The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-26

Tho once famous shipyard operated
and owned by the late John Roach s
Son at Chester, Pa. was sold to liqui-
date It's Indebtedness OF 100000 inset
Ting the estate. After Mr.. Roach:
death. In 1887. the yard was operated
| by his son, John B. Roacli who died
two years ago.
After the death OF John Roach. sr.
his executors, George e. Weed and
George wv 0uintard, saved hand
some fortune for tho Roach heirs
Writes Captain George L. Norton In
the Marine Journal
New Navy Isegun.
Here were the beginning OF the now
navy, tho pioneer ship being the un-
Iarmored protected cruiser Atlanta,
With n speed OF 1850 knots an hour,
built at a cost of ;e1T.0oo. The At
.lan,a was finally ordered out OF COM
mission December 81, 1901.
With the Atlanta were built, as the
nucleus of the modern steel navy, the
cruisers Chicago and Boston and the
gunboat now the dispatch boat,
Dolphin. IT was Secretary OF the
Navy William II. Chandler, who laid
the foundation of the great white
Squadron g
After Grover Cleveland became
PRESIDENT. Secretary OF the Navy VIII
liam c. Whitney found thar John
Roach was making bad Job OF the
four vessels. The author Of tho rn.
View OF the Ronch yard in the Marine
Journal says: Political chlcanery that
followed before their completion do
iayed their acceptance by the govern
ment, thereby causing the failure OF
Mr. Roach. and eventually his prema-
ttire death. rs
L
Many Changes Necessary.
oilcial reports on file In the Navy
department show that in the Atlanta
atone, when Mr.. Whitney took of1ice.
were necessary 1853 different structural
changes and repairs. In addition to-
enese were eighty-three necessary re-
pairs and additions to her machinery.
All of these 24s changes and additions
had to be made before the shin was
servtceable and finally accepted.
In justice TO Mr.. Roach. II had "a |
pc stated that some OF the items be-
purely to equipment did notI
ONE under his contract, but all work |
lone on the hull and machinery neces-
'ary to make the Atlanta an operative. |
'eagoing vessel. did come under the
BY half the country Mr.. Roach was
ooked upon as Il martyr. and by the
'ther half as having begun badly a fob
hat navy experts. under Mr.. whitncy.s
Erection, had to make the best Of and
whose defects they had to correctly
These defects appeared in the case Of I
he Atlanta July 10. 1886, when she
vas put into commission as an appar-5|
'ntly seaworthy boat.
Builder OF Many Ships.
When John Roach died two thirds OF
he fine iron steamships in the coast
wise trade and several ships on the
Pacific, running to China and Australia.
lad bon turned out by the pioneer in
METAL craft. The product Of his yard
included the entire Mallory, Ward. Sa-
,annah, Old Dominion and Pacific Mail
leets an American line running to
srazil. other merchant fleets and many
Individual steamers
The last ships turned out by tho ward
which is to pass out of existence, butt
.ot from memory, We're the Savannah
lners City Of Savannah. City OF Mem
his, City Of Macon and City OF Colum- L
us, the American Hawaiian liners
american Hawaiian and .Oregonian and
he hulls OF the turbine coast steamers.
altered by Charles w. Morse, the Yale
nd Harvard.