Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-09-10
is The WETM0RE A SUCCESS
A Captain Thinks Her Model
a Faulty One.
SHE IS WEAKENING IN STRENGTH
A Compliment to Wilmington
~ Ship-builders.
They DO Work That Can be Honestly
Dragged Upon--woodcn Vessels Thing
Of the Past.

Captain John G. March, who is in
4 command of the new steamship Fairfax
4 now being completed at the Harlan
/ & Hollingsworth Company for the
Merchants and Miners Transportation
Company, conversed on Friday upon
the complaint of the New England
shipbuilders in regard 10 their trade,
outlook now that there is prospect of a
collapse of business through the novel
inroads caused by the construction of
whaleback steamers.
Captain March seemed TO have much
sympathy for the builders of wooden
vessels of Bath and other centres of
vessel construction.
Anyhow he added, "wooden YES
sells are thing of the past 1t is use.
less cry of theirs. They have got to rea-
lie the facts. 1t is hard alternative
but they must set to and build iron ves-
sells or give up the industry altogether" {"
"Yet, myself have but poor opin-
ion of the whaleback as u cargo vessel.
II may be good enough for bulk cargo
on the lakes. But it is not suited for
ocean trade.
1.-THE whaleback may do as collier,
but not for general merchandise pur-
poses"
"What about wheat as whalebacl1
cargo?"
81 do not KNOW" replied the captain,
"but that they might carry wheat. In
winter weather at sea / am afraid it
would be bad cargo for vessel of
such structure. They will have to be
fitted up decidedly differently from what
they are. That is to say more substan-
TALLY and stronger structurally."
But, | understand" added the re-
porter, "they are rated very high at
Lloyds'Y"
81 am not informed upon that" re-
piled Captain March. "Yet I'll say
there have not been more than one or
two steam vessels built in this country
on requirements as low as Lloyds'."
you notice in these big steamships
that are recently built they are always
constructed and rated in excess of
Lloyds' requirements. Almost all we'll
built steamers are. Tramp steamers are
often bullion Lloyds' requirements"
Yes, he added to further inquiries,
81 have been all through the Fairfax
and think very highly of her. You
people here have good reason to brag
OF your shipbuilding. She is a very
fine vessel, built with extra strength.
She is the heaviest ship built here"
DO you mean the greatest tonnageP"
"No, not that, but in material-its
thickness, weight, solidity and general
substantial structure. She is about 2,700
gross tonnage and 1875 net. The Fair
fax is the seventh vessel built by the
Harlan & Hollingsworth Company for
the Merchants and Miners
"She is a splendid vessel all over and
will stand A 1 for 90 years, and is the
highest class for coastwise trade to the
West Indies and South American
ports"
1t was learned that the Fairfax is Of
ticered as follows Captain, John S.
March of Boston; First Officer, A. j.
Wherrett, Baltimore; Second Officer,
Charles f. Smith, Boston; Chief Engi-
neer, William B. Turner, Baltimore;
First Assistant Engineer, Lewis Vogt,
Baltimore; Steward, William Fl. Chase,
Baltimore. The crew, all told, numbers
40 men.
The whaleback steamer left here at
noon Sunday for Philadelphia, where
she will complete her cargo and then
steam away for her long voyage of al
most circumnavigating the continent.
She will coal at Montevideo and then
continue her trip through the Straits of
Magellan, probably stopping for coal ut
Valparaiso or further up the Pacific coast
at San Francisco.
Hundreds of citizens watched her de-
2 parture. Third street bridge was
\ crowded by interested spectators. Some
of them held copies of the Philadelphia
papers, oddly enough describing the
Wetmore's coming up to the Philadel-
phia wharves on Saturday.