The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-07-23

Arthur SGWaN Of Maine
THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE FOR
VICE-PRESIDENT.
Never Has Been Il Politician or Sought
Public lhfc-His Family Engaged
In Ship Building for Generations,
Arthur Sewall, of Maine, Is man
known-to the extent that ho is known
IN the natiOn-as q man OF business
rather than as man Of politics. But
whllo he Is not and never has been q
politician, and whilo he has never
sought nor hold any public Office, he
has been none the less for many years Il
power in Democratic national councils
ID man whose word and advice stood
for New England to greater cxtent,
possibly, than tho word and advice of
any other Democrat, OF that section OF
the country. His utterances II year
ago IN favor OF silver have discroditcd
him in his own country to an extent,
recent selection OF Dcmocr favor
ing tho gold standard as his successor
In tho Democratic national committee,
OF which he had been IL member since
1883. But he Is nevertheless recop-
| nizcd by all who know him-and they
| include scores OF business men OF San
Francisco as well az scores in Now York
--as an extremely ablej well-roundcd
man.
Mr.. Sewall was born in Bath about
sixty years ago, OF u stock long promi-
| nent and honOred In his State and idcn-
tilted with the Democratic party from
its birth. Ho inherited a capacity for
large business interests, as did also
his brother Edward, and while yet a
very young man, with his brother he
assumed tho management Of the large
ship building plant which had boon
developed ~ his father and his grand
father. Through the combined ener-
gics and abilities Of tho two brothers
tho business grow and tho ships multi
piled until, whom American shipping
had reached it's heyday, there wero
few ports in tho world In which there
could not be seen Ut any time at the
top OF II lofty mainmast the navy blue
square supporting tho white IS" His
brother mot his death In this city SOW
oral yoars ago by " fall over balus-
trade in hotel to tho corridor below.
MIR. Scwnll continued tho business,
the son of his brother, Samuel, bccom-
ing associated with him.
No family in America has done moro
for tho merchant marine" than tho
Sewall family h,s. Its list OF ships
shows steady and almost unchecked
line OF progress covering q period Of
scventy-iivc years. Ship after ship
l.,,, ~ = & ~
the kennebec rivcr, and the Scwal)
collection of models, ancient ond mod
ern, Is superior to anything Of the
| kind in this country
| The Sewall family has always beer
Democratic, although as IL family /,
has seldom or never sought to contrO
in any way party action in either mu
nicipal or State affairs. Twenty years
ago this fall, when Indiana swung into
the Democratic column for Tildcn, tho
Sewan satisfaction found expression in
the bestowal Of the namo "Indiana u
| upon ono OF the largest and finest ships
about ready for the launch.
! Arthur Sewall is about tho only man
in the country who has persisted in
building ships In the face OF what
other builders have considered disas-
ter. During the fret administration
of Cleveland grass grew In every
wooden ship building yard on both
coasts. But during tho last few years
OF tho eighties Mr.. Sewall, believing
that q turn for the better had or soon
would como, resumed building, and
with greater carnestness than ever
before. There followed in quick sue
ccssion four monsters, each represent
ing sum beyond $l25,OOO These
were the Rappahannock, Shenandoah,
Susquchanna and Roanoke, all wooden
vessels, averaging about three thou
sand tons net each, capable Of carrying
easily q Tonnage In cargo Of half as
much moro. OF these vessels tho Ran
pahannock was destroyed by fire, from
spontaneous combustion, in the South
Pacific ocean some years ago.
The other three arc still afloat,
making the long voyages, and one or
another Is frequently seen in the East
River. The Roanoke ID the largest.
This ship, built in 1892, and with New
York as her hailing port, measures
3,258 and the Susquehanna 1893. All
arc magnificent vessels, and as q Gcet
are classcd superior to any other simi.
lar iieet, In one control, in the world
The last ship constructed by Mr.. Sew
all is the Dirigo. This vessel was
launched two years ago and measures
1856 tons. She Is built of steel, and Is
the first steel sailing ship in America
TO show in what proportion the bust
ness Of the Sewall family has growr
in comparison with the growth o.
othcr large businesses of the country
1t may bo stated that the tonnage
OF the Indiana, launched in 1876, il
l,lS8, while that of tho Roanoke
launched sixteen years later, is 3,4OO
nearly two and half times as great
In addition to his large fleet or square
rugged "dcep water" ships, Mr.. Sowall
has constructed and manages q large
fleet OF three and four masted schoon-
crs, which are engaged in tho coal, ice
and lumber trade on the Atlantic
coast. One of thcse vessels, tho Car.
ric A. Lane, u threc-mastcd schooner
OF less than 500 tons, was sent some
years ago around Cape Horn from New
York to San Francisco. She was the
first vessel OF anything like her kind or
size to make this voyage.
| Besides his extensive interests in
| shiDDinp Mr. SoWall ia intcrestcd IN