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g MARINE Oil Barge No. 8l. Oil barge No. 81 which went into commission recently, was built by the Union Dry Dock Co, Buffalo, N. Y. The vessel is 260 feet over all, 254 feet on the keel, 40 feet beam and 23 feet deep. The boiler and pumps are forward, the foremast being used for a smoke stack, The vessel has two compound oil pumps, with a capacity of 120,000 gallons per hour, and the ballast pump has 70,009 gallons capacity. A fire pump is also carried. The American Ship Windlass Co's towing machine, windlass and steam capstans are used. The double bottom is divided up the same as the oil compartments, the tank top running from well to well. The ship's side and bulkheads are strongly braced, which shows the care which must be taken in putting the work together to secure oil tight work. One leak in this kind of work will cause days of trouble- some labor to find out its location. The construction work was super- intended by D. E. Ford, who is well known on the lakes and coast through his connection with the Standard Oil Co. The accompanying illustration shows the towing chock, on the oil barge, designed by Mr. Ford. This chock is considered very practicable, the connection being clear of the towing line. The place for the fore stay is shown on top of chock. The Standard Oil Company has a fleet of some 45 steamers, about 120,000 tons, each vessel having an average crew of 32 men. The Chesapeake, the largest, has capacity for 1,600,000 gallons, equal to about 40,000 barrels, or fourteen times the capacity of an ordinary sailing ship. About 9 hours are required to load and from twelve to fourteen to discharge an oil cargo. What the American Merchant Marine Needs. The deplorable condition of the American merchant marine in over-sea trade has long called for some measures of relief that will restore our country's flag to the seas. The people of the United States pay annually over 200,000,000 of dollars in gold to foreigners for trausporting passengers and freight 'between the United States and Europe, all of which goes into foreign pockets and is a constant drain on the wealth of the United States. We are entirely dependent upon foreign ships to carry on our business with foreign nations. Is it not a most humiliating position for a great nation? Our commercial sea power has disappeared through our own stupidity and neglect, for while England, France and Germany have been encouraging their merchant marines, the United States has done practically nothing to help Amer- ican ships to keep the seas. Almost every industry in this land has, at one time or another, had its share of protection. Our ship building has been protected by prohibiting Americans from purchasing foreign-built ships. If an American wants a vessel and wishes to sail it under the American flag, he must patronize home industry. This is undoubtedly right. But protection to the ship builder does not in any way protect the ship owner, for the American ship owner must operate his vessels in open competition with vessels sailing under the flags of other nations. These same foreign nations paying to their ship ovners bounties, subsidies, naval reserve subventions, etc., is it any wonder that American ships have been driven from the seas. Our shipping in the coastwise trade has been absolutely protected by prohibiting foreign vessels engaging in it, no vessel sailing under a foreign flag being per-. REVIEW. mitted to transport passengers or cargo from port to port in the United States. This wise plan of protection, inaugurated by the first con- gress, has built up a coastwise trade, of which 100 per cent. is carried in American vessels. American ships engaged in over-sea trade can almost be counted on one's finger tips, and average about 4 per cent, of the total shipping entering and clearing from our seaports. At one time in the past our clippers carried the fame of American ship builders to every country on the globe, and we carried 90 per cent. of our foreign commerce. How great has been our downfall! American steamships have been driven from the seas by mail subsidies paid to foreign steamship companies by foreign governments. Besides mail subsidies, foreigners pay tonnage bounties and naval reserve subventions. How can Americans hope to operate ships - against such odds? True, we now have four ships sailing under the American flag to Southampton, two of which are the products of English ship yards. This is the only trans-Atlantic line under the stars and stripes, and was called into existence by a small mail subsidy. An Americcn tramp steamer is unheard of, while our harbors teem with tramp steamers of every nation but our own. There is no hope that Americans can ever regain their share of the world's carrying trade, unless congress comes to the aid of Ameri- can ship owners. The question is how can we best regain this trade. : There is now a bill before congress, presented by Senator Elkins, pro- viding a system of discrminating duties favorable to American built, owned and manned ships, which provides that goods and merchandise imported into this country in foreign vessels shall pay an-additional duty of 10 per cent. over and above goods imported in American ves- sels. This is the same system of discrimination enacted by the first congress and signed by George Washington as president, that wrested the control of American commerce from the hands of foreigners and built up our shipping until we carried 90 per cent. of our imports and exports. In this case we know that such a measure will achieve certain results, for we have the light of past experience to go by. Will con- gress pass the bill? It is a popular demand. Do our legislators hear the cry? Faint-hearted legislators and foreign steamship lobbyists state that there are some thirty or more treaties standing inthe way. But treaties may be abrogated and every one of them provides in a clause for such abrogation. Surely a treaty that gives away the rights and privileges of American citizens ought and should be abrogated at once. Let us not be bound hand and foot by unjust and unfair treaties. We area race of men, not cringing cowards. If we are going to cross swords in commercial war on the seas, let us at least start on equal ground and abrogate or annul everything that stands in our way and works against us. We cannot hope to compete with subsidized, bountied shipping and foreign pauper labor protected by unjust treaties which prevent Americans from legislating in their own interests. Such a_ bill as Senator Elkins has introduced. would immediately enlarge the revenues of the government, would rebuild the merchant marine in American ship yards, would save a large part of the $200,000,000 now paid to foreigners for transportation and would help to restore pros- perity by giving employment to our people. The Elkins bill would do away with the necessity for subsidies and bounties and would cover every class of vessels from the smallest schooner to the largest steam- ship. As Americans have been compelled to operate their ships under foreign flags, it might, perhaps, be well to permit ships now owned by Americans sailing under foreign flags, to come under American registry when a discriminating duty bill goes in force. The Elkins bill should pass on its merits. It is a just measure and one sadly needed at this time, when our industries languish and American labor clamors for bread. It is not a partisan bill. tis based on the purest patriotism and is for the good of our country. Let us have American ships for American commerce and restore our flag to the seas. Let congress do its duty and pass the bill. Great opposition from foreign steamship companies must be looked for, but congress has the demand for the bill from the people. Let us have our rights. Richard Joy. Detroit, Mich., July 3, 1897. Excursion to Chautauqua J uly 11th and 12th at one fare via the Nickel Plate road acconut photographers' convention at Celeron. 175-11