The Mineral argus., 1884-09-04
SCOTCH sHrP-BUnD1NG.
The industry along the River clydo.

The Industry Along the River Clyde.
From the Philadelphia Press.
Scotch thrift and canniness are pro-
verbal, but in no respect are they so
marked as in the building navigation
and management of steamships. With
mastery ability, indomintable pluck
and consumate skill have the men of the
Clyde pushed this enterprise. So uni
formly and so long has this been true
that history of steamship building has
largely become the history of Scotland's
chef city, Glasgow. Its population,
and that of its immediate suburbs, APP
proximates to $50, 900, and it Is essen
TALLY the manufacturing, and CONNER
cial center of the entire North Coun-
trie."
In 1916 that portion of the Clyde
which at present constitutes the harbor
of Glasgow, swarming with ships great
and small, hailing from or bound to
every part of christendom, and resound-
ing with the near OF far din Of mammoth
ship-yards, could be forded at low wa
ter by the inevitable small boy and
900. A public spirited local govern
ment has dredged out this narrow
stream until it will float craft of the
mammoth proportions of the imperial
steamship City of Rome, and has lined
it on either bank with quays and docks
and capacious basins that rival compar-
ison and excite the p%rofoundest wonder
and admiration. And the work is likea
housewife's-''never ended" A multi
tude of dredges are constantly doing it
over and over again.
On the north bank Of the Clyde are
the Victoria docks, a huge artificial
basin formed by years of patient toll
and the expenditure of 81, 500, 900.
Into this basin ships are locked for the
discharge and receipt of cargo. On
the opposite side of the river another
basin is being scooped out at a prob
ably additional cost of SIS, 200, 900 or
s 5000, 900 Works of this nature are
prosecuted under the supervision of a
municipal board of % persons called
the Clyde navigation. Ten of them
are elected by the town council two by
the chamber of commerce, two by the
merchants house, two by the trades
house and nine by the ship owners and
rate payers. The necessary funds are
raised by a tax of two pence on the
tonnage of ships arriving at and clear
ing from the port. The largest con-
ceivable liberality is shown toward ship
ping interests both by the municipal and
general government.
Despite the hustle and uproar of the
streets, the black smoke of innumerable
tall chimneys, the clank of machinery
and the stirring life of the docks, it is
clear that the shines" are dull, desper-
q prominent bank official, ethan l have
ever before known them to be, and ]
don't see when and how they are tC
mend" "And" said a prominent shiI
builder 'the change appeared to come
as it were, instantly. There was a sud
den shutting down, and that is about all
one can say SO far as the surface indi-
cations went. Ofcourse, there are good
reasons for the existing state of things
and they are not far to seek. General
ly speaking, trade is slow, freights are
away down, and too many ships have
been built of late. The thing is over.
done. We must be patient, let the sit
uation mend in a natural way and prof
it by our adversely"
Perhaps in ne other quarter of the
globe can steamship building be seer. il
such perfection as on the Clyde. II
1850, "a years ago, the first Inmar
steamship, the Cityof Glasgow, steamed
out of Liverpool for Philadelphia. She
was built at Tod & McGregor's yards
at the confluence of the rivers Kelvin
and Clyde, where, the feet of old Gun
arders was constructed. Just below
this point, ~diagonally across the CLYDE
and not half a mile distant, is the yar(
of John Elder, noted for the swift screw
ships already a1oat or now on the stock.
, for the Cunard or other transatlanti,
lines. On every hand, as far east anC
west as the eye can see, are ship-yard
and ships and myriads of workmel
swarming over and about them.