Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-04-05

1875. Or.
April l. BY balance due bank..."......s $50 %
1876
April l. By amount paid out as per YOU
cheers and checks ................S6I 900 81
$1,000 IS
1876.
April |. Balance due bank ................ A. 81
Deduct from gross amount DR.. aud Or. renewals
of notes. $4,000 and we have rs actual
Cash reed OF Bacon. IL
Balance paid Cverdraft. 595 OF
Cash paid on vouchers. EU 81 S326o5 80
s47 81
The Secretsrys statement shows that the pr
sent value Of property to be on April |. 1916
with improvements added this year, $40 700 IS;
value Of property on April l. 1875 S317 10;
the yard in 1876 cost S., 527 50; sdditionsl stock
paid in since April /, 1876, $3.50 leaving d
balance of s. 857 SO, which has been paid out Of
the earnings of The yard this past year. The
amount Of debt outstanding on April 2. 1873, AS
per statement shows WAS ST., 623 90 smou t Of
ing decrease Of dybt of s290l rs; amount If
material on hand April ,. 1875 as per statement
was $3,O34 "a amount OF material on hand
April !, 1876, So, As! "a, showing that we have
on hsnd 81 448 20 more material than last A rl
leaving US . net gain for the earnings of the
yard during the past year of S7,2O7 "A There
have been hauled out during the past yes- 81
steam vessels and 1873 sail and barge vessels,
making u total of 225 vessels in all which have
ben accommodated al the yard
With the report of the condition and work
ings of the Alexandria Ship Y ard rs shown by
taken from. the DO ks Of the company, l beg
leave to state that when your Board o! Directors
last April elected me President of their Board
! accepted the position with hesitancy and some
reluctance, being fully a@are that my general
business relations, together with other official
trusts, were such that cou ID not spare the time
nor give the personal attention to the interests
of the ship yard that l felt would necessarily
devolve upon me as President of the company,
and il was under these consid oratlons that
consented to accept the responsibility of Presi-
dent of the board, and l am now happy to sag,
without reserve that I have never been ss:c-
ciated in business transactions with more
courteous body Of gentlemen than the present
board, thus showing conclusiveiy that the share
holders in their selection of directors selected
gentlemen interested in the success of the ship
yard and interests OF the company. When the
charge O.: he ship yard was turned over to tn
present board tt re was remaining & large bal
snce due on the construction of the new ways,
the old ways and other property accounts, con-
siderable of which has been paid off; there were
also unfinished improvement ts which were ne.
cessary to be completed to f oilitste the opera
tons of the yard. In the first place. thu new
wharf viii. b WAS built by Mr.. Rodgers adjacent
to the new ways, had no water accom- T. odations
for vessels, being full of old piles and with no
depth of water. We necessarily were compeli-
ed to have the piles pulled up and the mud
dredged out on both sides of the wharf, thereby
giving water accom- mods ton on both sides OF
the wharf for vessels to Jay while repairs are
made to them; also giving US an opportunity to
procure ballast 10 fill up and grade the yard
We also found that to facilitate business ami to
compete with other ship yards we would have
to put up some machinery, especially saws, so
that we could at short notice fill our ORDERS and
compete in price with other yards. Your di-
rectors SO ing the necessity OF having in the
yard saw mill Of suita BILE structure there bcin 2
none in the city Of capicity to accommodate
them, directed me to contract Tor one suitable
for our purposes. |, therefore, after having
bids from several manufacturers contracted
with MessrS. Scott s. Bowering of Fredericks-
burg, Va. TO build and put up q mill for us.
Having, therefore contracted for the mill, we
necessarily required suitable house to put the
same in, which your directors deemed economy
in the construction to build large enough 50 rs
not only to BIO used as mill, but also to provide
a mould loft under the same roof. To accom-.
plsh this end we constructed 3 three-story
frame building 80 feet wide by 10 feet long,
right saw, also TOR circular and gig SAWS be-
sides room for joiners' benches and ether !na-
chinery under the same roof the advantage Of!
which added greatly to the quick time The re-
pairs were done on the steamer keyport last
winter. The mill is now in csmplete running
order, and an indispensable improvement to the
yard. The boiler ut the small ways bang OF the
old fashioned barrel make, which took about
half cord of wood to raise steam to haul out y
small vessel every time it WAS used your d.
rectors at once saw the necessity of an improve.
ment in that place, and having desire to use al
nifty that offered, purchased for low price an
upright tubular boiler and had the same placed
in position there which l think in the saving of
fuel paid for itself in very short time. We
also had some repairs done to the old engine,
which is now in good working order. l would
recommend the purchase of good second hand
engine if one 81 uld be offered at b.rgan, for
the old ways. The roof On the building at the
old ways having SO far rotted that it required
new one, we had metal roof put on the same,
thereby making it fire proc! from sparks. l
would recommend that the old ways whenever
ii is convenient to do so, be repaired and put in
hrst class order; also that they be so arranged
as to work with chain instead Of rope, which
Improvement would be advisable rs soon rs tho
rope now in use wears out. There have also
been several other improvements added to the
yard during the year We have put up store
room Tor materials and tools, also house .or
the watchman Of The yard TO live in, and have
now on hand good stock of materials, tools
clamp screws, log wagons and l might say a.
most cmplete outfit for general purposes in
the ship building business. l would recommend
one more additional improvement. We need
pair of large shears to be erected perm .nent!y
on the end of the new wharf, 80 that We can
ship and unship tnasts, smokestscks, boilers,
Sc, which improvement | think, would add
greatly to the trade of the yard There are
many improvements that could be made as the
yard progresses which do not deem necessary
10 mention At this time. Your directors during
the last year, were of the opinion that change
in the superintendent of the yard would he sd.
visable, and, therefore, by action of the board,
directed me to make 8 change. After cores
pondence with several gent emen, the name of
our present superintendent came highly recon-
mended, with whom corresponded on the subject,
aud agreed for him 10 come on aud see US. On his
arrival al call meeting Of the board for that pur
p Sc, he WAS regularly elected superintendent o. the
yard, in the pace of Mr.. Day, and took charge Of
he yard January l. 1876. viii here take the lber
y 10 slate that Mr. Smith his given general salts
faction to the ooard fully filling the position be
cupies, and in my judgment, Is master mechanic
IN shipbuilding. will here state that the working
Of the yard, with ,me few exceptions, has been
satisfactory to the board. Our secretary, Mr.. W. H.
NJ II r Pair hn,h