The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-02

legislature from his state. His father
was the grandson of Col. Drummer
Sewall, Of the revolutionary army, who
was the fifth generation in lineal de-
scent from Henry Sewall, some time
mayor of Coventry, In Great Britain,
who settled at Newbury, Mass, 1884
The witchcraft judge of Salem was
son Of this Sewall. and his brother the
ancestor of the Sewall of Maine
Whatever else Mr.. Arthur Sewall
may or may not be, one thing is GER
tain, he is master of the art of the
building Of ships, and his connection
with the ships has by no means ceased
with their launching at his shipyard,
for the signal of the Sewalls, a blue
flag with white "S," has been car
ried into all Of the commercial navi-
gable waters Of the globe, flying from
the masthead of some vessel which had
her baptism in the blue waters of the
Kennebec.
Arthur Sewall was educated at the
common schools of Bath. At an early
age he went from Bath to Prince Ed
ward Island, trading and securing ship
timber, which he sent to the shipyards
OF the kennebec. Returning when less
than twenty years Of age, he entered
the employ of his fathers firm, Clark
& SeWall, and shortly afterward in
1854, formed a partnership with his Sc
Nor brother, Edward, under the name
OF b. & A. Sewall, taking over the
business of the old firm of William d.
Sewan and Clark & Sewall
In January, 1855, the two brothers
launched their first ship, the Holyhead,
of over 1000 tons burden, a large ship
In those days, followed in the same
year by another. For every year since
at least ship (most of them of large
tonnage for their era) has been built
by this firm.
In 1879, upon the death of his elder
brother, the firm name was changed
to Arthur Sewall & Co., the partners
of which are Mr.. SewalI and his
nephew, Samuel S. SewaIl, and his sec
onu son, William D. Sewall. Under
the present firm the activity in ship
building continued, and in 1890 they
launched the Rappahannock, of over
5000 tons burden, then the largest
wooden ship .af1oat. The coincidence
was noted that Mr.. Sewall's father
mad, in 1S41, launched the ship Kappa
hammock, then of only little over /, 900
tors burden, which was at that time
the largest ship af1oat.
In December, 1899, the firm launched
the Shenandoah, still larger In Sep
tember, 81, they launched the Susque-
hanna, of over 1900 tons, and in Au-
gust, 80, the Roanoke, which was then,
as now, the largest wooden ship afloat.
being over S.400 tons.
In the fan of 1890 Arthur Sewall, hav-
Ing made, tour of all the noted ship
yards of the world. to keep abreast of
the march Of progress in marine con-
struction, returned to Bath and be-
gan the equipment of the firms ship
yard for the complete construction of
steel sailing vessels. and the first re-
suit of this equipment was the launch
ing Of the noble steam ship appropri-
ately called the Dirigo, with a tonnage
of over $500 tons. This mammoth yes
sci, added to those mentioned, COM
posed the largest feet of sailing yes
sels in these United States.
It is in his career as builder of ships
that Mr.. Sewall takes the greatest
pride. To him the product of his ship
yards@.is matter of as much pride
and interest almost as the growth and
development of his own children. He
watches every part of a ships con-
struction, and there is no part of the
work that he is not capable of man
ually performing, and it is no uncom-
mon sight to see him standing with his
foreman and workmen assisting with
advice and with his hands. With the
men employed In the yard the relations