The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1900-10-11
CHANGES IN SHIP BUILDING.
Successive Steps of the Craft as Shown bv
the Models in the Sewall Plant.

Successive Steps of the Craft as Shown by
the Models in the sewan Plant.
BATH, Me-, Sept. 20. Few shipbuild-
ing firms in the United States possess
so large or valuable a collection of
models as that which ornaments the
walls of the office of Arthur Sewal &
Co. in this city. These models serve as
an object lesson, showing as they do
, the many changes which the styles in
vessels have undergone in the last
seventy-five years. In the early years
| OF the century we find that the vessels
We're comparatively small, with round,
| full bows, heavy quarters and full run.
| were dull sailers, and though safe We're
uncomfortable sea boats Up to about
1887 they had flush decks, the cabin and
| crews quarters being under the deck.
The galley, or ''cookhouse," as it was
then called, was a six-by-six box dashed
| abaft the foremost.
About that time our shipbuilders
adopted the top-gallant forecastle,
which was soon followed by the deck
house. a square structure built on the
open deck near the stern of the ship,
covering the gangway leading to the
cabin and used as dining room for the
captain and officers during fine weather.
The vessels in the coasting and Cuba
trade ranged from 20 to 100 tons burden.
They were single deck with high poop,
under which were quarters for the Off
GERS and crew. They were large carri-
ers for their tonnage and were excellent
sea boats, but very dull sailers.
The first improvement noticed in ma
rlne architecture was in the fishing fleet
The square stern was adopted, the bows
were built on sharper lines and the
breadth OF beam was increased, making
them better boats and SWifter Sailers.
Then the coasting trade began to feel
the need of a better class of vessels
The high poop deck became thing of
the past and a half deck (so-called) of
lighter construction than the other
parts was built over the main deck, from
the stern to the mainmast, and sur
rounded by a light but strong open rail-
Eventually these light decks were ex-
tended to the top gallant forecastle, thus
making the vessel practically double
decked
These improvements had the effect to
spur up the inventive genius Of the ship
builders and naval architects, and it
/ soon became apparent in the many new
departures from the old existing types,
| in the improved models and greater tom
mage. The shipbuilders rapidly increas-
ed the tonnage Of their ships built for
the foreign trade. In 1871 the Kappa
hammock registering 900 tons was built
by the SeWalls and was the wonder of
the world, as being up to that time the
largest ship ever built for the merchant
service. She was another departure
| from previous models. Her cabins were
built on the upper deck and were lofty
and spacious and were fitted up i'll a
style previously unknown. She was
what was then known as 'frigate built"
a round bilge, tumble-in topsides and
very wide double channels.
! During the 4O's the ships built We're
considered models of strength and
| beauty. Their large poop cabins We're
fitted up with an elegance and a view
to comfort never before attempted on a
sailing ship. Their gracefully haring
! bow. their true sheer and light counter
We're distinctly American. But they
We're built expressly for capacity, not
speed. and it remained for the exciting
news OF the discovery Of gold in Cali
fornla to stimulate the genius of our
naval architects and the result was the
American clipper of the sos, one of
which, the Flying Cloud made the pas
sage from New York to San Francisco
i'll eighty-two days, and her time has
never been beaten. But these magnit-
cent ships soon proved to be not exact
ly what was wanted, and at once our
shipbuilders turned out the medium
clipper, ship combining the qualities
OF large carrying capacity with speed,
safety and comfort These clippers
were very sharp at the bow and some of
them were so much 50 that every plank
was put on without once resorting to
steaming.
The coming of steam vessels into the
foreign trade drove the builders into
continually increasing the carrying
capacity of their ships, and the sharp
lines had to give place to more round
ing ones which, While they tended to
decrease the speed, materially increas-
ed their capacity, and to-day we see still
another change, that Of building ships
| OF steel instead of wood