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, i MARINE REVIEW. 13 Fear of American Competition. An article in the London Times of. recent date proves conclusively that there is a genuine fear in England of competition from American iron and steel. manufacturers. It was written by a specialist and is worthy of careful study from everybody connected with the industry in this co The Duke of Devonshire, in presiding recently over the 'annual gen- eral meeting of the Barrow Hematite Steel Co., pointed out that the re- yival of business which took place last year had not been so pronounced as that which occurred in 1889-90, and that prices had not taken by any means so high a range as they did on the occasion of the last revival in those industries. There are, of course, two ways of comparing one period with another from a purely business point of view. One is to adopt the measure of volume; another is to apply the test of price. Judged by the former criterion, it appears from the statistics which have recently been compiled and issued by the British Iron Trade Association that the im- provement of trade in 1896 was the most notable on record, at any rate so far as pig iron and steel are concerned. The total make of pig in Great Britain in that year was 8,563,209 tons, or an increase of 667,534 tons on the output of the previous year. This is the largest outptit that we have had in this country, but it is not so large as several annual outputs in the United States, and notably those of 1890 and 1895, in both of which years the American output exceeded 9,000,000 tons. "Tt is no secret, however, that the output of iron would have been still larger but for two circumstances of a more or less abnormal character --the first, the scarcity of iron ores, which has been seriously felt almost for the first time in the history of our iron trade; and the second, the demor- alizing effect on prices and production exercised: by the importation into British markets of pig iron produced in the United States. So far as the first of these influences is concerned, a great strain was put upon all the ordinary sources of supply, both at home and abroad, to furnish a notably larger output of ore in 1896. As a result, we were able to import about 1,000,000 tons more of hematite ore from Spain and other countries in that year. This increased output of foreign ore for British blast furnaces would be equal to an output of about 500,000 tons of pig iron, so that the actual increase of home iron ore output would not be more than 400,000 to 500,000 tons. In other words, the increased output of British iron in 1896 was not accompanied by any corresponding increase of home ore production, but was mainly dependent on increased imports of foreign ores, which are generally regarded as a somewhat precarious source of supply, in view of the threatened exhaustion of the ores of the north of Spain and the anticipated higher cost of the ores procurable from other foreign sources, which are mainly the south of Spain and the ore deposits of Gelli- vara, within the Arctic Circle, and Grangesburg, in Sweden. It is not too much to say that almost every iron-making firm in Great Britain engaged in the manufacture of hematite iron, which is nearly one-half of our total output, is at present anxiously concerned about the question of future ore supplies, and is more or less apprehensive that a few years hence at the most will witness such a depletion of cheap foreign ores and such an in- creased cost, due to higher cost of freights by railway or sea, in respect of other possible sources of supply, as seriously to threaten the maintenance of the relatively cheap iron output hitherto enjoyed by this country. This apprehension, however, may not be justified by the results. probable that there is no second Bilbao available for the British iron trade, it has within the last two or three years been demonstrated that Spain has very large undeveloped resources in iron ores of a high quality, and in quite a number of cases these have been acquired by leading British rms, sg "The second point affecting our iron and steel industries in the past year was the introduction into our home and foreign markets of the new factor of American competition. On this point the Duke of Devonshire temarked that 'in the American competition the cutting down of prices appeared to be somthing astonishing.' and he expressed the hope that American competitors might be satisfied to confine a good deal of their fighting to their own country.' The American iron trade, however, does not show the least intention of thus-limiting its markets. On the con- trary, they are making their plants all along the line for much more suc- cessful rivalry than they have hitherto achieved, and that largely by means which were brought to the notice of the duke and his codirectors on the Barrow board by Sir Edward Carbutt on the authority of Mr. Windsor Richards, the president of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. It appears that the most remarkable of these means is the gigantic scale on which American iron-making plants are now built and operated. As a fase in point, the new blast furnaces of the Carnegie company, at Du- duesne, near Pittsburg. may be referred to. Each of these furnaces is broducing at the rate of 200,000 tons of pig iron per annum, whereas the titish Iron Trade Association figures show that the average annual output of the British blast furnaces in operation during 1896 was only 682 tons. Hence a new Carnegie furnace will produce more than eight times the average of our British furnaces, and hence also the remarkable- Conclusion that, if British furnaces were equipped to do as much as these maces at Duquesne. about forty furnaces would do the work that we employed 362 furnaces to do in 1896. It is much the same with other eaees of the iron industry. According to a well-informed writer in a ret nt Issue of the Iron and Coal Trades Review, the newest type of Gar- 0 Bay mill used in the United States can produce about 100,000 tons in thie tods per year, which is very far in advance of any output recorded : ae pony, where the mills are of a different type; and it is further inane. at some of the most improved rail mills in the United States are is fina "s Producing about 50,000 tons of finished rails per month, which fee an an the total output of rails in Great Britain, and probably nearly year The as much as any rail mill can produce in this country in one similar €se figures appear to be almost incredible, and in times past anke Spicements have been pooh-poohed by our ironmasters as mere contran uff and buncombe. But this is no longer the case. On the a ie a of the most recent plants constructed in this country have Of the or merican methods, and the Duke of Devonshire, as chairman He eek Barrow company. practically admitted American superiority. ful. ¢ ee however, add. as he might have done. that the most wonder- wite j & about this American competition in rails, blooms, billets and S the fact that the ores used have to be conveyed a distance of 600 While it is | to 800 miles to the blast furnaces, and that the finished products have to be carried from the interior, 500 miles from tide water, to New York, .and thence transported a distance of 3,200 miles by sea, before they enter into competition with British-made steel, which'has no such great dis- tances to cover, but, on the contrary, is in all cases manufactured close to shipping ports. Needless to add, the main element that enables the American iron trade to achieve this striking result is' cheap transport by rail and water. While the British iron trade continues to be handi- capped by railway freights which average for mineral traffic from a penny (2 cents) to 3 halfpence per mile, the American iron traffic is now being carried over a large area for 3 mills per ton mile, or one-seventh of a penny; and this, it is expected, will become an established rate in the future for mineral traffic carried on a large scale. "So far as the British steel industry is concerned, the figures collected by the British Iron Trade Association show that the output of Bessemer ingots for 1896 amounted to 1,815,842 tons, which is an increase of 280,617 tons on the output of the previous year. The output of open-hearth steel is rather over 2,000,000 tons, which is the largest output hitherto recorded in the history of this industry. The total output of British steel of all kinds in 1896 amounts, therefore, to close on 4,000,000 tons. The American and German outputs for the same year have not yet been definitely stated, but it is believed that the former will not be much short of 5,000,000 tons. The output of basic Bessemer steel ingots in 1896 amounted to 457,262 tons, against 441,550 tons in the previous year. The basic process, which enables a large proportion of our home ores to be utilized, fails to make anything like the progress at home that has been achieved abroad, mainly because British engineers and steel users specify for acid or ordinary Bessemer or open-hearth steels, to produce which we have to import. suit- able ores chiefly from abroad. Some authorities believe that the basic process will make much more rapid progress in this country if imported ores become dearer, as we have indicated the probability of their doing; but that and other problems at present pending in the iron industry must await the determination of events." Submarine Torpedo Boat Plunger. The name Plunger, given to the Holland submarine torpedo boat, which was launched at the Columbian Iron Works, Baltimore, a few days ago, certainly seems appropriate when applied to a vessel of her kind. Trials of this vessel will not take place until next spring, although a similar craft, built without aid from the government, and launched some time ago at Elizabethport, N. J., is now about ready for an extended series of trials. If vessels of this type prove successful, even to a. degree con- siderably below the expectations of the Holland company, large appro- priations from the government for their development are assured. The vessel just launched at Baltimore is 85 feet long and 11.5 feet diameter. Her displacement when floating light is 155 tons, and when down to her load water line the displacement is 160 tons. Two sets of motive power are provided, one for the afloat and awash condition, and one for the submerged condition. Twin quaruple expansion engines, with steam furnished from a water tube boiler, will operate twin screws when afldat or awash, and a 70 horse power motor, fed from forty-eight chloride cells will furnish the power when submerged. The steam power, electric dyna- mo and storage cells are so connected as to be readily reversible in their action, thus rendering it possible to recharge the cells from the dynamo, the steam engine being used as a prime motor. The electric power may also be connected to a propeller shaft placed in the axis of the boat, in addition to the connection with the main propeller shafts. The motor may thus operate a special propeller, in addition to driving the main shafts independently of the steam engines. The capacity of the storage cells is amply large to prevent injury or deterioration while giving off the power required to propel the vessel--a speed of about 8 knots for at least six hours. It is expected that the vessel will reach a speed of 16 knots in the light conditions, while she will be able to reach 15 knots with 3 feet of water covering the hull, not less than 8 knots submerged. At these speeds an endurance of fifteen hours awash and ten hours sub- merged is anticipated. She will carry no guns or other armament except five automobile torpedoes to be launched from two expulsion tubes. Two additional torpedoes can be carried, if desired. Naval Vessels Afloat and Under Construction. As it is only within the past ten years that the United States has given attention to the building of a navy, there is certainly no cause for discour- agement on account of the great display of naval power made by the Britishers in connection with the jubilee celebrations. Notwithstanding the influence of interior interests in this country that are opposed to naval expenses, we now have afloat and in process of construction eighty- nine modern vessels, besides sixteen old ones that are still fit for some kinds of service, making in all 105 vessels. The fighting strength of this fleet consists of six seagoing battleships afloat and five now in process of construction, two heavily armed and armored cruisers, one armored ram, six double turret monitors which make effective coast defense vessels, and thirteen single turret monitors which would also be of considerable value for coast defense, making in all thirty-three armored vessels. Then we may also consider as fighting ships of the most effective type the twenty-two little torpedo boats, most of which will be afloat within the next twelve months. These are not armored, but carry the most powerful engines of destruction and are protected from heavy guns by their small size and partial or complete submersion. Besides these, our sixteen heavily armed but unarmored swift cruisers make very effective ships, and for police duty and river work we have fifteen gunboats of the most effective type. Add to these the three special class vessels, Bancroft, Dolphin and Vesuvius, and we have completed the list of effective modern vessels. Two special trains will be run via the Nickel Plate road to the G. A. R. encampment at Buffalo, one leaving Cleveland Aug. 23 at 1:00 p. m., arriving at Buffalo at 6:00 p. m., and the other leaving 'Cleveland at 10:00 a. m., Aug. 24. Ask agents for details. 271 Lists of names of captains and engineers of lake ships, appointments of 1897, may be had from the Marine Review for $1. Vest pocket size.