Maritime History of the Great Lakes

Telescope, v. 46, n. 1 (January-April 1998), p. 5

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Page 5 spontaneous and tender. Dr. Williamson said that Mr. Upson had been a worthy successor in the office which Capt. Wilson held with the Wilson Transit Co., bearing a name which everyone holds in the highest esteem. Col. J. J. Sullivan, who has for years taken a profound interest in the business of the lakes, made an address which proved his wide knowledge of industrial conditions on the lakes. He regarded the launching of a ship as a most important event in commercial life. There are many things to be considered before such an event can be brought about, not the least of which are the exactions of finance. He thought that the Wilson Transit Line occupied an exceptional position among steamship companies in that it did not have to resort to an issue of bonds. The line is well managed, always earning and always paying a good dividend. He had been associated with Capt. Wilson as a stockholder and director for many years and had never in his life met with a man of such high ideals, his word being as good as any bond that could be given. He regarded the steamship company founded by Capt. Wilson as not second to any on the lakes and that as its presiding officer Mr. Upson had most worthily sustained the reputation of its founder. Incidentally he paid tribute to Capt. Edward Morton, the commodore of the Wilson fleet and the manager of the business. Going more deeply into the discussion Col. Sullivan mentioned that the city of Cleveland occupied a most enviable position in the industrial world and that Cleveland men had practically financed the enormous iron business of the great lakes. It was they who had developed the infinite mineral resources of the Lake Superior country which had done so much to lift the United States into the premier place among the industrial nations of the world. The great lakes transported 80 per cent of all the iron ore that is consumed in the United States. The iron and steel business is the great barometer of trade and Col. Sullivan thought it an enviable distinction that Cleveland capital had contributed to build up a business that has not its equal elsewhere in the world. F. H. Lyman, of the Upson-Walton Co., referring to Mr. Wetmore's remark that the American Ship Building Co. had during the nine years of its corporate existence constructed 271 ships, said that of these 271 ships 200 of them had been fitted out by the Upson-Walton Co. and he thought it was saying a great deal to say that the equipment of the ships was as good as the hull. Capt. Edward Morton said that the Upson would not be stranded if she steered as straight a course as the man after whom she was named. Oliver Upson was called upon to respond to the toast "The Steamer of the Future." In doing so he displayed an intimate knowledge of the lake ship and its peculiar adaptability to the business in which it is engaged. He felt that the hull had undergone all possible evolution to make it an economical and perfect machine. There are no beams, stanchions or any impediments whatever to the handling of cargo in a modem lake freighter. He also felt that the limit of size had been reached both as to length and beam, referring to one ship of extreme beam that has to be winded around at the docks in order to receive an equal distribution of cargo. It seemed to him, however, that development in the engine room had scarcely started. The first engine installed on a lake steamer was a single cylinder. Economy was later obtained by compounding the engine and while additional cylinders have been added later, the principle remains practically as it was in the beginning with the exception that turbines have been developed for fast speed. He believed the next 10 years would see great advances in the development of internal combustion engines, doing away with boilers and, in some instances, with coal bunkers, increasing carrying capacity while at the same time lessening the cost of propulsion. He mentioned an internal combustion engine that he had seen running for eight days and nights without stopping at an operating cost of 20 per cent of that of the ordinary type of stationary engine. He felt that the adoption of this form of power to the ship would be successfully solved in the near future. Capt. Symes spoke briefly. J. M. Richardson made an easy and graceful talk in which he expressed his surprise that while nearly all of the speakers had been nautical men practically not a single nautical term had been used. Mr. Walton took occasion to remark that nautical terms were no longer used except in novels while at the same time he remembered the fact that the old chanties had also gone out. Thirty years ago it was common to hear the sailor chanting at the capstan, but now all this work is done by steam. The banquet was brought to a close by Mr. Upson thanking everyone for their attendance. In the launching party were: Mr. and Mrs. Paul, of Norfolk, Miss Clark, of Montreal, Miss Brooks, of Maryland, Mr. and Mrs. C. G. Watkins, Mrs. Frank Steams Jr., Mr. and Mrs. A. P. Churchill, J. W. Corbusier, Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Moriarty, E. A. Walton, Mrs. W. O. Osbome, Mr. and Mrs. R. D. Grant, J. N. Richardson, Mr. and Mrs. E. N. Dewey, Rev. J. G. Williamson, Capt, and Mrs. Symes, Thomas Wilson, Wm. Wilson, C. R. Doty, H. F. Lyman, E. A. Walton, Capt. Ed. Morton, Oliver Upson, J. W. Walton, Col. J. J. Sullivan, Russel C. Wetmore, Robert Logan, H. N. Herriman and Fred Harmon.

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