New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-06-01
MR.. ROACH AND THE DOLPHIN.
A SQUARE LETTER FROM wELL-BNOwN ApVER-

A SQUARE FROM WhLb-h-NN"N' N"'
sARY.
To the Edttor OF The Trfo"ne.
SIR: For several weeks past the editorial
columns OF various daily papers have contained articles
I'm which Mr. John Roach and the new dispatch Goat
Dophin have been made the subject OF ihuch iiuicuo
and amin Aversion. Having een an officer OF the Navy
for many years since 1916; graduate OF the naval
Academy: since my resignation at the close OF the war;
connected for nine years inspector OF vesses WIN
our largest marine insurance company; for nine other
wears been secretary and manager Of The Record OF
american aud Foreign Shipping. III which latter caps
il was my province to compile rules Tor Duiiuihs
iron vessels. l may be presumed to speak Win s"nio
knowledge and experience on the suDJect vi 'no JUL
struction OF sucn vessels.
have taken great interest In matter OF the revival
of our merchant marine rebuilding Of the Navy;
have kept informed OF all that has been dohe to""u
ether and as WRITE full description OF tue YES
sells now building for the Navy under contracts with Mr.
Roach (of which the Dolphin Is the first completely neS
before me- Mr.. Roach and ALMOST from the time he
assumed control OF bis shp-buiing works at chester
have been friendly antagonism over the question oil
the revival OF American shipping He believer In the
maintenance OF ancient navigation laws which
think have merit but that which hlS them TOT
bural hei advocating subsidies in their various FORMS
to builders and owners in favor OF taking Of every
burden OF taxation from both. and giving to the one ND
erty TO buy his materials building and 10 the other the
completed ship from whoever either at home or ABROAD
would sell either cheapest. We have presented our OPP
posing views In speeches and In writing oetorc AL INC
committees OF Congress that during the last hve years.
have had the subject under consideration; and he has
not been more earnest In advocacy OF his views thah
have been in setting forth mine opposition rather
suspect that opens door OF committee room
without expecting TO nd my friend captain Johh
Goldman there TO oppose him. have nevertheless peeh
panied TO see newspapers which should wish ana
intend to be entirely fair everybody taking the stand
ham talu fnyrar ri
the Dolphin.
For the persistent energy untrlng industry ana skill
that raised him the position OF laborer In an iron
works first to the ownership ofhOse works. aud hnay
placed him the head OF the iron
of this country Roach Is entitled to all praise The
magnificent steamships OF the Ward Line to Havana
the Mallory Line to Gaveston the Pacidc Mail Lines to
Asptn wall and Francisco and thence.to China and
Australia line to Brazil. the Ocean steamship Com
panys steamers Savannah. the Old Dominion Line 10
Norfolk and many minor Others (more than hundred
in alb are all John Roachs handiwork; aud assert
without fear OF contradiction, that they in all re-
specs equal to any others OF their size built any where
in the world Whatever has been left for Mr. Roach 10
do upon his responsibility, In the way OF shiPDnd-
ing has been well and faithfully done and as TO such,
there have been no failures his part Since he began
at Chester he built than hundred vessels all
under the inspection of The Record. an never knew
him TO hestatelto do all that he required by ITS sur
veyors to do comply with It's rules But tuat Is not tho
way the Government does When these new cruisers were
about TO be built, Advisory Board OF Naval Oicer'
with two civilian experts TO help thenwas establish
ed by the Act Of Congress which authorized the ships To
this Board was committed the task OF designing or
more properly speaking. approyins-the plans for the
construction vessels When the plans and spech
catons-by which every detail Of size strength weight
aud kind material ana of the engines. boilers and
machinery down to the crank PIN whose heat
ing on two occasions has caused the tratps to lie fail
ures and made the Dolphin source OF merriment aud
modification to US al-were completed they were ap
proved By the Al Fsory Board and then handed over
70 Mr. Roach and lie contracted TO build the vessels
strictly according to those plans ana pecihcatons
To take away all possibe discretion from Mr. Roach
an all opportunity to exercise his sLili as builder
(which merchant vessels for the construction ahu
details OF which he responsible he has never iaea
TO great advantage Of their owncrs The "A
visory Board on June - 1855 prescribed rules Ina.
all the materials manning them were TO he Inspected
and tested at place OF manufacture by Naval In
spectOr. and to be passed by hun, ana MARKED IN wo
places by the brands rs OF the maker second OF me
INSPECTOR and to be received by the builder Tor
incorporation into the vessel except they bear upon eir
surface both OF these brands as evidence that ey ha
passed the necessary Government Inspection" Ana
then follow elaborate instructions to the tests to be
the materials met by other naval Inspectors whose
duty to that they were put together by Mr.
RDachs workDen strictly In accordance with the plans
provided by the Advisory Board for his guidance III
they cut plate frame n BIT S S an SaS T s rS or
vded in the pian the naval inspectors nad power 10 re-
lancs was exercised. both by the naval inspectors aud
by the members OF the Advisory Board y the latter to
such extent that one of them Threatened with an
investigation because he went too often and piled up too
tiga bill for travelling expcnses). The shI Is built
strictly according to the plans unless the naval nSpec
have failed In their duty (Which from my knowledge
OF them don't believed the Advisory Board has certl
He'd as under the law 1t required to do; aud now-sp-
posing the Dolphin to he fallnre-why should Mr..
Roach be blamedl II " Uncle sam " emp Toys naval
archltects to design his vessels. and Mr.. Roach builds
them strictly according those designs, assert that the
naval architects aud not Mr.. Roach should he blamed.
II tine vessels prove failures That ia but the cooncst
Justice If-as The Eoeng Post OF the 2lst INST SAID
is the case-the machinery OF the Dolphin works well
alongside the dock and only fails when the vessel ge;
into and Is subjected to the strains or seaway the
designer of the ship is the u go for Tor the en-
gnes have evidently. IN such case, been properly con
structed.
was formerly chief engineer In the Navy, and has
been Mr. Roacs designer for many years. had designed
the Dolphin she would not be failure, az to either
hull or machinery. He has never ma 10 failure yet,
in either respect 60 farther and assert that, when the
plans for building these ships were frat promulgated
every pbnder In the country was Mt least doubt
ful II their plan OF construction would produce sohg
SO far as Mr. Roach Is concerned all tho abuse and rid
lcule OF him Is unmerlted IL the Dolphin Is failure,
IL Commander Evans IL right In saying that she IL 100
for naval officers to go 10 sea In the ault lies AT
the door OF those who designed her. and not at that OF
him who merely built her according to that design. and
under the sticest Inspect and approval OF Tic naval
inspectors provided by the law Tor that purpose. dOut
wish to understood saying that the vessels Designed
by the Advisory Board are or VIII lie failures They
things; and consider the eroahedrd condemnation
that has greeted the appearance or 80 many new inven
lions that arc magnificent successes one should be
careful not TO condemn in advance, lest The result
ueI0"'''"'' ''' '''' JAMES PARKER.
80 Wall-st Ee,o- York, May 20, 1885.
TEMPERANCE WORK TO REST FOR THE SUMNER.
The parting of the Manhattan Temperance