Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-22
DONE IN PHILADELPHIA

has been called free ships. Both these ques-
tions are uppermost in the minds Of the peo-
pie at the present time, and 1t is curious to
note that they occupied a somewhat similar
| position 40 years ago
Roach was an Irishman, who came to this
| country a boy early in che 30s, and first
| went to work in a foundry for rs cents
| day. In the course of his long career as a
ship and engine builder he failed four times,
and, had he survived, undoubtedly would
have successfully passed through his fourth
| failure to fortune again. He built four of
the warships which were known as the White
| Squadron, the beginnings Of our present mod
ern navy and 1t was due to his suggestion
and advice that the United States ventured
upon the development of its navy along mod
ern lines.
TT WAS this venture that finally caused
1.-the death Of John Roach. First he aston
ished the Naval Advisory Board by making
his bids, on four ships far below their esti-
mated cost. When the Dolphin was COM
pleted the new Secretary of the Navy.
William C. Whitney, would not accept it.
Although another board conducted strin-
gent test and also rejected the vessel Sec
retary Whitney changed his view. His action
came too late. Roach with so much of his
capital tied UP, stopped business for the
benefit of his creditors He declined in health
from that time, and two years later, or in
1887, he died. oken-hearted man.
Roach was responsible for large proper
tion of the iron steamship tonnage which
carried the American flag after the Civil
War. 1t is said that his yards built in all
ia ships Of the most modern type for their
day. He was naturally stern advocate for
the protection Of the ship industry in this
country, and one had only to mention Clyde
built ships to him to start him off on
TRADE.
TN RoACH's pamphlet which my friend
handed me, find an explanation of the dis
appearance of our flag from the merchant
marine Of the world when our Civil War
began" the shpbuilder states, I'VE had a
large commerce but small navy and the
latter, to protect national life, purchased
2l5,91s tons Of our best steam tonnage. The
War Department absorbed, by charter and
otherwise, 1891 tons more. OF the re-
mainder, to avoid war rates Of insurance or
destruction by Clyde-built cruisers under the
rebel flag, So1,311 tons sought refuge under
the flag Of England other European bunt-
ing, while SOS tons were actually destroyed
by the Alabama and other pirates.
'Of the ships of all sorts employed thus
commercial value though resold at compare
lively low rates. partly because of the altera-
tions they had undergone in the process of
adapting them to war uses, but more on
account of the revolution which had taken
place in commercial naval architecture and
In the application of motive power"
DOACH comments upon this procedure as
1G one of the most extravagant and ruinous
methods that could have been devised for
supplying the United States with navy.
But at the opening of the Civil War, as at
the beginning of every other war in which
this country has engaged, something like this
has had to be done. We always have been
unprepared. Indeed, the method appears to
be the approved method of augmenting naval
services all over the world. We chartered
ships during the Spanish War, and Eng
land, Germany and Japan, with their subs-
dized lines, also have found it convenient to
take over certain vessels from their merchant
marine in war times.
1t has been generally understood that it
was during the period of our Civil War that
England-and to a lesser degree Germany
took advantage of our preoccupation to
snatch away from the commerce. carrying |
trade of the world. From 1880 until the open
ing gun of the Civil War was fired our for
elgn lrdue Increased regularly ana enor- |
mously. and in 1860 it was questioned whether
the United States merchant marine was not |
first. In any case, IL was close second to |
that of England.
TURING that long continued strife, how
~ ever, England had her opportunity and
was keen to take advantage of it. Some per-
sons may have thought that our present con-
cern to regain our proud position on the seas
while Europe is busy is a trife unethicaI,
but to the persons who feel that way about
it Mr.. Roach 40 years ago supplied the
answer.
Listen to this; England saw the oppor-
tunity thus afforded her and availed herself
of it to the utmost She spent millions on
millions In subsidies under various forms;
she used even the agonies OF our strife for
her own advantage, and the Clyde builders
were enriched in the construction of blockade
runners, not to speak of the Alabama and
other representatives of the British neutral
service Unobstructed and unrivaIed by the
only people who had shown a capacity for
competing with her upon the sea, she made
the first fruits of the great naval revolution
all her own"
TT MUST be remembered in reading that
L sentence from Roach's pamphlet that Il
was written less than ten years after the
Civil War when the wounds and prejudices
of that strife had not yet been effaced; new
1t is likely to make us feel little
more comfortable about seizing the present
opportunity to get our nag on the sea again.
GRANVILLE.