Smyrna times., 1908-07-15
SHIPBUILOING IN SMYRNA
IN THE EARLY SEVENTIES
JAMES B. SCOTT, A FORMER
SMYRNIAN, GROWS REMINISCENT
ellis OF the Boat Industry and Other
Things that Made, or Might Have
Made, a Progressive Town.

80 U'ot "due, OF MlSnt FldVe
Made, Progressive Town.
Wilmington, July Alt has
now been a long, very long time,
since the writer talked through
the Times to it's readers. During the
interval and through an itinerary COW
ering large part of the United States
from the sOmbre shades of the Florida
Everglades to North where the splen-
dors of the aurora CLEAN over the
desolation of the Arctic wastes, time,
the gentle arbiter of all things serves
frequently to bring one into a reminis-
cent mood. And so to call up pretty
Belmont with its beauty of rose
hedges and the quiet, restful environ
ment that in the quaint architecture
brings to mind colonial days. You
may travel far and near and not see
its equal. A few years ago Mr.. L.
Irving Handy in a speech before the
Wilmington Board of Trade, in re-
spending to the toast of "Our Sister
Board of Trades, entirely omitted
making any mention OF Smyrna, and
yet from a period extending from
1867 to 1880 there was built at
Smyrna Landing in all 19 vessels.
ranging in tonnage from so to 600 tons
and bringing into Smyrna upwards of
quarter million of dollars in con-
struction money and during the period
named exceeding the output of Will
mington for the same industry. The
ships were built almost entirely
of Delaware oak, a timber take, it all
In all, that has not its equal in the
world and sad to say is disappearing
so fast as to be reckoned among the
precious woods of the mahogany and
satin wood class. This need not
have been if the state or Government
had in time, enacted preventive forest
alton laws and called a halt to the
wanton cutting of young timber for
railroad ties and such like uses. Be-
sides that, the defOrestation of these
magnificent belts of timber have no
doubt brought about climatic changes
that the precarious peach growing in
terest is now paying the penalty.
Ship Building at Smyrna Landing.
But in the days when we wrought
at ship-building at Smyrna Landing
we were handicapped with insufficient
water over the shoals in the creek.
We rarely could get over 81 feet when
we were building vessels that drew
Z feet, and one ship in particular
the Big OdOrilla, cost 81, 500 to get
her out of the creek. Now l under
stand the worst shoals are cut off and
minimum depth of z feet is to be
had at low water clear from the and
ing to the mouth. Many a time I
have been compelled to model vessels
to suit the creek, when, in the words
of Russell Lowell, they should have
been fit to defy 'The lightning and
the gale, " in their sea-going
qualities. But still we built on the
Landing some vessels of remarkable
speed and one, the Schooner
Harriet S. Brooks" that made
the run from Boston to PHILADELPHIA
in 48 hours, record that has not
been equaled by sailing vessel since
then. If, then, the water con-
ditions of the '7O's were as good as
now, contracts of 1,5OO and 2, 900 ton
ships could have been taken and
fioated away and in fact at that time
were offered but could not be taken,
and so in the going down of the
ship-building industry Smyrna
succeeded in losing a valuable
medium i'll outside (other
people's) money.
in Size of Smyrna's Standpipe
Now as to another prominent factor |
in Smyrna's past that would like |
to recall, the mistake in the water |
tower. If / understand correctly the |
town has gone to and maintains at a
heavy expense an electric equipment |
in addition to the water service. |
1t has been demonstrated at Niagara
Falls that by the use of turbines and
a sufficient altitude there can be
generated an ample storage of !
to supply manufacturers
miles away with the fluid. If then,
Smyrna's water tower had been built
l5O feet high with offsets for eight |
DR. more pen-stocks at the top,
operating as many turbines at the base
more than enough electricity could
not only have been generated for light
ng and manufacturing purposes, but
dso~run every sewing machine and
e fopd-up wash tub and cradle in town
etectisll the corn and thresh the wheat
, negr9dly stretch btside of it.
g Virginia, with the Ammonia that