Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-10-06
FROM THE DAYS OF
THE CLIPPER SHIPS
The Romantic Story of Cramps.
A Merchant Marine That Flies
the Flags of Many Nations.
A Motto That Worked
Bv WILLIAM ]. CLARK

| among the great industrials of the country
but back OF all that lies another story. The
name of Cramp has been synonymous with
the best in shipbuiding for s5 years-from
clipper ships to modern leviathans Of COM
merce and ships Of war. The william Cramp
| & Sons Ship and Engine Building Company
has kept pace with the times ever since the
| first vessel left the ways.
Evidence OF continued advancement is
shown in the announcement that 100000
is soon to be expended in improvements. The
recent activities OF the companys stocks is
another indication that innocuous desuetude
is not in prospect.
The Little Old Wooden Ships
Ever since William Cramp began con-
| structing small wooden ships with his own
| hands, back in 1890, Cramps had been n
| pioneer. The clipper ships turned out at
this yard became famous, and aided greatly
| in giving the supremacy of the Seven Seas
to the Stars and Stripes in ante bellum days.
Uncle Sans first iron warship, the New
| 1ronsides, took her maiden plunge into the
water from Cramps shipways. Her record
teens with thrills in the naval struggle of
! the Civil War.
Turn out the best ships and let the profits
take care Of themselves" was the motto of
the shipbuilders from the earliest days, and
| ~ nus hSNSI DetH lOEBOIten,
The George w. Clyde, the first iron steam
ship built in the United States, was the work
| of William Cramp. She was also the first
| steamship in America to be equipped with a
| compound engine. Our navy's first battleship,
| the Indiana, recently sold to Greece was
| Cramp constructed. other vessels con-
! structed for the navy were the cruisers
yorktown, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Newark,
| New York, Columbia, Minneapolis, Brooklyn,
the battleships Indiana, Alabama, Massa-
chusetts Iowa, Colorado, the old Pennsyl-
| vania and new Maine and fleet of smaller
| auxiliary craft.
Flying the merchant flag Of this country
| Cramp-built ships have powed through the
| waves of every ocean. Two of the four
regular line vessels engaged in the transat-
| lantic trade under the American flag the ST.
Louis and St Paul. were constructed in the
| kensngton yard. The Great Northern and
the Northern Pacific two Of the largest,
fastest and finest passenger steamships ply
! ing along the Pacific coast, are the product
| of the shipyard that has always been the
| pride of Philadelphia The steamships
| Kroonland and Finland. carrying tourists
through the Panama Canal from Atlantic
to Pacific and vice versa, were MADE at
| Cramps" These vessels were the first big
passenger steamships to use Uncle Sans
| gigantic waterway.
| Cramps constructed the Ohio Indiana.
| Pennsylvania and Illinois for the American
| Line when that company was first organized
| by local capitalists A fleet of more than a
hundred vessels now engaged in the coast
wise trade was launched at Cramps. Back
in the early days the fame of the shipyard
was established by the clipper ships Bridge
water, Mantou, Morning Light John Trucks
| Chamberlain and TSaa
Ships in the Present War
Other shipyards may have recently sur
passed Cramps in the number of new con-
tracts obtained for construction of vessels
for the merchant marine, but none has come
near the record established by Cramps for
| the construction of vessels for the United
| States Navy and the navies of other coun-
| tries. From the decks and ports of vessels
| built by this company guns have thundered
In the defense of the Union In the Civil War,
for the freedom OF Cuba in the Spanish
| American war and in asserting the rights
Of the United States in various parts of the
| world. In the Russo-Japanese struggle war;
ships turned out by Cramps for both coun-
| tries met and fought. Turkey is defending
| herself against the invasion Of the Allies with
| Cramp-built warships, and should Greece en-
ter the struggle She too, has the product Of
Cramps workmen to assist her in nghting
| her enemies
Under William Cramps management the
| yard turned out 207 vessels, all the finest
| Of their time due to the indefatigable labor
| the patience and perseverance of the founder
who laid wisely the foundations upon which
his successors have builded we'll
Following the death of william Cramp. his
son Charles II. assumed the presidency. His
sons Edwin s. and Henry held executive posi-
tions. In 1872 they incorporated the company
under its present name. The Morgan Drex ell
interest led by II. 7. stotesbury, secured
control OF the company in 1908 and elected
Henry s. Grove president. 1t is still under
the Morgan -Drexel control, although It is
rumored the Schwab interests are endeavor-
ing TO secure it, Mr.. Grove is still president
The "Cramp boys" grown gray in service,
held executive positions until a few years
ago, when they left the company. Henry
died and Edwin s. moved to New York.
Charles II. died only recently, as did Edwin.
and the last Cramp holdings OF stocks,
the property OF the Edwin s. Cramp
estate were recently sold by local broker,
thus marking the passing OF the Cramp in
terest from the shipyard that win carry the
name down in history.
big boom Is predicted for Cramps In the
near future. BY holding back from accept
ing longtime contracts they are now in posi-
tion TO accept short-time work at premium.
Enough work Is now in the hands of the
builders 10 last two years. II consists OF
several torpedoboat destroyers for the United
States Navy and several large freight and
passenger steamships. with minor work
AN EXCEPTION
IGNORANCE Of the law excuses no man -
unless ne happens to be in charge Of sub
| marine.-Terre Haute Star