January 2014 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 23.
discharged here. There was little moving in the harbor 9702
Monday. Work on all the vessels being loaded or discharged was being rushed. The steamer NORTHEASTERN fi nished discharging her cargo of sulphur at High head and the schooner EMMA R. HARVEY fi nished discharging at the Hincks Coal Co. Several vessels are due here within a few days and they will probably be the last of the season.
4 January 1906 Bath Yards in Need of Timber
Shipbuilders There as Well as Elsewhere Working Under Diffi culties.
Bath, January 4.
The increased prosperity of Bath shipyards the coming year, over the 12 months which have just passed, seems to depend to a large extent, according to Bath builders, upon the ability to secure more promptly the necessary timber with which to construct their craft.
Nearly all the builders along the river state that the prospects seem, at least, equal to those of last January while some of them assert that they are even better but all agree that much depends upon the timber situation and that is a very important feature of the case.
Years ago, when a Maine man wanted to build a ship he went into the neighboring forests and cut his oaken keel and frames as well as his ceiling and planking, masts and spars. His iron spikes and oak trenails were made by hand quite in contrast to the manner in which they are made today.
Now the oak keel and lower frames come from Canada, the tops of hackmetack from Michigan, the hard pine for ceilings and plankings from the sunny Southland and the masts and spars from Oregon. Thus it will be seen that the question of securing timber is one of more moment than it was years ago, and the vessel of today is not the home made product that she was when Maine supplied, not only the brain and brawn, but the material as well for her white winged messengers of commerce. To get at the true condition of things the Kennebec Journal correspondent has made a thorough canvas of the situation and interviewed some of the most prominent of the Bath builders regarding it and here is what they say. Treasurer Isaiah S. Coombs of the New
England Co., one of the largest and most widely known concerns in its line in the country, said in response to the query: “The prospects for 1906 in our line are perhaps brighter than they were a year ago when 1905 came in, in fact I really believe that they are. There are certainly more inquires for vessels and that is usually considered a good sign among the builders. The advance in the price of materials, especially hard pine, makes it harder to get contracts, and build vessels at even a small profi t, than it was a year ago and of course the higher cost of the desired craft is bound to scare away some of the contracts.” “What is the difference in the cost of hard pine?” was the question put to Mr. Coombs.
“It is from $7 to $8 a thousand more than it was a year ago,” he replied, “and with the amount which is used in the construction of the big vessels of today you can readily see that it is quite an item.” “Is there any diffi culty in securing this lumber?” was asked. “Yes, indeed, there has been,” said Mr. Coombs, “but I hope and believe that the prospects are better now. It has been coming very slowly the past year, in fact, it has been almost impossible to get it. As a rule it takes but two or three months from the time an order is given until it is delivered but of late it has been taking much longer. I understand that Mr. Deering at his south end yard has been waiting for more than six months for some with which to fi nish his schooner and as yet it has not made its appearance. This is an unusual case though and an exception rather than the rule.”
“What is the cause of this delay?” was asked.
“Well, I suppose the higher price and delay is due in a large measure to the fact that it is now practically in the hands of a few men and they have pushed the price up and ship where they can do it to their best advantage. There has been considerable of it shipped, but it has been mostly in the way of easier lumber, that is smaller dimensions such as is used, in house building and bridge work.”
“Do you experience any delays in getting your other lumber, such as frames?” was asked.
“No, I cannot say that we do,” was the response, “for we usually keep at least one frame in the yard all the time to avoid such
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