The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1892-06-25
A Great shipyard Needed.

The failure in Congress of measures
for the establishment near this city OF
a Government naval dock and con.
structiOn works is too recent to have
been forgotten by the people of New
Orleans. Whether. this failure was
rightly or not attributed to the absence
OF the Louisiana Senators from Wash
in9ton ut the most critical moment, is
a thing OF the past, over which it is
useless now to spend any time In vain
regrets.
But the fact remains, that in the
Judgment of the several naval aud evil
commissions which have examined
New Orleans with reference to it's fit
ness for 4 naval establishment, this
city possesses every required charac
teristlc and natural advantage for such
a purpose. And whenever the neces
sity for some efficient preparation for
the public defense shall fully impress
itself upon the American people they
will lose no opportunity in making
New Orleans the seat of a great naval
station.
But if this is a place to build Gov
eminent ships for the public defense,
it is also a place for the construction
OF vessels for the mercantile marine.
Iron, steel, coal, timber and all other
material for ship building are to be
had here from the greatest and cheap
est sources Of supply at the least pos
sible cost. These articles eau be
brought here either from Alabama,
Tennessee or P%ittsburg, in the two la
ter eases by water, cheaper than they
can be transported by rail to any of the
Atlantic ports; while New Orleans is
at the gateway of the nations granary,
such a great city Is necessarily the
headquarters of all sorts of skilled la
Dor.
We are drawn to these observations
by the fact that the Southern Pacific
Company has recently had built at
Newport News in Virginia two of the
largest merchant vessels aver construc-
ted i'll the United States. These are
the FL Sud and Ell NOrte, with each a
total length over all of 400 feet and a
registered capacity o f5600 tons burden.
Another such ship, the Ell Rio, is now
being built there. These vessels are
to ply between the ports of New Or
leans and New York, and it seems re.
niarkab.e that instead Of being built
here it was found necessary to have
the work done at an obscure Virginia
village, near the mouth of James Riv-
Ell, aud remote from any considerable
city, and far from any mines of coal
and iron. But the reason for this is
simple enough. The COCK and con-
structiOn shops for such work exist at
the Virginia village at the mouth of
James River, and not in the Southern
metropolis near the mouth of the great
river Of the Continent. We have not
the facilities for doing such work here
and hence it must be done elsewhere.
And the Virginia shipyard is a pri-
vate enterprise, not'built with Govern
ment money. Its facilities have only
been created in the past year or two.
and yet SO great is the demand for such
an establishment that its services are
sought far and wide. Ii New Orleans
possessed such facilities there is every
reason to believe that these three great
ships OF the Southern Pacific Company
would have been built here. More
over, not only would such all i~nstitu-
ton be able to take contracts for mer-
chant ships, but it would have oppor-
tnnlty TO bid for the naval warships |
that are put out for construction in
private shops and yards all around the
coast from California to Maine.
The Et Nnite was launched at New
port News on the 14th inst, and tie
papers We're filled at the time with de-
scriptions of the ship and of the elabor-
ate ceremonies of the launching, which
were attended by distinguished visi-
tors from far and near. New Orleans
should have the most extensive ship
yards and shops, not only for the Gov
eminent, but for private enterprises as
we'll. They are certain to conle in the
future, but why thy do not now exist
is mystery when the need for them
is CONSIDERABLY. o. Picayune.)