The morning news., 1892-03-07
why Not Build Ships Here2

| Inc ueceuence OF American shipping mas
been the subject Of a vast amount of news
paper discussion In the last few years. The
disappearance Of the once-famous yankee
| clipper" In the foreign trade has been be-
moaned and dwelt upon. and divers plans
suggested whereby the decay might be ar
rested. So far, however, the American
ship-building industry has not been stimu-
lated by any Of the artificial means sug-
| gested.
Meanwhile ship-building IN New Eng
land has gone on with gratifying regular
| ity, and the builders have turned out re-
Gently some Of the finest ships that ever
fioated the stars and stripes The wooden
ship Shenandoah, a Maine product launched
last year, has won fame for herself by out
sailing the Scotch-built iron ship, La
| France. In voyage across the ocean, and
to-day tops the world with the Ioftiest
! spars afoat She is a model modern "yan-
kee clipper ;" and halls from Bath.
In an annual review of the ship-building
trade the industrial Journal. of Bangor,
/ Me-, makes an exhibit which shows that
the building Of wooden sailing vessels in
this country is far from the point of ex-
tinction. During the year 1891, 252 vessels
were built in the New England ship-yards,
having an aggregate tonnage of 1897,
against a tonnage built in 1886 Of IS, O95-
a condition of affairs that permits of hope
full augury.
The Journal notes that square-rigged
vessels are declining In favor with Maine
ship-builders, though they are still built to a
limited extent. 1t finds. also, that briggs and
barks are losing favor, and says the car
| rying trade in American bottoms will be
done by ships Of four or five masts. schoon-
ers Of three to five masts, aud barkentines
of three or four masts. The ships will do
the deep sea" freighting, the schooners the
coastwise traffic and the barkentines will
| fill in the space between, sailing either "deep
sea" or coastwise. The present Is an evolu-
tionary stage Of development, and the high
est types OF American vessels will hereafter
be found in these three rigs.
The Journal is of the opinion that wooden
vessels will be found superior to iron or
steel for trade in tropical waters, and sug-
treaties with Spanish American countries
and the West Indies will cause a renewed
| demand for such vessels
While we do not believe that any ex-
tensive trade will result from those treaties
at all events not enough to warrant the
building of fleet OF ships-the thought
occurs that If ship-builaing continues to be
| profitable in Maine, where it is impossible
to work out of doors during large part of
the year, why would it not be profitable to
build vessels in Georgia-Savannah-
work in the open air all the year
round is not only possible but pleas
ant 2 The ooastwise shipping is per-
petually preserved to American built
vessels, and is constantly growing
in volume. Freights have ruled at a fair
figure for some time, and frequently it is
difficult to obtain charters, showing that
the field is not crowded. Georgia has the
finest pine timber in the world, and yellow
pine has no superior as ship timber. Indeed
great deal OF the pine lumber shipped
from this port finds its way into the Maine
and New Hampshire chip yards, where it IL
worked into side and deck planking.
As the mills have been brought TO che
cotton for profit. SO might the ship yards bt
brought TO the pine forests, and money b,
! saved aud made thereby.