Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-26
PASSING OF ROACH
SHIPYARD ENDS IT'S
TROUBLED HISTORY
Sheriff Sells Plant Which
Furnished Many Vessels to
United States Navy and
Merchant Marine.

Going, going, gone" These words ava
the bang of the sheriff's ban,n,.-
sounded the death knell today of one =,
the landmarks that has made tbe No..
or Philadelphia internationally faror.
Ihe words marked the passing Of N.
shipbuilding plant established more than
40 years ago by John Roach at Chestsr
1t was sold at Sheriff's sale AZ IA
o'clock this morning.
The sale marked the fifth Rnancis, r.-
verse the plant, consisting of 20 scro,
OF land' shipways, machinery and other
equipment, has had since its inauy,..
ton In 1879. But IL is believed that thi.
famous old shipyard will never eeain
conne pack as 1t has done previously.
FINANCIAL v1cIssrTupEs
John Roach. founder of the company.
opened the way for this country to bu,Id
warships unsurpassed by any other M
ton and blazed the trail for tho es+,h-
iishment of the now all-powerful steo,
Industry. His financial vicissitudes ara
history. His plant went into the b.,a.
OF receiver upon four occasions h,,,
always managed to struggle back to t.
paying basis. Before Roach took ovor
the plant 1t was known as the Rsiner
shipyard After Roach's death his so,
John b. Roach. operated the sbipvard
1t later became the Delaware River Iron
snip and Engine Building Company. and
as such failed four years ago
HUNDREDS OF IRON SHIPS
One hundred and fourteen iron vesse,s
were constructed under the Roach man.
asement Nearly 300 were completed later
Among them were vessels which proud,v
fly the American flag today. Manv ~
the Ward Line vessels were buIIt tbsr,
as we're number of steamships for
the Ocean Steamship Company of ss-
Vannah. The Persian Quantico and
Lexington were built for the latter conn
pany. They now ply to and from this
port in the Merchants and Miners
Transportation Company's service The
harvard and Yale, Long Island Sound
steamships. and the American and Ha-
waiian. pioneer vessels of the American
Hawaiian Line, were also built upon tha
shlpways sold by the Sheriff today. Tho
city or Savannah, constructed for the
ocean Steamship Company, completed
seven years ago, was the last big steam
ship to use these ways.
shipping men recall the days when
as many as 10 vessels under construc-
ton at one time were to be seen ar
Roachs. The work done at the nIant
did much to earn the appelaton of the
Clyde of America for the Delaware
River. famous old clipper ship tn.
I1llle E. Starbuck, was one of the first
vessels ever built at these yards.
BIRTH OF NEW NAVY.
The fame of Roach's shipyard is as
closely aligned with the growth of our
navy as it is with the history of the
marine. Some of Uncle Sans
first iron ships We're turned out by John
Roach. The gunboats Alert, Huron
Chicago, Atlanta Bennington, Boston,
Concord and Puritan were completed
under his direction.
In lSS3 the Secretary OF the Navy called
or bids on four vessels, the Atlanta,
Soston, Chicago and Dolphin. Roach was
me of the bidders. He then owned in ad-
iition TO the shipyard, the Morgan Iron
Works and n steel making plant at Thur
ow, lust above Chester. His bid amazed
'ther shipbrilders and the Navy Depart
nent. 1t was $4,000 below the next low
st bidder and $TI4, 100 below the estimate
# the Advisory Board, Roach had
ound, by experiments, he could produce
teel of required quality at price lower
han his competitors could.
Politics played an important part In
he fuflment of these contracts and
When the Government rejected the Dol
hin upon completion the heart of John
Roach was broken and he died a few
ears later. He had labored sincerely
nd earnestly to make the ship an honor
o his name. The proof that he did SO
shown in the fact that the Dolphin
ihch was later accepted, is doing active
york in the navy today, when other craft
uilt later have passed into oblivion.