The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-03

In Paris, New Ork and Boston.
When the news of her husbands
nomination for the vice-presidency was
brought to her by her son, Harold NJ.
Sewall, it was a surprise that was not
altogether pleasing, for since the retire
ment of Mr.. Sewall from the presidency
of the Maine Central railroad she had
INDUCED in the hope that he would re-
tire from the activities which had
crowded his busy and successful life
and enjoy the comfort of his beautiful
Washington street home in the society
Of their children, who reside close by.
The wife of Mrs. Sewall's son, Har-
old NJ, was Miss Camilla Loyal Ashe
of San Francisco. daughter of Richard
Ashe, who won honors in the Mexican
war. She is the niece of Admiral Far
ragut, for whom the grandchild of Ar
thur Sewall is named
The other daughter-in-law is Mrs.
William D. Sewall, who was Miss Mary
Sumner of Worcester, Mass.
The part of his whole life in which
Mr.. SewaM takes +1le greatest interest is
his career as a shipbuilder and ship
owner. His belief in the future OF
American shipping has never tagged
Indeed, he is about the only man in the
country who has persisted in building
ships in the face of what other builders
have considered disaster During the
first administra ton of Cleveland grass
grew in every wooden shipbuilding
yard ON both coasts. But during the
last few years of the sos Mr.. Sewall
believing that turn for the better had
or soon would come, resumed building,
and with greater earneStness than ever
before
Then followed in quick succession
tour monsters, each representing a sum
beyond $125, 900. These were the Rap
pa'hannock, Shenandoah, Susquehanna.
and Roanoke, all wooden vessels, aver
aging about 1900 tons net each, capable
of carrying easily a tonnage in cargo of
half as much more. OF these vessels the
Rappahannock was destroyed by fire
from spontaneous combustion in the
South Pacific ocean some years ago.
The other three are still af1oat, MAX
ing the long voyages, and one or an
other is frequently seen in the East
river. The Roanoke is the largest. This
ship, built in 1892. and with New York
as her hai1ing port, measures 3,400 tons.
The Shenandoah measures 1888 and
the Susquehanna 1929 All are mag
n1f1Cent vessels, and as fleet are class
ed superior to an other similar fleet
under one control in the world The
last ship constructed by Mr.. Sewall is
the DiTigo This vessel was launched
two years ago and measures 1856 tons
She IS built of steel and is the first steel
sailing ship built in America To show
in what proportion the business of the
SewaH family has grown in proportion
with the growth of other large busi-
nesses of the country, it may be stated
that the tonnage of the Indiana, launch
ed in 1876, is 1,4S8, while that of the
Roanoke, launched sixteen years later
is 3,400, nearly two and half times
as great.
In addition to his large fleet of
square-rigged deep water ships, Mr..
Sewall has constructed and manages
a large fleet Of three and four-masted
schooners, which are engaged in the
coal, ice and lumber trade on the At
lantic coast. One of these vessels, the
Carrie A. Lane, a three-masted schoon-
er of less than 800 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 the voyage.
HIS FAITH IN OUR MERCHANT
MARINE.
Though little given to exploiting his
opinions, Mr.. SewaI can always be
aroused to enthusiasm on his favorite
topic of the future of Americas mer-
chant marine.
He said in 1894: 1--WE will yet build
as many steel ships as we have wooden
ones if congress will only continue to
keep out foreign ships from cOmpeti-
ton in our own trade with those built
on this side. l would like to see all
our ships continued to be treated as
well as we have our coaStwise traffic
in which case we are sure to have az
no distand day the finest merchant
marine afioat The only reason that
we have any large ships afloat today
Francisco trade comes within the
definition of coastwise traffic.
There is a large surplus tonnage
afoat, it is true, but with that it sim
ply comes to a question of the survival
of the f1ttest, and we could be counted
upon to take far more than our share.
Americans can compete with the world
at shipbuilding in wood today. We are
rapidly nearing the point where We can
do so in the case of steel and iron ships.
Under the law that was in force when
1 built the Dirigo, 1 bought her plates
and bars from the other side duty free
and spent all the money for labor in
Bath, employing about 200 men for sew
eral months
Mr. Sewall's views on the silver ques
ton are most pronounced, and it is said
that he utterly repudiates the allega-
ton that he is a recent convert to the
free coinage theory, but claims, on the
contrary, that he was one of the pion-
GERS of the movement in Maine.
Mr. Sewalfs manner with men is
plain spoken and direct. He possesses
few of the graces of the orator, but he
looks into the eyes OF those to whom
he addresses himself. and the matter
as we'll as the method of his speech 10
sincere and convincing. An excellent
example of the simplicity of his Ian
guage and his fidelity to the principles
of his party can be found in his words
when told of his nomination for the
vice-presidency:
Il am an intense silver man. ! be-
lieve in the principle thoroughly. l am
not second to our leader in my advo-
cacy of free silver. l have had heart
feit convictions on the subject for
long time 1t is the relief that the peo-
pie demand, and the Democratic party
is the party to give it to them. The
Democratic party is the party Of the
many and not CT the few.
Il endorse every word of the plat
form, but my whole life and soul are
wrapped .l1p in the free coinage of sill
yer policy there expressed. 1t is the
only remedy of the prevailing distress.
7 want to see the legislation of 1873 re-
pea.ed. That is the height of my am
bition."
A Household Treasure.
D. W. Fuller of Canajoharie, N Y,
New Discovery in his house and his
81, iIxr a