Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-09-16
A DREARY OUTLOOK.
PittSburg Falling Behind in the Mat
ter of Building Boats.
MR., JAMES REES VIEW OF AFFAIRS
High Priced Lumber and Labor Unions
Spelling One Industry.
CANNOT COMPETE WITH THE SOUTH

Thomas Rees, of the firm of James Rees s.
Son, the steamboat builders who have made
Pittsburg famous in South America and
Russia, state that this city under present
conditions, though so favored in many re-
spects for the manufacture of anything into
which iron and steel enters cannot compete
with other cities less favorably situated;
but such, he says, is the case, and he at
tributes it first TO trade unionism and sec
ondly to the high price of timber. AS to
the second there is no relief to be hoped TOR.
We once had plenty of good timber in West
ern Pennsylvania, but the owners slaught-
cred it and made themselves poor in the
slaughter, and new forests cannot be grown
in time to do this or the next generation
any good As TO the first drawback, there
is hope that in time matters may be adjust
ed, and all who have the welfare of this
section at heart will work for an improve
ment,
James Rees s. Son constructed the first
steel plate steamship built in the United
States, and ALEC revolutionizcd the river
traffic in South America and Russia. Their
first venture was the francesca Mentoya,
built for the Magdalena Steam Navigation
Company, of South America. This boat was
80 feet long, 80 feet beam and 8 feet hold,
fully equipped as are the steamers on our
western waters. The boat had angle iron
ribs is inches apart, angle iron deck beams
and steel plated hull The people for whom
she was built protested against the use of
steel instead of iron, contending that it was
liable to break from sudden shock in land
ing or striking snag or bar. Rees & Son,
however, persisted, and the result justified
their Judgment, their steel plates standing
the shocks and resisting puncture from the
rocks in the Magdalens's channel better
than iron.
BOATS FOR SOUTH AMERICA.
Their first venture assured them the mo-
nopoly of boat building for that river. The
boats are built here, taken apart and ship
ped via New York to the place of destina-
tion. Messrs. Rees s. Son also not only sent
skilled mechanics along to put the boats
together, but sent pilots to teach the South
Americans the science of river navigation
BY and by the fame of these South Amer
lean stern wheele7s reached Russia and
plans, specifications and mechanics were
sent from Rees & Sons shop, and on the
Volga, Dnieper and other rivers in Russia
lena now ply.
At present Rees & Son have on the stocks
another steamer for the Magdalena. She
differs from the others turned out by them
in that all the steel used in her construction
is galvanized. She is 100 feet long, with "a
feet beam and 3 feet depth of hold. She will
be the Ightest draft steamer afloat, drawing
less than 10 inches on an even keel 8 inches
forward and II inches at stern. When
fp11,- lodap che Wi II 000 haus of naffaa
and with fuel, etc, 800 hogs on IS inches
draft Of water.
Another boat on the stocks is composite
towboat ordered by the Government of the
United States of Columbia She will be the
first stern wheel towboat to ply in the
Magdalena and will be used in the towing
of dredges.
IRON TAKES THE PLACE OF TIMBER.
She has steel angle iron frame and iron
bulkheads and will be planked with South
ern yellow pine. She is the first boat of her
kind built III this city. She is likely to
supersede our present towboats on our own
rivers, as timber is growing scarce. She is o
duplicate Of the towboat Blackburn.
Now, it would be naturally supposed
that as Rees & Son can send their work
into foreign countries and establish monopo-
lies there, that they would be perfectly
satisfied with the situation, but they are
not. Mr.. Thomas Rees states that until the
hours of labor are equalized by the trade
unions and wages also, at least in a degree,
they will not be able TO compete with down.
river builders, who not only get cheaper
labor, but better lumber at % per cent less
than what can be gotten here costs Here
lumber must be taken from a raft, and
down the river they get it ready sawed, and
there is less loss. He states that Just after
their last contract was made came the de-
mand for a nine-hour day instead of ten as
worked down the river on considerably less
wages, and this demand, he states. had it
been persisted in, would have added 10 per
cent to the cost of the boats He also states
that since trade union regulations went into
effect there has been depreciation in the
value of mechanics services that only en-
ployers can appreciate; that some old-time
workmen are worth on an average three of
some of modern turnout. He recommends
policy that will make mechanics interests
and those of employers the same.
MUCH LOSS FROM FREsHETs.
In the second place Mr.. Rees states that
the sudden freshets and strong currents in
our rivers are great drawbacks in boat
building A freshet while boat is build
ing becomes serious matter and is liable
to cause great loss. In a yard on the Della
ware, for instance, there is no necessity for
paving insurance on this risk.
Thirdly, there is no security when yard
is established that railroad will not be |
built between it and the river and upset all |
calculations.
Fourthly, the Ohio is so obstructed by |
bridges that large boats cannot be built here |
and run down unless chimneys are specially |
constructed These disadvantages com |
bined, he says, entirely overcome all ad- |
vantages this city would be naturally sup
posed to have over other places for the |
building of boats, and in addition to all |
Pittsburg material for building is laid down |
as cheaply at other points as here There |
being no wharf facilities Rees & Son find it |
cheaper to build boats and ship in sections |
to New York than to run them down the |
river to the gulf They have thus shipped |
two boats this year.
All the different operations carried on by |
this firm Will be consolidated this fall boat |
building, engine and boiler making under |
the style OF James Rees & Sons
For the reasons assigned above Mr. Rees |
thinks there is no reason to hope that the |
building of whalebacks will ever become |
leading industry in Pittsburg. 1t is to be |
hoped, however, that the shadows on this |
picture have been deepened by the struggles
of the firm, as pioneers in any field must |
struggle against many difficulties that time |
and experience sometimes eliminate
AMonument to the White League.
NEW ORLEANS, Sept 16-To-day there was
the most important celebration of the l4th