The Savannah morning news., 1904-05-01
American Built Ships
Famous in Eastern War
Russ and Jap Contend in Men-O'-War Built on
the "CIyde of America"

I of such swift sailing qualities that they
! were rapidly snatched up for use in
| war times. Many of these ships be-
| came world famous for their careers
as commerce destroyers and not least
for the victories won. Thara was
never any hesitancy on the part Of the
sturdy American sailors to engage any
sort of a craft they might fall in with.
The victories won by small ships over
some of the huge crack ships of the
British navy gained the American navy
imperishable renown and carried dis
may and CONSERVATION to the Nations
enemies.
Ships for Europe.
After the second treaty of peace
with Great Britain there was a great
business depression in the United
States The home demand for ships
was so small that the shpbuilders
sought market abroad and managed
to secure many orders from foreign
merchants. Notably there was sold TO
the British East Indies Company two
ships of 1.50O and 1.s4O TONS respec-
lively, and a line-of-battle ship was
built for Emperor Nicholas OF Russia.
So successful were the Philadelphia
builders in their quest in the foreign
markets that the shipbuilding industries
of Great Britain suffered to such an
extent that Parliament was forced to
enact laws debarring any but British
ships to carry British trade. The Phil
adelphia- built ship, however, had come
to stay and so long as towering masts
and swelling canvas" formed the means
of propulsion the clippers from the Del
aware yards were found under every
flag But the day of the "Windjam-
mer' was passing. Fttch's crude eff
fort in the preceding century was bear
ing fruit. The paddle wheel, and later
the screw propeller, was coming to the
fore, and what had once been stately
ships were to become relegated to mere
hulks to be tied by a hawser to the
stern OF a fussy little tug and towed
hither and thithsr. 1t is a very rare
sight to-day to meet a square rigger
on the sea, and the writer was for
tunate in securing the accompanying
photograph of one of the few remain
ing sailing ships. as she was trying to
beat her way into the Delaware Break
water very recently against a head sea
and wind.
Mighty Fighting Machines.
With the coming of steam as
means of propulsion the Philadelphia
builders at once prepared to meet the
new conditions. and their plans were
changed accordingly. 1t was but
step from the steam engine in the
wooden hull to the steam engine in the
iron, and later the steel, hull, and to-
day the Delaware yards are turning
out great fabrics of steel, some of them
the most ponderous and mighty fight
ing machines in the world, others the
most luxurious yachts, for our mil
lionaires, and others again monster
liners to ply across the waters of the
great oceans.
In warships alone the list built in
Philadelphia waters for the United
States government comprises the ma
jority OF the modern style of craft.
When the government at last awoke
to the needs of a modern navy the
Delaware river shipbuilders were ready
to take the contracts. and their sue
cess is attested by the following list
of modern ships now in commission:
First-class NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., In
diana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts.
Armored Cruisers-Brooklyn. New
York
Double Turret Monitors-Amphitrite
Miantonomah, Puritan. Terror.
Protected Cruisers-Atlanta, Balti-
more, Boston, Chicago. Denver, New
ark, Philadelphia and the famous triple
screw commerce destroyers Columbia
and Minneapolis.
Gunboats Bennington, Concord,
Yorktown. Princeton. Vesuvius.
torpedo Boat stroyers-Bainbridge
Barry, Chauncey, Hopkins, Hull.
Torpedo Observation-Disclosures. String
ham.
Auxiliary Cruisers-Panther, Prairie.
Converted Yachts-Gloucester Doro-
thea, Aileen, Eagle. Elfrida, Hist, Hor-
net, Restless, Stranger Sylph, Wasp.
There are now building in Delaware
river shipyards the battleship Kansas:
armored cruisers Colorado. Pennsylva-
MIA, Tennessee and Washington, and
the protected cruiser st. Louis.
For foreign governments-Russi had
built four small cruisers some few
years ago, and in recent years there
was delivered to her the Inflated
cruiser Variag and the battleship Ret
vizan, and there is now en- route TO
Turkey the handsome cruiser Me1jdia,
built for the Sultan. while the cruiser
Kasagi, built for Japan, is winning re :
nown in the conflicts in Eastern wa
tiers