New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1901-11-03
SEVEN MASTED SCHOONER
NJ THE LARGEST SAILING SHIP
.ucAT-BUILDING AT FORE RIVER
YARD-GRowTH OF STEEL
SHIPBUILDING.

SHIPBU1LD1NG.
Nv . (Specian-Months before he
led Of being a candidate for the vice-Presf-
- n, the Democratic ticket the late Arthur
sr If Maine. fold Tribune correspondent that
TO as the winds blow and the trees grow
q v-ould be business for the sailing ship. since
~ hl,lk freight Of imperishable character. in
-, sine OF delivery not important fac
" ne steamship could never compete He fur
" e-ared-arG thus submitted himself 10 the crit
- n his brethren in the Democratic party
=. unless = free ship bill should kill the industry
u cool and iron have become so cheap in cost
- -ood IN quality that il leaves the British
=, -. advantage of lower cost for labor, but. as
labor is superior and our system of building
- - W. are allowed to build tonnage nVe
ors longer We will build as cheap as on 'le
Clyde :. build
IL. Dir,Eo the first steel full rugged ship con-
,c+e7 in this country, had shown him that the
.-fca- steel mills could produce the plates ana
is cheaper than their English competitors
-t5s was an especially interesting point because
-se- a then recent act Mr. Sewail had imported
- framework for his ship duty free from the
other side
81 sewau was scoffed at. and his enterprise in
L~5nq he se1enty-year-old Sewan yard from
--ing in wood 10 working in steel was called
s..,.ardv. and mere temporary expedient; but
;-ne has INDICATED what he himself used TO cal!
..- .r7eruhlicsnism in shipping matters
NJ seV-sIrs one error in the point of time
~ 10 dj7 not reckon the disturbance 10 business
Ateh followed the opening OF the free SILVER cam
IT, Vet already from his yard in Bath have
zone forth number OF staEch steer cFaLl sUO
= -bs Astral the Arthur Sewan and the Nll!lam
= re and today his son is building the Atlas
- :, = not only in Bath that steel ships are
+rr6ing. New steel blilding yards have sprung up
s1o,r The Delaware. in TIE waters OF New ! CT n
1sa-bo- and in cases on the Ne"-fhsiaLu
r.sy The first Of these latter is James j HilI
-5 near New-London. where the big frelghters
= b.i-q ol,i1t for the Great Northern Railroad.
-. a. Fore River IN Boston Harbor new
,.--lesfip yard has sprung into being Within HUE
-nnre than a calendar year
A. the Fore River yard g vessel constructed en-
.,reIv OF steel is now being built, which Is strlA
,,r confirmation Of Mr.. SewalFs prophecy-1he HTsl
-, -,asfe6 schooner, TO be the largest fore ana
after" and indeed, the largest sailing snip ahoat-
7, the face of that annihiatlon OF sa1Iins ciai'
hist was so freely predicted short time ago oie
+,c- that one of the first products Of our newest
md o-e Of our most modern yards is to be a san
&C Vessel has great significance, and the interest
mich naturally attaches TO her size Is not o1iir-
,shed when one learns thai in many ways she repre-
sents an entirely new type, deFeIolTleH' oti
American lines OF one or the Quest anu ~ e
nal American models
A. A. SevvaU said the fight for a profitable ex-
science among freight carriers has ntroduced-
larger tyne Of vessel for the fixed expenses OF such
a craft DO not increase in the same rato as tiie
size and so are relatively less than those OF d
smaller vessel so that she is able TO MAKE prom
on lower rate of freight than would De posslpie
u,s-e les. tonnage carried. Experience with the
ouly two six masters in the worio-the TWO pIs
wooden schooners built in 1900 the George W.
Wells in Camden, Ne. and the Eleanor "A feFc4'
9. Ratb-was such that it was recognized that
f,,t had been reached il the length OF "ooueh
resssle so that If schooners were 10 grow IL was
necessary TO begin in steel Hence the genesis VI
he new seven master, which VIII De 4o0 lee' ios
over all ana $50 feet from the tip OF her po"spIlt
10 the extreme end OF her afternost oooln-allioS'
ss long that is, as the two battleships the New
I,-- ana the Rhode Island. which are building on
,se same beach Bowdoin B. Crownlnshlelo' the
designer of Lawsons independence ana OF othef
nc,ee Srsft laid her lines. Captain j. u Cfe"ie!'
Of his city is at the head Of the syndicate winch
Will owr her. and his brother VINO mas coiliii
the Wells Will be her master .
But the new seven master is more than q rear
cation OF Nj Sewall's prophecy AS mas 1usl peei
sugrssreo she marks the climax OF the oe'eioP
rneut OF the most thoroughly American type o.
craft, the schooner The first Of this class OF yes
sels was built In Gloucester in the second decade
OF the eighteenth century. 4 hundred years lateF
or down 10 the War Of 1S2-schooners OF Ioo tons
still considered large. and no; until the tine ne
Of the Civil War did they run up 10 2oo ana SeJ
tons II was on the Great Lakes. however. where
ne Am5 a SR hao sr is5 t hay the
three masters were built in 1850: and twenty years
for al schooners running from 80 to so tons. IN
1856 or soon after the first four Eoasted schooner
was built and vessels CT schooner rig began 70
run I'D TO @l and 800 tons. For the lake tTafflc
rnere barges with uasJs. fore and aft rugged.
but using their sails simply 10 aid the JoWooat
were. properly speaking. the first five masters, al
though the schooner Governor Arnes built twelve
years ago al Waidoboro. Me, as an experiment
was the first genuine five unasted vessel ahoat-
the first that is, that kept the seas OF her own
power. TIE ATres however. remained the only
schooner OF her class until three years ago. when
he John B. Prescott, with capacity of 400 tons,
was built Camden, and her rival, the Nathaniel
Palmer, was launched at Bath.
While the seven master being built at Fore River
Is excellent object lesson-if any doubters are
et-of that america is constructing steel
sailing ships on practical scale. yet il must be re
mernbe7ed that far back as 1875 PhiladeIphians
built the iron light draught ship Codorus. In
Isl. also in Philadelphia. the experiment Of a
three -nasred iron centrebOard schooner was tried
The Josephine registering 365 tons, with a<9ength
the p-aterline OF I2s feet and beam Of 81 feet
as against q depth OF only Z feet. But she was
not a sufficient financial success TO warrant others
Of her class It in the same year, by the way
that another experiment was tried in the building
Of the William l. White. the first four rnasted
schooner. az Bath. registering 995 tons. with
length Of 2O5 feet all, beam Of 10 feet and
depth of hold Of i feet. She four master
by accident OF she originally designed for
three masts but 1t decided that they would be
thus presagtns the increase in the number of can
Ees carrying sticks.
BY no such chance is the Fore River craft TO
have seven masts. but in accordance with d
fully worked out scientifically planned design
IN the first place. she will carry much cargo
and sGso tons-whfie requiring only sixteen men:
tina. IS. although she carry