The morning call., 1891-06-10
sHIr-BUILDING FOR ASIA.

a few days ago q paragraph appeared in
some paper stating that the japanese Gov
eminent was contemplating the construc-
ton Of a man-of-war at the Union Iron
Works in this city. The statement was
denied by one who claimed TO be acquainted
with the purposes of the Government of the
MikadO; but it Is now confirmed by Baron
Won Sieb0ld, Secretary of the Austrian Lee
CATION at Toxic, who lately arrived here
from Japan and is likely to be well in
formed. The Baron thinks it quite likely
that one of the new ships authorized at the
last session of the Japanese Parliament
will be built here.
There are many reasons why the Baron
should be right When the Union Iron
Works first examined the subject of build
ing men-of-war for the United States Navy,
the great obstacle-the price of steel at this
point-was fully considered. We have no
iron on this Coast; our fOundrieS are sup
piled with scrap iron; the steel plates which
are used in modern ship-building must come
from Pennsylvania or Ohio, and they will
not bear the cost Of railroad transportation.
1t was thought by many thai the obstacle
was insurmountable; that our works could
not compete with the Cramps and other
Eastern works, which have their steel at
their own doors. But the insurmountable
obstacle has been surmounted; the Charles
ton and the San Francisco have been built
here nearly as cheaply as they could have
been built at the Atlantic yards, and they
are to be followed by others. The ships
named are regarded as in every way equal
to the sister ships which have been launched
in the East 1t appears to be demonstrated
hot 81 r-Qr M
steel, eau be built here and as we'll as they
could be built in the East or in Europe.
How the problem has been solved, the
Union Works can explain when their own
eTs are so minded.
II all other things are equal, and San
Francisco can turn cut as effective ships-Of-
war as could be built on the Clyde, or at
KEEL or Dantzic, for the same money. Japan
would throw away by giving her contracts
to ENGLAND or Germany in preference to San
Francisco precisely the cost of sailing those
ships over the excess Of distance between
Europe and Japan as compared with the
distance between California and Japan, and
would further run the risk of loss in rounding
the capes One Japanese man-Of-war, built
on the Clyde was lost on her way 10 Yoke
hama. There IS not much danger of ship
wreck between here and Japan; and it
would probably be a conservative estimate
to reckon the cost Of sailing a man-of-war
from Europe 20 within 1000 miles Of Japan
at SIS, OOO
This subject is the more important as the
Oriental powers are all building navies and
the business is in It's infancy. Japan has
one ir0nclad and two belted cruisers, but
they are thirteen years old. She has one
protected cruiser, which is six years
old its displacement is 1850 tons. Five
others, with tonnage Of 4140 tons, are on
the stocks. The Chinese Navy is larger.
The Ting Yuen and the Chen Yuen are iron
clads of 1880 tons displacement and 14-inch
aTmOr. Besides these, there are some smaller
ironcladS, and a number of cruisers more or
less armored. Several. in fact most of
these, were built in Germany and are armed
with Krupp guns; but it has been said
that the Germans did not live up to their
contract with China, and that the vessels
are not seryiceable. However this may be,
the progress Of naval architecture and gun
merry has been so rapid Of late years that in
the event of war China would require new
navy. Ships that were lit for warfare ten
years ago are of no use to-day.
It will be easy for San Francisco to get a
few contracts from the nations of Asia. We
can supply them with the ships they want
as well as Europeans, and the ships would
be built within easy reach of their officials
in case they desired TO inspect the building.