The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1892-03-03
Ships and Sailors.

Sch. Olive T. Whittier has chartered in
New York to carry stone to Nelasco, Tex.
to be used on the Government jetties now
/ building there.
Sch Nina Bell, of Machias, has thus
far proved to be a good piece of property,
says the Republican. She was built by
Master John Shaw, at a cost OF S22, 6SS,
and was launched in the fall of 1888. She
paid her first dividend Feb. n, 1884. She
has paid for coppering, all running expen-
ses, and "a dividends, amounting to $780,
7S9 81 to the owner.
The voyage of the Indiana with $500
tons OF flour and provisions for the starry
ing Russians is a Philadelphia enterprise,
but good New England man commands
the ship. Captain r. w. Sargent's home
the old American Line, and one of the
most capable commanders on the Atlantic.
FIRST STEAMBOAT IN CALIFORNIA.
Captain John Thompson, master Of the
steamer Cumberland International Line,
relates a remarkable incident Of Maine S
early contributions to the Pacific coast.
Shortly following the gold fever of 40, in
the years 1S50-51, the steamer S. B. Wheel
el, side wheel, wooden craft of moder-
ate tonnage, was built at PASSPORT. Earth
or up the st. Croix, where the towns Of
Calais, Me-, and st. Stephen, y. b, stood
on opposite sides of the river. was built
the barque Fanny. The Fanny was con
structed with detachable stern, this part
being secured by screw bolts, and after
completion the hull was towed to PASSPORT
capt. Thompson forming one of the crew
of the tow At Eastport the stern was re
moved and the craft sunk. While submerg-
ell the steamer was floated in then the Fan
ny wa raised. the stern secured, her hold
freed from water. the steamer secured by
ballast and freight the masts of the
barque stripped. two of them passing di-
rectly through the steamer. her rigging and
sails supplied and out of the Passama-
quoddy she sailed round the Horn to San
Francisco. Passage rates to California
were high in those days, and the cabin of
the steamboat afforded extra facilities.
The Fanny arrived safely in California
where the same plan of submerging lib
Grated the steamboat and for many years
1t ran on the Sacramento river, the first
steamboat in California waters
WOODEN SHIPBUILDING. While Maine
is the great centre Of American wooden
shipbuilding, other New Eng land states
are actively engaged in the construction of
new tonnage for special purposes, notably
Connecticut and Massachusetts.
New LoIdOn is famous for it's fast-Sail-
ing golfers of the three and four mast
schooner rig. while at Stonington many
barges are built for the general freight
traffic on the Sound. At Essex, Mass
the cream of Gloucester matchless fish
ing fleet is built
From Connecticut shipyar,ls in 1891
were launched II schooners. & sloops. ?
steam vessels and Il barges. IA total of SO
vessels, having an aggregate tonnage of
SIG, 2l3.9S net. of which amount New Lon
don and Stonington contributed more than
$4,000 tons.
Massachusetts launched Al schooners: s
sloops. l3 steam vessels and ) barges, a
total of % vessels, aggregating 9243 II
tons net. while Rhode Island contributed
schooners, l sloop and 2 steam vessels
of 1876 70 tons making a total for New
England. outside of Maine of %, 913 s.
tons.
Add to that Maine's new tonnage,
amounting to %. 99o Is, and the grand to-
tai for New England foots mp -, 300 03
IONS. AS compared with the output OF
1890 the figures show a loss of nearly 20
900 tons, Maine and Massachusetts hav-
ING fallen off about 25.OO0 tons while
Connecticut gained about 5000 tons.
The outlook for 1892 in all Of the New
England states is considered good, and it
is likely that this years construction will
exceed that of 1891.
Shipbuilding in the maritime provinces
seems to have fallen into hopeless de-
cline. and not only is the amount Of new
construction growing less every year. but
the existing fleet is shrinking rapidly in
numbers, tonnage, and value.
Losses by wreck. fire, and transfers to
other countries and flags are not made
good by new tonnage, and unless some de
cided change for the better comes soon.
tie provinces will not cut much of fig
ure in the maritime world at the begin
ming of the twentieth century.
The deal trade of st. John is not what
it used to be: Canadian sailing vessels.
like our own, have suffered on account of
English steam tramps. and general bust
ness in the provinces is dull.