The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-11-28
The Great shipbuilding City OF the United
NEW York, Nov. 81.
New York Tribune |

! States.
New York Trbunel
The history of the little city OF Bath, Me-,
is the history of American shipping. She
reached her greatest prosperity in the ear.
lier fftisS-the palmieSt years of the Ameri-
can merchant marine-and to-day, with the
outlook for shipping more discouraging than
ever before business here is in state OF stag
nation Strangely enough, but in the light
of history most tittingly, the first vessel
| built in America was built only few miles
below where Bath now stands, and built ON
the river whose broad bosom has baen tho
| first to receive to its embrace more ships
than any other river on the continent. In
| 1907 the ill-fated Popham colony landed ut
the mouth of the Kennebec i'll the ships Gift
o. God and Mary and John. In the winter
that followed they launched little vessel
ol thirty tons burden, the Virginia OF Sag
adahOc, pioneer Of that great fleet that has
s'nce sailel out Of this river on a maiden
voyage to take part in the commerce of the
world.
In l745 vessel building began at Bath
small coasters for the West Indian trade,
taking out Goldfish and lumber and bringing
back rum and molasSes The year 1869 saw
the first ship built here. the Earl OF Butte
built for Scotcaman. During the revolu-
! ion a private,r was builC here, but from
| the close of tn, revolution to the war of
1872 complications with England and France
retarded shipbuildng, and not much was
done After the close of the war, and
especially ait,r 1915, when con srcss passed
tie law forbidding any foreign vessel to
bring gools to America except from that
country to which the vessel belonged, ship
building revived. From this time to the de-
clne of the Ame, lean merchant marine
| Bath sailed on the fool tide of prosperity.
Foreign traders followed the early coasters,
and Bath ships were often the first to carry
the American flag into distant seas. Then
came the cotton ships, and it was during
| h. cotton ship era that there was built at
Saith the largest cotton shipatlolt the ZAP
>ahannocG, Init by Clark a. Sewall, i1915
eet long, 81 feet beam, and of l, 1873 tons
| egister People hociie from all over the
country to see the launch.
| 1t was not believed that there was foreign
commerce enou III to occupy such a vessel,
and it was declared that even the Roths-
| childs could not afrorl to own her, and that
she you'll be sure destruction to the for
tunes of who yer undertook to employ her.
| The RaDpaha mock WIS bluff howell, full
| and long bcttumed ship narrower on deck
than below aud full rugged. Her scantling
was no larger than chat of n 80 ,on
schooner of the present day, AMI the tas ien-
| ipc throughout would now he considered
| light She ran as n packet to Liverpool III
| the summer time, an as cotton ship from
| New Orb ans III the winter. 1t is said that
freights dropped i'll New Orleans when she
was reported below. Blu still the famous
Old ship, in spite of many dire predictions,
was great success. she plowed the seas
for twent -one years, and finally foundered
carving Goals in the Mediterranean.
Along with the co ton ships came the
CLIPPERS which ran between New York and
Liverpool Steam did not easily displace
these graceful Incl, smooth sailing ships,
for they male nearly rs goo1 time rs the
early steamers
With the discovery Of gold in California
| clipper ship-building reached it's highest
point OF development Great was the flow
of none now into the pockets OF Bath
owners But in 1857 came the crisis which
only the stron ,cst lived through, and this
wear began the decline OF the merchant ma
rine, that reac ion Of shipping which Eng
land made her opportunity. In this year it
| is estimated there were IN The California
| trade ONer lVo large SHIPS lndU were not
needed for California had not then become
a great wheat state. but nevertheless pro-
duced nearly enough agricultural products
to supply the needs Of its people, and to
render them Independent OF the cas-. The
rand inroal IF steam, and finally tho war
with it's high rates OF insurance, and the
destruction wrought by the COME lerate
cruisers, gave the last blow The shipyards
of the large cites closed, and never re-
opened tn, year 1865 saw the end Of the
reaction. Many ships had been Transferred
TO foreign flags many more had ieen
wrecked or destroyed by the Confederate
cruisers.
In the halcyon days of the early tiftes
Bath wharvcs were crowded. with new
shius In 1854 thirty. five vessels eleven OF
them from l, 0SJ to $50 tons register, were
launched here. At one time in this period
twenty five square rugged vessels lay at the
wharves receiving sails and outfits To-
day in all the yards of Bath only three
large vessels are being built. Generally
throughout this little city those who have
had such famous share in the construction
and ownership OF vessels, when asked about
the prospect, obviously shake their heads
Ihey foresee harder times yet for their
CITY and themselves.