The daily morning Alaskan., 1901-12-05
SHIPS NOT WANTED

Puget sound papers announce that wooden ship win be launched Lt Bal lard. cccmber is. and that the builder has a contract for four others ot sin- liar type. In the prcsent era oi high frclghts and plenty of business an elasses of ocean frcighters are profitable. but 1 has been nearly a decade since ny Amer lean ship owner on either coast has built a wooden ship. although the iects of Iron and steel carrcrs have incrcassd meanwhile uore rapidly than ever hcfose The American wooden ship reached per lection in the magnificent Rappah1 .'ck. susquchanna. shenandoah and Roanoke. which wcrc completed by the late Arthur S.w,u in ths early s's. No finer or faster sailing craft wcre ever constructed cf wood. hut thc matcrii used wns a'''nst them. and thcy never sccurcd ergo in comnetition with metal ships eNcept at a dinercntial which amounted Co from hundreds Co thousands of dollars nn single trip.
 Az matter of business. Mir. SewGu was quick Co see that in orier to kecp the Scwcu house flag in a prominent place on the high seas n would De
  same weapons used by his competitors, Al the time the vessels mentioned were under construction. Mr. Sewa1 had strong hopes of Government aid which would make up the difrcrertih latd against hts shins on account ot uhclr not meeting the requirements of the tradr. Ills failurc Co secure this aid settled the fate of wooden shipbuilding. and the Roanoke is undoubtedly the last wooden shin that win ever he built on tho At lantic coast. Being unable Co secure Government au which would enable him Co continue In business with an obsolete type of vessel the premier of Amcrican shipbullders promptly laid the ke"i the Dirigo. the arSt steel sailing vessel ever built in America. The Dirigo went Into the foryign trade ln competition viih the nccts Of the world and. wherever she sailed her owner received the b'st rates paid any ship. merchants giving her the same preference and premium over the wooden ships of the Scwali feet that they formerly conceded 70 metal ships of other nations. The Dirigo was folloSed up by the Edward Sewail. Arthur Sew,ll md other metal ships. an of which hsvs been noney-nakers without the aid of . sub sidy.
 The wooden ships now building at s. attlc may render fair service In the coast ing trade or for short foreign voyages with lumber when the metal ships nre an busy in other lines or the modcru lumber schooners arc not obtainable. hut they win never be much Of a factor in the marine business of the Pacific coast. and the American fag win not bs much the calner by their construction. The oix four-masted schconcrs recently built at Port Biakcley. Gray's Harbor anl Coos Ray will carry larger eargoes and can be operated at less expense than the square rirrcrs. and win rctirc the latter from the business in periods of dcpression when the law of survival Of the Attest comes Into play Belng thus excluded from pro- tectcd trade by vessels of their own lag. the wooden ship must seek foreiga bUsi' ness In competition with the metal ships. and here. Of course. failure is certain.
 As a pretcxt on which to make plea for Government aid. the wooden ship may he useful. but as a factor In the world's commerce her day Is ended. A. NJ. Sinip- son and others who built wooden ships In Oregon and Washington made thls dis covery nearly twenty years ago. and Eastern shipbuiiders about decade ago U iz hardly probable that the experience of the Ballard builders will be materially dinercnt from that of their predecessors.