The sun., 1899-01-26
OUR FLAG ON THE OCEAN!
WE ARE ON THE EYE or 4 NEW ERA
IN sHIPBUILDIN0.

Expectations Thnt Our Next Great National
Development VIII he Along This Line
We Are Below other Nations in the
Cost of Raw and Finished Material
only the Cost of Labor Exceeds That Of
Foreign Countries-Our Exports of steel
for Foreign ships-Present Condition of
our Yards-Our Former Prosperity in
This Industry-spanish War May Revive
what the Civil War Nearly Killed
England Sees What Ia Coming-wnl
Congress Help Hinder tho Work {?
sixty million dollars worth Of shps now
building in our shipyards. our products TO tho
value ~ billion and n quarter going abroad
annually. new markets opening in the West
Indies. Hawaii and the Far East our steel pro-
ducton leading tho world. millions OF capital
scpkInG investment-no wonder tho shipown-
ers the shipDuilders and the steelmakers say
We are entering upon great era OF American
shiphuildinG. Once EnRland's peer ga a build
or Of wooden sailing ships. this country is
now on the way TO become her peer as a steel
s,eamship builder Early In the twentieth
century America will probably regain her old
position In the ocean carrying trade. :and as
the decline Of our shipping dates from the
civil war 80 will tho rise Of our ship piping date
from the Spanish war.
the period OF our wonderful growth as a mari
time nation, we increased our tonnage for for
eign trade twice MS fast as England. and alb
sorbed three-ffths OF tho direct carrying
trade between England and this country
From our great seaboard forests in Maine we
built better sailing ships for S55 ton than
England could build for 800. The war drove
our merchant marine from the seas and capt
tai sought other channels. When we had re-
frNn tha ynr inO
ship had been replaced by the iron steamship.
md England. with the aid OF her great coal
and iron mines. had gained full control OF the
ocean carrying trade. Our mines were unde-
veloped. and we could not compete with Eng
land In ship construction The British Gov
ernment spent ten millions developing the
Clyde as a shipbuildDg river so as to bring
mines mills and shipyards together. and gave
steamship lines millions a year for carrying
the mails.
One day last month the steamship Catania.
flying the American flag. sailed up the Clyde.
carrying 1000 tons OF American shin plates.
which she shipped at Norfolk. Va. A cargo OF
American steel in an American bottom on the
Clyde was not dreamed OF a'few years ago. but
now we can mine our iron up on Lake Michi-
gan make 1t into ship steel down In Pittsburg,
ship it 1900 miles away to the Clyde and there
sell it several dollars ton cheaper than the
.
supplies OF iron ore and coke are growing
smaller and she has to buy abroad: but in the
United States. which lead the world In pig iron
production. with an annual output OF IL, ,00O,-
600 tons. the mines are only partly developed.
Our raw materials grow more abundant and
cheaper every year. and while our workmen
get high wages we are constantly decreasing
the cost Of manufacture.
BRITISH sHIPBUILDERs ORDER STEEL HERE.
Orders from British shipbuilders for hun
dreds Of thousands of tons OF ship steel have
been received by American steel makers In
the past half year Harland & Wolff. the
Belfast builders gave this Illinois Steel Com
pany an order for 100000 tons In the fall. The
Carnegie Company Is making heavy shipments
to the Clyde, while The exports from the
Birmingham district are increasing rapidly.
Nothing has done so much to call popular at
tenton to the American shiDbuildng ques-
ton as these shipments OF American plates to
British builders. Along with the ship plates
we are sending machinery and tools to the for
eign shlpbuilders. for they have found that we
make better and cheaper machinery and tools |
for use in shipyards than do their own manu-
facturers. Our toolmakers are loaded down |
with foreign orders. What with American
machinery and tools shaping American steel |
into British ships. IL is not strange that there |
IA fear IN England OF boom in shipbuilding |
over here.
But we cannot yet build steel ships as cheap
ly as they do on the Clyde. For one thing, we |
pay our workmen much better wages. and as |
tho chief cost OF ship is in the labor. the mat
ter OF wages Is very important in determining |
4 ships cost When the Pacific Mail Steam |
ship Company built the China bids were in |
vited from American builders. Tho lowest |
American bid was S16S.0O0 above that of the |
Scottish firm which received the order for her. |
The American line has lust given orders for |
ak new ships TO British builders-four passen- |
ger steamers to be built by the Clydebank En- |
gineeriug Company. and two cargo steamers |
to be built at r. & W. Hawthorn. Leslie & |
Company's yard Newcastle Tyne. The |
American line sacrificed $50 900 a year for The |
flag when British yistry was abandoned.
but the company is not ready to build all its
ships on this side OF the Atlantic when 1t can
save many thousands of dollars by going
abroad. The cost OF steel ships in the United
States varies from to 40 per cent. above the
cost In England-the finer the ship the less the |
difference. Tramp steamers built in
large numbers very cheaply on the Clvde. and
the American tramp Is almost unknown.
English engineers who have made study OF
the question agree with our American build
ers that very soon with our cheaper raw ma
terials and cheaper and better machinery
without reducing the wages Of tho men in the
yards. We will build steel steamships as cheap
ly as the English. When that day comes Eng
land must take second place In shipbuilding
Some of the great English builders already
see that for them 1t is fight for existence.
and at least one firm has taken tho bull by the
horns by sending its experts over to look
through our shpyards and learn where they
may buy or build yard. This is the Vickers-
Maxim Company whose yard is at Barrow. and
It's represen ntatives here are its managing di'
rector and three technical experts.
SOUTH TO PROFIT BY THE INDUSTRY.
New yards are bound to spring up along the
Atlantic and Gulf coasts within three years.
and the old yards will have their capacity
greatly increased. Already two new yards
have begun work In the South since the war.
The opinion is very general just now that the
South is to be great shipbuilding centre.
The Alabama Iron and coal mines are oper-
ated at very low cost and Alabama iron Is