The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1893-11-18
OUR PROGRESS AT SEA.
American Ship Builders Make the
Best Of Ships.
General Ignorance of the People Con-
corning Achievements In Building
Fast Ocean Steamers-FoH-
eiEners Astoni5hed.

There is a serious side to our con-
tinued yachting triumphs. in impor-
tance transcending far the sporting
world, says the Boston Transcript.
Some time ago Emperor William was
quoted as saying that in building up
the German navy he would look to the
United States hereafter. Whether the
emperor said this or not, the fact that
it is attributed to him in Europe DEM
onstrates that the revival OF American
skill in shipbuilding is attracting at
tention abroad We should not be
surprised at learning that it is attract.
ing more attention abroad than 1t IS
at home. American enterprise has
looked inward from the seaboard 80
long that it has but recently accus-
toned itself to the idea Of looking sea-
ward. That it is waking up to the
possibility of reaping the harvest OF
the deep seas many signs betoken.
Thoughtful Americans have for years
seen the folly of abandoning the for
cign deep sea carrying trade to for
eign steamers. They have grown
weary of figuring up the millions that
go TO foreigners for freight money on
American goods. But the masses OF
our people have been too busy, have
made money too easily on shore, to
think Of turning their thoughts sea-
ward, to appreciate the extent OF the
demands of freight money, or even to
realize the progress Of the country IN
shipbuilding, much less the possibil-
-k nf
making power on the seas.
How few are the people who realize
all that is meant by the statement that
a newly-launched cruiser has made
twenty knots on her trial trip! There
are not many who know that q twen-
ty-knot ship was ten years ago a me
chanical impossibility in this country.
OF the materials entering into the con-
struction of such vessel there were
in this country in 1883 only the inge-
nuity and the ore. Since thattlme the
steel-plate industry and numerous al
lied businesses have been built up to
build the ship. England looked with
amusement on the undertaking of the
United States to build flyers. 1t said
thatthe Americans were clever people,
but they had built no fast steamers,
and they had SO much to learn that
they would never catch up with Eu-
rope; the Americans might turn out
some vessels only little less fast than
those launched from the European
| yards, but they would not equal the
! latter. Now the tone of English com
| ment has changed. The London I'm
gincer, a high authority, tells English
men that even if the present congress
should pass free-ship bill, its bene
fit to English shippers would be
exceedingly limited. A few Clyde
built flyers might be bought by Amer
| leans and put on American registers tc
/ form the nucleus OF fast ocean scrv-
ice, but that would be all. Its rca
sons for this belief arc not only the
American preference to wait until I'M
provement of processes has offset the
difference in cost between the two
countries, but the extension of oul
ship building plants. Some OF these
establishments, it declares, ARE al
most as well able to build ships a
ourselves, and the almost may bt
omitted in regard to two OF them.
The great plant at Newport News es
pecially moves its admiration for 1T
completeness, area and appliances
and it says of the Cramps that th'
cruisers built by them would do N
discredit to Elswick. Fairfield O
Clydebank.
Skill in handling vessels comes nat
ural to Americans. We have seen
illustrated in many ways. The yach
race itself has more than a merel.
sporting significance. 1t signifies tina
we retain our skill in building fast yes
sells and can adapt that skill to specia
and peculiar types with the best re
suits. We have great coastwise tieet
both steam and sail, we have fas
cruisers, and if we do not have fas
foreign carrying trade under our owl
flag we shall have only ourselves t
h1amQ