Evening journal., 1895-10-30
TRUTH AND TRADITION
J. B Scott Talks of the Tech
nicalities Of Ship-building.
DELAWARE FAMOUS WHITE OAKS
And the Passing Away Of the Good Old
Timers-He Tells an Evening Journal
Reporter Many Things of Interest
About an old Delaware Industry.

About an Old Delaware Industry.
The other day an EVENING JOURNAL
reporter found James B Scott in a
reminiscent mood. aud in speaking of the
rapid decline Of the once famous wooden
shpya ards Of the Delaware Peninsula, be
said: Along In the forties and clear up
to 1880 the sbipyards OF the Peninsula,
that Is those on the east coast extending
from Wilmington down along past New
Castle, Oiesss. Smyrna Landing, Lslpsc
Jones creek. Frederica, Milton. Milford,
and so on down through the Indian river
country to points below Lewes. we're taxed
generally 90 theiI full capacity In supply
ing the coastwise trade with vessels
built wholly Of Delaware oak.
I'm these days. 0he magnificent belt
Of upland white oak, better in its holding
and wearing qualities than the best
Besssmer steel, covered the Penlnsular
divide aud frlnged the coast line clear
down to the marshes, on which white oak
will not grow.
The Penross and Burton and the
Cope line Of Liverpool packets, ante.
dating tue steamships by many years
we're all built OF Delaware timber, and
as an instance of their remarkable
staunc6ness the Tonawanda, Of the
Copes line. went ssho1e AZ Cape May
ana, remained hard and fast whole
year, and finally WAS hoRted uninjured
How many iron and steel ships Of the
present day could stand this test2
There is q psculiarlty about Delaware
white oak thai perhaps largely con
tributes to the wonderful elasticity 70
often displayed under severe strains,
that Is, the cross grained texture Of tho
fibre aud the generous allowance Of cat
paw knots in the general make up.
Tradition has It that, the knots and they
certainly have all the appearance OF cat
paws-are due to the persistent efforts
Of the Delaware Indians in getting rid Of
the wild cats that swarmed in trees
whose tops were unseen save by the
stars. In revenge for their extermina
tion the wild cats left the imprints Of
their feet and to this day II in bending e
Delaware white oak plank around the
sharp curve Of a vessel, it breaks at
all, It will invariably be at one Of these
knots. The same tradition hiss it that
the cross grained quality which Is 30
trying TO the patience OF the worbmen is
due 70 two periods OF growth la the
daytime the growth Is upward and at
night downward, hence arises a confu
sion OF forces that has been inherited
along with the cats paws The inces
saut quarrolling Of the animals Ia the
tree tops beNiloered the oaks at night,
and to escape the jargon Of the cats they
did their night growing downward.
'D0u't you know, Mr.. Reporter, that
it is best not to disturb emphatic trsdi
tion of this kind with anything like
facts, because Ia so doing, you rob them
hall . .tr lnN- q. 4.
always interesting clothed 10 tradition
"Iu the period OF which l speak, prices
were fairly good for building vessel.
The two masted, then tbs three, aud
finally the four masted, were the most
popular rigs for long time. The
models were shaped on extremely hard
lines TO build, and in many cases were 50
full forward and aft, aud on the bilge
with little or no dead rise to the q ,nr,
that they were entirely helplese In
working of a lee shore In consequence
the bones Of many a Delaware built
vessel have found resting place In the
graveyards of the North Atlantic that
stretch from Cape Cod TO Cape earn
veral, Florida, grim monuments Of wreck
and ruin.
Hardly, II ever. we're any elaborate
specifications made as 20 the build A
stranger would drop into town some day
inquire around at the stores for the
boss ship carpenter Upon inding
that individual, he Ia a fow minutes
would conclude bargain to build for
the Stranger a vessel of such and such
Dimensions, and to carry so many tons
In little while after the visitor boarded
a north bound train, not TO appear again
until the vessel was nearly completed, al
though making payments promptly in
the different stages OF the work. The
builders themselves liked to take a run
up once In q while TO see the city sights,
leaving sffairs In charge OF the foreman,
or as the men called him. five Fighter,
meaning that he lacks three eighths OF
authority OF running up to the city him
self
Il remember Joke played on q
I builder by his Eve Fighter that I must
tell you, continued Mr. Scott with
smile "The main obi ici OF ths uilder
in taking 3 trip TO the city was, Of
course, to order and examine con e
struction supplies such as bar
iron, Hackmalack Knees. locust tree
nails, etc, bat the real object was
to eat hotel viands and take In the
rounds of the theatres. and so on. This
! builder in question went TO his foreman
and got from him list Of all the sup
plies needed so many tons OF bar iron,
30 many kegs of spikes, so many knees,
so many thousand locust tree nails.
| That is all is it2 asked the builder.
/ No, replied the foreman 4 forgot
something, Pat down an ordsr for 9. 00O
inch and eighth Augsr holes Ia due
course OF time the builder returned, look
ing as II he had been swept through O
sieve, and gravely informed tue foreman,
that he had hunted high and low over
the city but could Lot find anyon hav
ing In stock inch and-eight' sugeI
holes This, Mr.. Reporter, is one Of the
traditions CT Peninsula ship building
that facts cannot disturb
81 read the account Of the launching
OF the gunboat WilminRton at Newport
News the other day, aud learned that the
lady who performed the christening cere
mony swung the bottle against the ship
as she started down the wsys, the bottle
being suspended from above This is al
innovation from the old style. which wai
for the lady to stand up on the bow, hei
fair. shapely form cutting clear against
the background Of sky, aud as the vesss
dipped from the ways with low, grace