Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-07-25

brought to her b. :iar son, Harold n. |
Sewall, il 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
indulged the hope that he would retire
from the activities which had crowded
| his bus- and successful life and enjoy
tn, comfort Of his beautiful Washington
street home in the society of their chill
iren. who reside close by.
! The wife Of Mrs. Scwall's son, Har-
old NJ. was Miss Camilla Loyal Ashe
OF san Francisco, daughter of Richard
Ashc. who won honors i'll the Mexican
Var. She is THE niece Of Admiral Far
ragu., for whom the grandchild Of Ar
thur Sewall was 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
NJ. Sewall takes the greatest interest is
his career as shipbuilder and ship
owner. His belief i'll the future Of
American shipping has never tagged.
Indeed, lie is about the only man i'll the
country who has persisted in building
ships i'll the face Of what other builders
have considered disaster. During the
first administration Ct Cleveland grass
grew III every wooden shipbuilding
yard on both coasts. But during the last
few years of the eighties Mr.. Sewall,
believing that Il turn for the better had
, or soon would come, resumed building,
and with greater carnestnoss than ever
! before
There followed IL quick succession
5 four monsters, each representing sum
: beyond S1.5. 010. These We're the Rap
5 pai,EnCcE, Shenandoah, Susquehanna
: and Roanoke, ali wooden vessels, aver
aging about ), GOO tons net each, capable
!, OF carrying easily /, tonnage in cargo of
9 halt as much more. OF these vessels the
l Rappaliaunock was destroyed by fire
from Spontaneous combustion in the
= South Pa"iiic Ocean some years ago
I TIE other three are still af1oat, max
: ing the long voyages, and one or an
l other is frequently seen in the East
a river. The Roanoke is the largest. This
ship, built in 1892, and with New York
as her mailing port, measures 3, 400 tons.
Tie Shenandoah measure; 8, 25S and
! the SUsCuch;.una esq. All are mag
| niiiccnt vessels, and as fleet are classed
sureriCr 20 any other similar fleet under
one control il the world. The last ship
constructed by Mr.. Sewall is the DirigO.
This vessel was launched two years ago
ard measures 1855 tons. She is built
of STEEL aud is the first steel sailing
ship built in America. To show in what
| proportion the business Of the Scwall
family has grown i'll comparison with
| thr growth Of other large businesses of
the country, it may be stated that the
tonnage Cf the Indiana, launched il
1876, is I,1SS. vhiic that Ct the Roam
okc, launched l6 years later, is 3,400,
nearly q. times as great.
In addition t. his large fleet of square
rugged deep water ships, Mr.. Sewall
has constructed and manages large
feet IF thrc1 and four nastetl schooners..
which ;-rc engaged IL the coal, ice and
lu,lbcr trade Ga TIE Atlantic coast One
Ct these vessels. the Carrie 4. Lane a
three i2iastea schooner OF less than S00
tons, was sent some years ago around
Cape Horn from Sew York to San
Francisco. ,.lc was the first vessel of
anything like her Kind or size to make
this voyage.
Ills Faith In Our Merchant Marine.
ThoaSh little given to exploiting his
opil lens, MIR. Sewall 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 vet build
as many steel ships as we have wooden
ou2s if congress will only continue tt
| keep out foreign ships from competition
I in Cur own trade with those built or
, this side. / would like 10 see all oul
ships continued to be treated as well z!
We have our Coastwise traffic in which
case we are sure 10 have at 10 distan
i day the finest merchant marine af,oat
c The only roascn that we have any larg,
c ships afioat today is because the New
y, York and San Francisco trade come
: within. TIC definition OF coastwise traffic
5, 'Ihcrc Is Il great surplus Tonnage
/. afioat, it is true. but with that it sim
4 ply comes to question Of the surviva
= OF the littest, and we could be counted
upon to tako far more than cur share
l. Americans can compete with the worlt
Y 1t shipbuilding i'll wood today. We ar
v rapidly nearing the point where we cal
q do so in the case of steel and iron ships
l. Under the law that was in force when
y built the DiriSo. brought her plate
V and bars from the other side duty FIRE
le and spent all tie money for labor il
IS Bath, employing about 200 men for sew
h tral months.
s. Mr.. Sewalls views On the silver ques
gion are most pronounced, and it is Sal
l. That ne utterly repudiates the allcgatio
a.. that he is n recent convert to the fire
ic coinage theory, but claims, on the con
q irary, that he was one of the pioneer
If # the movement in Maine.
IS Mr.. Sewalls manner with men j
rs llain spoken and direct. He possesse
few of the graces Of the orator, but h
n looks into the eyes Of those to whom b
4 addresses himself and the matter &
u well as the method of his speech is sin
e. eere and convincing. An excellent ez
III ample of the simplicity of his lansuag
aud his fidelity m Tho y,ripcipla- IF HI