The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-03-23

SHiP BUILDING There has been =
great deal Of talk among our bu.ine..
men about snip building. and they are
continually regretting the fAc, tina,
some one don't come along with a ,.ile
Of money and start a ship-yay,i here A
iS'ge ship-ysr o. a number Of them
o.'uid tie accommodated al this place
ABOUT as well as any poin, We know Of
Oh the continent. ard the business
conid re carried on here with as great.
OF greater prof. than in many places
where the building Of vessels Is the
principal Industry A good ship-yard
mere world also be one Of the mos.
valuable acquisitions within the reach
OF our city. It would give remark
able incentive 10 business OF all kinds.
Every one would profit by it; the hold
efs OK real estate would be largely ben
emitted; Ill. our merchants would be
Inc cf'et gamers. It would bring a
considerable industrial population 10
eur city; snip carpenters would come
here with their families. make their
homes here and spead their e.trniugs
principally among cur merchants The
advantages 10 bs gained from any
considerable amount OF ship building
III our midst are obvious aud numerous.
But as desirable as this rcsalt may be,
We can only hope TO realize them at a
very distant time in the future If the
saine Micawbcr tardy policy be pur-
sued In the future that has character
lied the pas: This eternal waiting for
something to turn up has grown mono
tonous. and it is quite time that We set
about turning up" for ourselves.
The will to do this is all that is
lacking. The results which We
so much ies're can be brought
about by cooperation. aud in this we
should take the cue from some Of the
the shipbuiIding towns on the Arlsntic
coast. Such large. prosperous towns
for instance as Yarmouth. n s Calais,
Maine, and many others, which here
would be called fuil-hedged cities
Their ship building is carried on exten-
slvely, and .akc from them that In.
dustry, and each town would lose, SO to
speak, the very back bone of its pros
perity. Their ship building. it is true.
IS carried on to a certain extent by q
few wealthy men who followed it as q
special business; but it may be said
at the same time that the vessels are
built III ostly by the merchants of the
town. For instance, "a master
builder" as they call him, gets ready TO
put up new vessel he decides on her
dimensions, etc, engages a yard and
estimates the cost of her construction.
he then divides her into so many shares.
takes a certain number himself, and
then starts out among the merchants
who take o scare or number OF shares
each, To pay certain amount in cash.
but principally in goods at retail rates.
Some local capitalists also take shares
in the vessel, to bethus built and
in this way she is started The car
penters all have families. and take
their pay mostly out of the stores in
goods. By and-by the vessel is COM
pleted. then the joinr owners either sell
ner or run her themselves, and in the
latter case she generally pays hand
somely All the business men in those
towns are vessel owners. holding shares
in many differen. vessels, from q six
tecnth or thirty second up Why
cant our merchants do likewise