The Savannah morning news., 1904-05-01

" every dispatch from the theater OF
war in the Far East there is a renin-
der that the United States has hand
in the contest, not as a belligerent, but
as a provider of weapons of warfare in
the shape of battleships and cruisers.
Retvizan Variag and Kasagi are
names of vessels which have occupied
the center of the stage in the tragedy
now being played by Russ and Jap,
and each of those three ships were
constructed in the United States, built
from keelson TO truck. armed and
equipped and first breasted the water
in the Delaware river. the Clyde OF
America.
Genesis of Our Merchant Marine.
From the time of it's earliest settle
ment Philadelphia, and its immediate
environs on the Delaware, has been
noted for shin building.
Comparable to the ships of to-day the
genesis OF our merchant marine was
truly insignificant. OF the three cara
wells which formed the fleet of that
intrepid discoverer, Christopher Column
bus, two were open vessels, that is,
they were not decked over. The May
flower. in which the Puritan Fathers
made their voyage to what was to be
the Land of Liberty for them, was on
ly of 1870 tons measurement, and the
Welcome, which bore Gov. Penn and
his followers to the banks of the Della
ware, was but trile larger. 1t is
difacult to believe that men made such
voyages in such cookie shells of craft
when one looks at the mighty modern
creation OF the marine architect. The
ships in which the commerce of the
world was carried in those early days
could be laid alongside a modern ocean
greyhound, couple Of boat falls hook
ed on and they could be whisked up to
the davit heads, swung inboard and
carried comfortably on deck.
Hundreds of small craft were built
upon the Delaware river in the years
which interviewed between the settle
ment and the Revolt of the Colonies.
An old record shows that from 1929
TO 1740 there were 272 vessels built in
Philadelphia, but only nineteen of that
number exceeded 100 tons in capacity.
There was a very gradual increase IN
size as time wore on. but a ship OF
300 tons was considered a monster.
For Revolutionary Wnr.
When hostilities began between the
colonies and the mother country, de-
cided impetus was given shipbuilding.
The primitive yards were worked to
their capacity to give the budding ma
ton such wooden walls" as the times
permitted. The continental congress
strained every effort to create a fleet
and by dint of great exertion gathered
some eight vessels, some of which were
hurriedly constructed and others mer-
chantmen converted into men-o'-war.
That was the beginning of the great
navy of the United States. 1t was
then called the continental navy and
was placed in commission in January,
1875, by Commodore Esek Hopkins. who
had been called from Rhode Island by
the Congress to assume command. 1t
was a momentous day in the history
of what has now become a great ma
ton when Commodore Hopkins. as
commander-in-chi of the continental
navy. was rowed from the shore to the
flagship Alfred, anchored with its con-
sorts in the middle OF the river. The
ANAL boat bearing the commodore had
to buffet its way through the floating
ice, but there were broad backs bend
ing at the oars and stout hearts cheer
ing their owners to the work. AS the
commodore stepped aboard the Alfred.
Capt. Saltonstall gave a signal and a
trim lieutenant pulled the ballard
which flung to the breeze that famous
ensign, described in writings of those
times: "A yellow silk flag, bearing up
on 1t a lively representation of a rat
tlesnake, and the motto Don't Tread
On Me-" That lieutenant bore a name
which shortly afterwards became one
OF the most noted and famous in the
world--John Paul Jones.
Returned to Merchant Ships.
With the close of hostilities between
the United States and Great Britain
the ship building industries on the Del
aware experienced a boom. In nine
years l62 ships were launched, with an
aggregate of $4,000 tons, but they
were small, some reaching 800 tons
and one, frigate, the Alliance, built
for the King of France, measured 1872
tons. Beginning with 1890 the in
crease in Delaware river ship construc-
ton was very rapid. 1t was during this
period that the Delaware built ships
began to take on a style peculiarly
their own. Their symmetry of hull,
the cutting off of the old high poop,
fning the lines and rounding the stern,
gave them a trim appearance which
was had by the ships of no other ma
ton. The Philadelphia Clipper was
then beginning to have a vogue, and
when in May. 1907, the Philadelphia
built Ship Rebecca Sims, sailed from
accomplished the distance in fourteen
days, the fame OF the Philadelphia clip
per became world wide and permanent.
In all the intervening years that record
had never been equalled by a sailing
vessel, and ii has not been so many
years ago when such a passage was
considered a record for steam craft OF
the first class.
First American Steamboat.
Not only was Philadelphia pre-emi.
nent for its sailing ships. but it also
has the honor of producing the frs
American steamboat. This craft wa,
built for John Fitch in 1890 and mad,
several tri2s between Philadelphia and
Trenton. The boat was called tn,
Perseverance" and a traveller wrote
1T is a pleasanter vehicle than tn,
mail coach, because of it's freedom from
Jolt and jar. but it is not so expedi
tious."
The second war with Great Britain
provided more work for the ship yards
The United States had established
its first Navy Yard in Philadelphia il
1901, and from ii many famous ship
were launched. The private yard
built briggs. schooners, barks and ship