Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-11-04

In q recent number Of the London
Timber Trades Journal, we find the
following pointed remarks 10 regard
to the ship builcing industry OF the
two couutries-the United States and
Great Britain. 1t has many truthful
suggestions which are worthy oil
consideration;
The yankees are big in most
things, but with respect to ship
building, now that iron has come into
such general use, they seem to be
left, II not out of IL altogether, at
least 50 far behind that the chance of
their fully making lost ground is too
remote to enter 10 the comprehension
OF men living In the present day.
The United States were at one time
great shipbuilding country, and
used to almost equal their boast of
building vessels by the mile, and
cutting them off 10 lengths as they
wanted them but the trade seemed
never to have recovered from the
blow inflicted upon it during the
civil war. which for four years
brought the industry of the country
almost to Q standstill.
When things had begun to quiet
down, iron ships had come into
fashion, and the Clyde had almost Q
monopoly owing to the comparatively
low price at which the Scotch build.
ers could turn out we'll constructed
vessels. Even London, not 80 very
long since had to yield the palm to
the Glasgow builders on the score of
cheapness.
London was. In fact, the chief ship
building port till, some 20 years ago,
when oil the shipwrights on the river
who were earning large wages struck
for another advance, which broke
most OF the great houses, and put q
stop to Thames shipbuilding for q
while altogether Then the men
heard Of work at Glasgow, aud mi.
grated there, and we're glad to obtain
employment on q much lower scale
Of wages than they were getting in
London. Possibly they found q
cheaper mode OF living, but at all
events Glasgow has kept the lead In
iron shipbuilding ever since.
somehow or another, the Yanks
never did take kindlyto constructing
IRON ships. and we doubt il il ever
Will become a leading industry on
the other side of the Atlantic. Iron
vessels. OF course. have been and are
building In the United States, but
nobody seems to know it. and it Is
very rarely that an iron ship flying
the stars and stripes Is met with over
here. Building for themselves, the
americans have probably some In
ducement to 60 into the trade, for
the simple reason that, no matter
how cheap the Scotch built vessels
are, the tariff Of protection applied
10 them would be on a scale to en-
sure an advantage to those built at
home.
For the markets of the world. how
ever, the United States shlpbuilders
have not the ghost of chance of
composing with the Glasgow firms.
Not only could the latter turn out a
vessel ct much less cost, but the ne
cessarily inferior construction of
those built In America would heavily
handicap the other country. We say
necessarily inferior. because it is i'm
possible for men new to the trade to
execute work with the same skill and
Judgment as practised hands.
With wooden ships Ii is different.
At Boston and other northern ports
they had the material at hand for al
most nothing. and the chief con.
alteration resolved itself Into one of
labor. This. with the employment
OF machinery At the expense OF man.
ual labor wherever practicable - a
thing strongly objected to here for
years-gave our Yankee friends i'm.
mense advantages, and they COO.
ssructed vessels on capital lines. well
built, at about half the price of our
more durable but costly ships.
Iron introduced into shipbuilding.
and steamers more generally en-
pioyed, changed all this, and Great
brttsin once more had the field to
herself Is the greatest shipbuilding
country Ia the world. There can be
no doubt that the decadence OF
American shipbnilding industry dates
from the time Of the war OF seces-
sion had II not been for that long
lnterrcg1um, when the objects and
energies Of men were diverted from
the paths Of commerce, the States
would have managed to have kept
up their mercantile marine to, q,
least, second to that OF this country
As II Is she now occupies third rate
position amongst the mercantile
uavies OF the world, NEST Of hel
immense trade being done In foreigu
bottoms.
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