Birely, Hillman & Streaker
Encyclopedia
Birely, Hillman & Streaker was a prominent Philadelphian shipbuilding firm through the latter part of the 19th century. The shipyard specialized in the manufacturer of large wooden paddle steamer
s and wooden steamboat
s for the domestic American
market.
steamers between 1849 and 1853 (including the SS Lewis, a transatlantic steamer built for the Boston & Liverpool Line).
Following the American Civil War
however, the shipbuilding industry experienced a severe slump. All Philadelphian shipbuilders engaged exclusively in the manufacture of wooden vessels were forced out of the industry, with the exception of Birely & Sons and Hillman & Streaker, which survived by pooling resources and merging in 1866 to become Birely, Hillman & Streaker. The new company's shipyard was located at the foot of Montgomery Avenue, Philadelphia.
In the following decades, the company mainly targeted the American domestic market, aided by government policies which protected
domestic shipping routes to the end of the century. The company built both oceangoing ships for coastal trade as well as riverboat
s and ferries
for inland transport. For example, it built the steamers Goldsboro and Delaware for the Clyde Line's North-South trade in the 1880s, as well as the side-wheeler City of Richmond for Clyde's steamboat line connecting Richmond
and Norfolk
. In lean times, the company would also occasionally take on military contracts, such as when it built the Haiti
an gunboat
s St. Michel and 1804 in 1875.
By 1880, Birely, Hillman & Streaker had net assets of $85,000, a workforce of 150 with annual wage costs of $66,412, raw materials costs of $67,756 and an annual output of $176,000. The company was able to keep asset costs so low because it remained a specialized wooden shipbuilder, contracting out all its engine requirements—with their much larger capital investment—to local manufacturers of marine steam engines
. In its early years, the main providers of engines for the company were the firms of I. P. Morris and Neafie & Levy
, but after the 1870s, the company relied almost exclusively on engines built by Neafie & Levy, while Neafie & Levy returned the favour by subcontracting large wooden hulls to Birely for its own shipbuilding contracts. After 1871, Birely, Hillman & Streaker was the only Philadelphia shipbuilder to continue outsourcing its ship engines.
engines, which commenced production in 1889. By 1893 the company was ready to launch its first iron steamer, the Anthony B. Groves, for the Baltimore and Philadelphia Steamboat Company.
Unfortunately, delays in the construction of a torpedo boat
for the US Navy, the , bankrupted the new company in 1899. Hillman & Sons thus became another victim of the "naval contract syndrome" that drove a number of well established U.S. shipyards to the wall in this era. The Hillman shipyard was subsequently acquired by William Cramp & Sons in 1900.
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
s and wooden steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
s for the domestic American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
market.
History
The company had its origins in two earlier Philadelphian shipyards, Birely & Sons (founded by John Birely) and Hillman & Streaker, both of which were established in the 1840s during the "golden age" of American wooden shipbuilding. In this period, Birely & Sons was Philadelphia's busiest shipyard, building seven modern screwPropeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
steamers between 1849 and 1853 (including the SS Lewis, a transatlantic steamer built for the Boston & Liverpool Line).
Following the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
however, the shipbuilding industry experienced a severe slump. All Philadelphian shipbuilders engaged exclusively in the manufacture of wooden vessels were forced out of the industry, with the exception of Birely & Sons and Hillman & Streaker, which survived by pooling resources and merging in 1866 to become Birely, Hillman & Streaker. The new company's shipyard was located at the foot of Montgomery Avenue, Philadelphia.
In the following decades, the company mainly targeted the American domestic market, aided by government policies which protected
Protectionism
Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between states through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, and a variety of other government regulations designed to allow "fair competition" between imports and goods and services produced domestically.This...
domestic shipping routes to the end of the century. The company built both oceangoing ships for coastal trade as well as riverboat
Riverboat
A riverboat is a ship built boat designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury units constructed for entertainment enterprises, such...
s and ferries
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
for inland transport. For example, it built the steamers Goldsboro and Delaware for the Clyde Line's North-South trade in the 1880s, as well as the side-wheeler City of Richmond for Clyde's steamboat line connecting Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
and Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
. In lean times, the company would also occasionally take on military contracts, such as when it built the Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
s St. Michel and 1804 in 1875.
By 1880, Birely, Hillman & Streaker had net assets of $85,000, a workforce of 150 with annual wage costs of $66,412, raw materials costs of $67,756 and an annual output of $176,000. The company was able to keep asset costs so low because it remained a specialized wooden shipbuilder, contracting out all its engine requirements—with their much larger capital investment—to local manufacturers of marine steam engines
Marine engine
A marine engine is an engine that propels a ship or boat. Types of marine engine include:*Marine steam engine*Petrol engine or gasoline engine*Diesel engine*Steam turbine*Gas turbine-See also:*Marine propulsion*Engine room*Marine automobile engine...
. In its early years, the main providers of engines for the company were the firms of I. P. Morris and Neafie & Levy
Neafie & Levy
Neafie, Levy & Co., commonly known as Neafie & Levy, was a Philadelphia shipbuilding and engineering firm that existed from the middle of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century...
, but after the 1870s, the company relied almost exclusively on engines built by Neafie & Levy, while Neafie & Levy returned the favour by subcontracting large wooden hulls to Birely for its own shipbuilding contracts. After 1871, Birely, Hillman & Streaker was the only Philadelphia shipbuilder to continue outsourcing its ship engines.
Buyout and demise
In 1888, Charles Hillman and his three sons Bart, Josiah and Jonathan bought out the other two partners, Jacob Birely and David Streaker, and the firm became known as the Charles Hillman Ship & Engine Building Company, or just Hillman & Sons. The Hillmans had recognized the need for the firm to make the move to iron shipbuilding, and they quickly set up a plant for the manufacture of tugboatTugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
engines, which commenced production in 1889. By 1893 the company was ready to launch its first iron steamer, the Anthony B. Groves, for the Baltimore and Philadelphia Steamboat Company.
Unfortunately, delays in the construction of a torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
for the US Navy, the , bankrupted the new company in 1899. Hillman & Sons thus became another victim of the "naval contract syndrome" that drove a number of well established U.S. shipyards to the wall in this era. The Hillman shipyard was subsequently acquired by William Cramp & Sons in 1900.
Recurring references
- Heinrich, Thomas R. (1997): Ships for the Seven Seas: Philadelphia Shipbuilding in the Age of Industrial Capitalism, Johns Hopkins University Press, ISBN 0-8018-5387-7.