Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1883-09-27
JOHN ROACH.


He Makes an Elaborate Defense
Against Reiterated Charges.
John Roach in the American Hrotectionist
OF Sunday devotes five broad pages to
.tthe discussion OF the American navy |
and merchant marine," the article being
in large part defense Of himself against
the attacks of various persons and news
papers. He opens with an elaborate
| argument to prove that England was re-
sponsible Tor the continuance Of the war /
of the rebellion, blockade runners built |
| in English yards carrying supplies to |
| the contederaoy. Here no enumerateB |
thirty odd blockade runners, carrying |
millions OF supplies to southern ports,
captured by United States vessels.
This conduct Of England neoessitated
our building navy on short notice, the
existing navy at the opening of the war
being valusless. Much complaint has
been made as to the millions spent on
this navy aud the inquiry has been made
as to what has become OF the ships. Mr..
Roach says the navy thus built cost
$S4, 25S, 1850 and that the Government has
realized from the sale of these ships and
by reason of the depreciated currency in
which they were paid for $50, 70s, 1856,
i
$47, $40, S64 These vessels consisted
of 1913 boats built in private
yards; 56 bnilt in the Government navy
yards, tho machinery built in private
yards 497 vessels taken from the mer-
chant marine 10 old canal boats and
schooners sunk in Southern harbors to
prevent the entrance OF blockade rupners.
The boats were all emergency vessels the
4 l,,.s1f ~ r..
soon rotted, and the altered merchant
vessels being really Of little value save tor
the immediate time. Such q navy was
worthless save to be broken up after the
pressing need that brought 1t forth was
/, over, and that is what has become OF it.
There we're certain swift cruisers partly
built III a threat to England, aud they
were thus etfeetual, but they were not
worth the cost of finishing at the close of
, TIN war because the improvement in
naval construction had made them anti
= quated.
Since the war the country has spent
a but $3, 600, 600 in building ships for the
navy, though what was spent on repairs
y he does not say. From 1863 to 1878
4 England has spent nearly $l60,000,0OC
!. in building chips for her navy, snd other
| CouEtfAes auy WneFe lrum 1liuUu,uuu lC
4 $90,000,000. English private yards
q have done the bulk of thu work.
Nj, Roach then proceeds to defend
. himself against the charge of jobbery IL
/ securing naval contracts. Before thu
- close OF the war he was not shI
+ builder and the only Government wolh
he did then was to build tive pairs o
10 engines for naval vessels at coat to tn,
Government OF 100000 less than othel
> bidders asked. lu 1870, though not ther
10 q ship builder, he opposed a free shil
q bill introduced in Congress and 1t was de
Of feated. Soon after he went into shil
building. He defends himself agains
n. the charge of making great sun
($l 100000 out OF his contrac
~ for building new engines for the Ten
nessee. He says that the TENNESSEE
as old engines were worthless by reason o
- their being Anticipated. He made $35, 00l
j, out of these old engines that had origi
- nslly cost $760,000, and built ney
20 engines that were lighter, smaller, an,
!, cheaper by reason Of their consuming
=, less coal, for 100000. Mr.. Roach the
~ goes into detailed statement, shown
y that whenever bids we're called for by tn
a Government his were the lowest, an
that ha never was awarded more than hi
"a fair share OF contracts, when the bids c
liz all builders were rejected and contract
- awarded at the Governments own price