The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-10-13
JAPANESE
WANT OUR
MACHINERY
English and German En-
gines Discarded by a
Toxic Company.
ACTIVITY AMONG SHIP BUILDERS.
Much Demand for Lumber
Sehooners, and New Ones
Building.
LARGE ORDERS STEADILY COMING In.
Increased Foreign Trade Has Been
the Means of Reopening Our
Shipyards.
IiRGE ORDERS STEADILY COMING In.

70 say that the ship-building industry
on this coast is in a pros perous condition
is putting the fact mildly. The statement
that it was booming would probably be
nearer the truth. On every hand the ship
yards, both large and small, are taxed to
the limit of their capacity. And the work
faat Is now being dcne Is not all there is
to tell. There is more TO come. New con-
tracts are coming in. and the builders
without exception report a prosperous
condition of affairs with every indication
OF wonderful revival in the ship building
industry.
Of course, the building of ships makes
work for the engine builders and machin-
lists. But engine building is experiencing
boom independent OF local shi D. bui lding,
The superiority of American marine ma
chlnery over that of foreign manufacture
IS becoming recognized abroad, and or
ders which formerly went to European
manufacturers are now coming to the
United States, and, what is OF more inter-
est locally, to San francisco.
The Japanese seem to have come to the
conclusion that American-buiIt ships are
equal to any in the world, and one of the
largest of the Japanese navigation COM
panies has evidently become convinced
that We build the best engines in the
world. The Toxic Navigation Company,
which owns and operates large mum Der
OF launches and small craft in Asiatic
waters, formerly equipped all their boats
with engines and mach iuery of English
and German manufacture. Not long ago
they consented TO give American engines
a trial, and ordered several of the Union
Gas Engine Com pany OF this city. They
must have given satisfaction, for the num-
Der was increased, and the company now
have eleven engines which were made in
san Francisco in their service. A few
days ago another order came tor six more
and accompanying the order was the state
ment that the American engines and ma
chipery had been found so much SUPERIOR
to those OF English and German manu-
tactCre that the company had dec ded to
remove all the latter from the boats and
substitute machinery made in the United
States.
In addition to the engines being built
Tor the Japanese company the Union Gas
Engine Company is constructing a 81
horsepower engine to be placed in 45-foot
launch being built by George w. Kneass
for G. w. McNear of the Port Costa Flour
Company. The launch is expected to be
one OF the speedest on the bay. The COM
pany is also building 50-horsepower en-
Siuc " Ue pldCeu III Il OO-lOOb lauDCn Quilt
by the San Francisco Launch Company,
! at North Beach. for James Kitterman,
| and 6O-horsepower engine 10 go in a
schooner owned by w. A. Ryan & Co.
The Fulton Iron Works are unusually
| busy at present and are bnllding three
schooners for the lum Der trade, besides a
! fishing schooner. The lum Der schooners
are: One for J. S. Kim ball e. Co., to be 1870
| feet over all; one Tor Robert Dollar, to be
| loo feet over all, and one 155 feet in length
| for J. r. Ham nifty. The fishing schooner
equipped with compound condensing en-.
eines.
The company's shipyard at Harbor
View has lately been planked and large
cranes erected for the handling OF heavy
masses of iron and steel. The company
is also building new boat for the Cali.
fornia Navigation Company, to be used on
the bay and Stockton route. The con-.
tract calls Tor speed Of twenty knots an
hour.
The Risdon Iron Works is constructing
new b Tiers for the tug Alert and the river
steamer Mary CARAT.
Hall Brothers, whose shipyard is To-
Gated at Port Blakeley, on Puget Sound
have launched recently two large schoon-
eTs, which are to be used in the Ium Der
trade, and have now four-master on the
ways nearly ready to be put into the
water.
The gold discoveries IL Alaska and the
rush FOR the north occasioned thereby have
been to certain extent a factor in in
creasing the demand for boats on this
coast; but the improved condition of
foreign as well as domestic trade must be
held responsible for the present activity
in the ship building industry.
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