The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-07-21
Arthur SeWaN Of Maine
THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE FOR
VICE-PRESIDFNT.
Never Has Been q Politician or Sought
Public Life-His Family Engaged
I'm Ship Building for Generations.

Public Life-His Family Engaged
I'm Ship Building for Generations.
Arthur Sewall, OF Maine, is a man
knowh-to the extent that he is known
in the nation-as u man of business
rather than as q man Of politics. But
while he is not and never has been a
politician, and while he has never
sought nor held any public Office, he
has been none the less for many years a
power in Democratic national councils
"a man whose word and advice stood
for New England to u greater extent,
possibly, than the word and advice Of
| any other Democrat, OF that section OF
the country. His utterances ear
ago in favor of silver havo discre d
him in his own country to an ext IT,,
however, and this is shown by .he
recent selection Of q Dem ocrat favor
| ing the gold standard as his successor
in the Democratic national committee
| of which he had been q member since
| 1883. But he is nevertheless recog-
nized by all who know him-and they
include scores of business men OF San
Francisco as we'll as scores in New York
as an extremely able, well-rounded
| man.
Mr.. Sewall was born in Bath about
| sixty years ago, OF q stock long promi
nent and honored in his State and iden-
titled with the Democratic party from
it's birth. He inherited q capacity for
large. business interests, as did also
his brother Edward, and while yet
very young man, with his brother he
assumed the management of the large
ship building plant which had been
| developed by his father and his grand
| father. Through the combined ener-
gies and abilities of the two brothers
| the business grew and the ships multi
piled until, when American shipping
| had reached its heyday, there were
| few ports in the world in which there
could not be seen at any time at the
| top of a lofty mainmast the navy blue
square supporting the white "S." His
brother met his death in this city sew
eral years ago by a fall over a balus-
| trade in a hotel to the corridor below.
| Mr.. Sewall continued the business,
| the son OF his brother, Samuel, becom-
ing associated with him.
No family in America has done more
for the merchant marine than the
Sewall family has. Its list of ships
shows steady and almost unchecked
line OF progress covering u period of
seventy-tive years. Ship after ship
has slid from the Sewall "ways" 2" into
the Kennebec river, and the Sewal]
collection of models, ancient end mod
ern, is superior to anything Of the
kind in this country.
The Sewall family has always been
Democratic, although as q family it
has seldom or never sought to control
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 Tilden, the
Sewall satisfaction found expression in
the bestowal Of the name "Indiana
upon one OF the largest and finest ships
ever built in the yard, and which was
about ready for the launch.
Arthur Sewall is about the only man
in the country who has persisted in
building ships in the face of what
other builders have considered disas-
ter. During the first administration
wooden ship building yard on both
coasts. But during the last few years
of the eighties Mr.. Sewall, believing
that turn for the better had or soon
would come, resumed building, and
with greater earnestness than ever
before. There followed in quick sue
cession four monsters, each represent
ing u sum beyond $125,000. These
| were the Rappahannock, Shenandoah,
Susquehanna and Roanoke, all wooden
vessels, averaging about three thou
| easily q tonnage in cargo of half as
much moro. OF these vessels the Rap
pahannock was destroyed by fire, from
spontaneous combustion, in the South
Pacific ocean some years ago.
| The other three are still ahoat,
making the long voyages, and one or
another is frequently seen in the East
River. The Roanoke is the largest.
This ship, built in 1892, and with New
York as her hailing port, measures
3,J00 tons. Tho Shenandoah measures
3,25S and the Susquehanna 1920. All
are magnificent vessels, and as fleet
are classed superior to any other SINH
lar fleet, 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 busi
ness Of the Sewall family has grown
in comparison with the growth of
other large businesses OF the country,
it may be stated that the tonnage
of the Indiana, launched in 1876, is
1,4S8, while that OF the Roanoke,
launched sixteen years later, is 3,40O,
nearly two and half times as great.
In addition to his large fleet or square
rugged "deep water" ships, Mr.. Sewall
has constructed and manages a large
fleet of three and four masted schoon-
crs, which are engaged in the coal, ice
and lumber trade on the Atlantic
coast. One Of these vessels, the Car
rie A. Lane, u three-masted schooner
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 this voyage.
Besides his extensive interests In
shipping, Mr.. Sewall is Interested in
railroads, the Bath Iron Works, which
built the United States gunboats Cas-
tine and Machias and the ram Katah-
din, and other Enterprises. A few
years ago he was the president Of the
Maine Central Railroad. He is now
president of bank in Bath. He is
reputed to haze made large sum In
leather in this city some months ago.
Mr.. Sewall has always lived In Bath.
His wife was also born in Bath Person
ally he Is reserved man, not easy OF
approach. His appearance is impress
sive. He has two sons-Harold M. and
William ID. The latter, the younger,
Is associated with his father in business
The elder son, now about 36 years of
age, peculiarly enough of the same age
as the man with whom his father will
go before the people for votes as the
tail end Of the ticket, has already had