The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-06-30
sHIPBuII.DING BOOM IN MAINE.

The Development OF the Schooner Rig
The prosperity boom has struck
Maine shipbuilding with a gratifying
force. The river front at Bath Is lined
with vessels In various stages of COM
| pletion, and down along the shore-at
| Waldoboro. Thomaston, Rockland and
Camden-huge skeletons OF the stocks
are rapidly assuming definite outline
and proportion. Not only is the number
| large although, sad to acknowledge, 1t
does not begin to compare with the out
put during the halcyon days Of Ameri-
can shipbuildng), but Maine never
turned out finer lot Of vessels than
those launched within the past year
And present indications, judging from
the outlines of the vessels now on the
stocks, give promise Of even better per-
Torrance.
There seems to be a revival in Ameri-
can shipbuilding, in spite Of the absence
Of any shipping subsidy. AS a matter
OF fact, the average Bath shipbuilder or
ship master is opposed to the Hanna
Payne subsidy bill, and does not fear
foreign competition. The local ship
masters point out that one steamship
line would probably get ninety per cent.
of the entire subsidy, and the Great
body of ship owners would get practi-
cally nothing. More than that they ex-
press the fear Of possible scandal in
the division and apportionment of any
such subsidy.
1t Is interesting to note, during a tour
OF the ship-yards that the great Amer
lean idea-the schooner rig-far from
being pushed aside, fate some Of it's
critics have often predicted, is under
going process OF steady Development
1t is not only the favorite build for
small vessels, but 1t Is being successful
ly applied to the very large type of
wooden vessels. IT has already practi-
cally OUTRAGED Its great rival of a few
years ago-the coal barge-in one par
ticular line OF service
For several years the coal companies,
or rather the railroads controlling these
coal companies, have been hugging the
idea that the barge, under tow OF a
steam tug, was more economical We
hicle than the schooner for the trans
portation of coal from Pennsylvania,
Maryland or Virginia ports. Develop
ing that idea, they built hundreds of
these barges and entered into competi-
ton with the schooners The race was
a warm one, but the schooner has al
ready won, and it's superiority as coal
transport, from an economical stand
point Is admitted by such concerns as
the Chesapeake and Ohio and PennsyI-
vania railroads. which have practically
gone out of the business of building
barges for carrying coal, and will prob
ably drop back to the old system of
chartering schooners for that purpose.
The activity in Bath is not confined to
the construction of merchant vessels.
AT the Bath iron works more than three |
million dollars worth of work for the !
United States navy Is approaching COM
pletion. The most important piece Of |
work under way there is the constitute !
ton of the new cruiser Cleveland, called |
after the city of that name, whose keel !
Is now being laid The Cleveland will !
be the largest piece a government work
ever turned out Of the yard of the Bath
ron works. She will be two hundred |
and ninety-two feet long below the wa /
ter-line, forty-four feet beam, fifteen
FEET nine inches draft, and thirty-two
NSA'S NiSpAe.SSiilSlit. oIhe Win
rave twin screw, triple-expansion en-
sines, with an indicated horsepower of
orty-five hundred
All along the coast shipbuilding has
AIKEN a new lease of life, and this lease
ooks favorable for term of years.
rhe ship masters say all the subsidy
hey want is the maintenance of the
resent law requiring the coasting trade
n American bottoms; with that they
tand ready to hold their own. OF
curse there are some opposing opinions,
UGH as those~of the Hydes at the iron |
works. and Arthur Sewall, but the great |
ody of shtpbuilders, headed by William {
rogers, stanch republican, oppose it, t