Dock, after having been so
long ashore on the Bar at Los Brazos dc
Santiago, and, so far as we can discover
mot a single rivet has been started and not
single drop of water came out of any part
of her bottom, there are only few places
'on the bottom where the plates were very {
Slightly bruised. Indeed, we cannot per-
'ceive any evidence of strain or work in any \
portion of the ship. which is Certainly very
remarkable, when we take into considera-