Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-07-16
SHIP BUILDING ON THE CLYDE.
Am Unprecedented Activity with
American Trade as the Chief Cause
of H.
Dundee Advertiser.

There is at least one industry which, |,
in these times of general dullness, is
prosperous IN degree never reached be-
fore in times of general prosperity-we
mean ship building on the Clyde The
most casual passenger on a river steamer
on the Clyde cannot fail to mark the
unusual stir in the yards along its banks,
while the statistics show that the launch
es of the first five months of 1873 the
highest year hitherto - have already
been exceeded by the first five
months of 1881 to the extent of thirteen
thousand tons, and there are indica-
tions that before the close of the
year the proportion in favor of this
year will be even greater. The causes
which have brought about such an out
burst OF activity in the ship building
trade are certainly worth investigating.
Undoubtedly chief of all the causes of
the present large ship building is the
American trade. Almost every great
company at present engaged in the car
rying trade to America is getting built
on the Clyde or elsewhere vessels of a
class which they never possessed before.
The gigantic, yet most graceful Servia.
now approaching completion in the dock
adjoining Messrs. Thomson's yard at
Dalmuir, shows the scale at which the
Cunard company have measured the re-
quirements of the future; but she,
though the largest, is yet only one of
several vessels, all larger than any
they possessed before, that are now
building for the Atlantic trade. The
Inman line have replied to the challenge
of the Cunard line by the City of Rome,
which, though not built on the Clyde,
may be mentioned here, as she certainly
would not have been designed on so
the Clyde. The Allan line have already
contributed their quota this year to the
list of immense ocean steamers built on
the Clyde by the Partisan, which has
already proved herself the fastest, as she
is the finest, of steamers crossing the
Atlantic to Canada; an3 her
success has induced the rival Dominion
line to contract for steamer
on the Clyde of 8, 700 tons, which may
be expected to hold her own with the
Partisan. The North German line,
which but few years ago remodeled
their line with steamers which were
thought ne plus ultra of speed and ac-
commodation. are now back again on
the Clyde with the same purpose, for
they, too, find their feet must consist of
steamers of over i, 1000 tons. The Servia
and City of Rome will find a worthy
rival in the Alaska, of the Guion line, of
6,400 tons, whose beautiful proportions.
as she sits in the yard Of Elder & Co.,
attract attention from all passers by.
And while such preparations are be-
ing made for the human, not less gigan.
tic is the scale on which vessels are be-
ing prepared for bovine passengers
Steamers of tonnage that would not
have been dreamed of for any service
twenty years ago are being built for the
cattle carrying trade, and there are many
indications that in future the orders for
this class of vessels will be on scale
even larger still. And the American
trade, though the principal, is not the
only enterprise which is calling for
steamers of the largest class. Two
steamers of over 5000 tons-the Rome
and Carthage-are almost ready at
GreenOck for the Peninsular and Ori-
entail Company, while their great rivals
to Australia, the Oriental line, are fol-
lowing up their success with the Oriental
by building for Australia a steamer even
larger and faster than it; and for the
Uni)n line to the Cape the largest vessels
they have yet possessed are under con-
struction at present on the Clyde. In
whatever way we may explain the present
largely increased activity of ship building
on the Clyde, it certainly indicates that
ship owners are alive to the requirements
of the time, and that whenever the ex-
pansion of trade may call additional
facilities of transport they will be ready
on the most extensive scale. When we
compare our position with that of
America on the one hand, while the ship
building enterprise that once seemed
likely to rival that of our own country
is utterly dead, and France on the other,
where attempts are being made by a sys
tenn of bounties to foster sickly life,
we may we'll be proud of our hearty
home bred ship building enterprise.