The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-04-21
Floats Over Best and Fastest Am
GTiGan Sailing Ships.
BUSINESS OF Mr.. SEWALL
Talks of Building and Maintenance
Sending Out the Clippers.

BATH, Me.-WlthOuJ break Tor near
ly seventy-fve years has the SewaH
private signal, a white IS" on a blue
ground, nuttered from the maintop of
some of the stanchest, finest, swfftest
vessels in the American merchant ma
rine, carrying the Stars and Stripes
into every foreign port. From the
first ship, built entirely from American
material, cut on the banks of the Ken
nebec, to that now being built entirely
of American material from the mines
and FORCES of Pennsylvania, the Sc
walls have been pioneers in ship build
ing and shipping masters.
Arthur tSewa.I, the present head of
the yard and of the family, is best
known to the American public as the
recent candidate with Mr.. Bryan on
the Democratic Presidential ticket. but
80 every person who has given the
American marine the least attention
he is known as the leading shfpring
merchant and ship builder of New
England.
AS has been shown by his political
course Mr. Sewall is in all things a
radical, but more successfully so in
shipping than in politics. When he
began building the great wooden ships
winch are largest of their class and
the pride of the American marine
the Rappahannock, the Shenandoah
the Susquehanna and the Roanoke
he was laughed at, and his bankruptcv
was predicted, yet it is a fact that
these ships have been the only ones
that have paid we'll during the recent
depression in frieghts. The Rappahan-
mock was burned as the result of spOn-
taneous combustion in its cargo. but
the other three have been steady
money winners.
Again Mr.. Sewall was laughed at
and considered all but insane when he
announced his intention of building a
steel sailing ship at Bath But the
Dlr1go, of 1856 tons burden. which was
launched in the spring of 1894, has
proved his wisdom. Although built on
the 'kennebec by American workmen.
the Dlrlgo contains considerable for
elgn material, her angle irons. plates.
n
ported from the Clyde under the act
of Congress admitting them duty free.
But this dissatisfied MIR. SewalI. and
ne obtained estimates from the Carne-
gle and other steel works. with such
results that he says today:
1--WE can put down material for steel
ships cheaper on the Kennebec after
three years experience than the ia
NOUS Scotch builders can on the Clyde
after thirty We have today the cheap |
est steel in the world Last year we
produced almost as much steel as |
Great Britain, and l believe that be-
fore this year has closed we shall have
become the first steel producing coun- |
try in the world. This is the result
of the Government encouraging the |
steel industry, and I believe the same
results can be produced in our mer-
chant marine by pursuing the same |
policy
L have one ship on the ways now.
almost framed in, which will be built
AfoIh DOW TO stern from American steel |
PUT toSether by American workmen |
unuer Ine American flag, and within a
very short time Will begin Wort, on
another and larger ship. Neitber has
Deen named yet. The one now in tho
yard Is practically a duplicate of the
DlrlSO, except that her lines have bea1
iidue little finer, especially in that
she Is. sharper aft. She will he aho,,t
uHree thousand tons, and much faster
IMAM the D1rfgo. The one which win
De quilt soon viii be about twenty fent
longer and on similar lines. and with
a carrying capacity Of over five thou
sand tons. Both of these ships viii he
sailing vessels"
a.-T-1.
Ihen you do not believe that tho
DAY Tor sailing ships has p9ssod -aS
seems TO be the opinion of the Enc
lish?'' liiS
AS long as the wind blows and tho
trees grow there will be sailing ships
ouut and business to keep them busy.
Ihere Will always be a chance for
them 10 compete against steam in traf-
hc where time is not a factor, or where
delay is actually a good thing For in
stance there is the wheat crop. In July
or August it begins to be ready for de-
livery, and in a short time the whole
years supply is ready for shipment.
But the consumption of crop stretches
over the whole year Shipping wheat
IN sailing vessels consumes several
months time which would otherwise
require the storing of the wheat. Sail
ing Ireights are actually less than
steam freights plus storage charges.
So, you see, here is business which
sailing ships can hold. Then. again.
take railroad materials, especially
rails, which are manufactured faster
than they can be used. and where the
delay of sails over steam is better than
storage.
''Of course, as in all business. it is
a case of the survival of the f1ttest.
and as smaller ships are relatively
more expensive than large ones. small
ships cannot make money. and Will
have to make way for large ones. For
instance, the only ships of our firm
which have paid Of Late have been the