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1900.] MARINE REVIEW. MERCHANT SHIPS OF THE UNITED STATES. WHERE THEY ARE BUILT AND OWNED--THE LAKE FLEET OF VESSELS AVERAGING 2,000 TONS IS STILL GREATER THAN THE NUMBER OF ORAFT OF LIKE TON- NAGE IN ALL OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY--INTERESTING SUMMARIES FROM THE REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF NAVIGATION. It would be a great pleasure to announce in these columns when the governinent statistics of ship building are presented each year that the increase on the seaboard was keeping pace with the steady growth in the fleet of steam vessels on the lakes, but unfortunately such is not the case, even in the coastwise trade of the seaboard. On the great lakes there are now 424 steam vessels having a tonnage (gross register) of 1,000 tons or more. The aggregate tonnage of these vessels is 911,533, so that the average is 2,150 tons. In all other parts of the United States combined the number of such vessels (1,000 tons and over) is 354, the aggregate tonnage 798,603 and the average 2,256. It will therefore be seen that there are more steam vessels of large capacity on the lakes than are to be found in any other parts of the country. These figures, as well as all others in the following tables, are from the annual report of the United States commissioner of navigation, issued a few days ago, and which deals with the shipping of the United States on June 30, 1900. The tons are in ail cases gross register tons. These tables also show that the fleet of steel vessels on the great lakes is fast assuming large proportions. There are 763 steel vessels (steam and sail) owned on the Atlantic coast, as against 322 on the great lakes, but the aggregate tonnage of the coast vessels is only 762,821 against 687,769 on the great lakes. The average tonnage of the lake steel ship, therefore, is 2,136. against only 999 for the Atlantic coast steel ship. On the Pacific coast there are only eighty-four steel vessels of 125,382 tons and on the western rivers only fifty-one of 11,401 tons. STATEMENT SHOWING THE NUMBER AND TONNAGE OF VESSELS OF ALL KINDS OWNED IN THE UNITED STATES ON JUNE 80, 1900. Number ~ Gross Districts. of vessels. tonnage. Atianticvand Gill COastS, 20.050 oe ec ee 16,532 2,727,892 RacitiG COaGt.. Sos i ed. Grego sore ee weet -2;008 601,212 Hawatian islands ...2...... ee oe ee 14 - 11,692 Northern lakes ce tcss ts Ge a as 3,167 1,565,587 WERVOTHCTIVERS So once cas eos eae tee eu 1,417 258,456 Grand t0tal 0053 Ge ee 23,333 5,164,839 See eels a 13,271 1,884,842 Steaiu Vessels... oe is ee ee 7,053 2,657,797 Canal DOATS be ce ee ee 647 73,383 ALCS es ce ete ees oe ee aes 2,362 548,817 Grand total? 25 oes i ee 23,333 5,164,839 STATEMENT SHOWING NUMBER AND TONNAGE OF STEAM VESSELS OF 1,000 ToNS AND OVER OWNED IN THE UNITED STATES ON JUNE 30, 1900. Number Gross Districts. of vessels. tonnage. Atlantic and Gulf' coasts: .6..5.000. cic tee 273 640,152 PACihC COdSE si ee ee sn se ees ees cae os 71 143,691 Hawaiian islands 22.35.07 eo ot eer es Be OE ss Notther lakes: 35 Gtr ise oo. i es 424 911,533 Western tivers) 5422. ss tee ee ee ee 10 14,760 otalee i Aree sae a io cae See a 778 1,710,186 STATEMENT SHOWING NUMBER AND TONNAGE OF VESSELS OF ALL KINDS OWNED IN THE UNITED STATES ON JUNE 30 OF EACH YEAR FOR TEN YEARS PAST. *SATL. STEAM. TOTAL. JUNES3O. | Number. | Gross tonnage.||} Number. | Gross tonnage.|| Number. | Gross tonnage. 1891 17,683 2,668,495 6,216 2,016,264 23,899 | 4,684,759 1892 | 17,991 2,690,504 6,392 2,074,417 24,383 | 4,764,¥21 1893 17,951 2,641,799 6,561 2,188,272 24,512 | 4,825,071 1894 | 17,060 2,494,599 6,526 2,189,430 23,586 | 4,684,029 1895 | 16,686 2,428,159 6,554 2.212,801 23,240 | 4,685,960 1896 | 16,313 2,396,672 6,595 2,307,208 22,908 | 4,708,880 1897 16,934 2,410,443 6,599 2,358,578 22 633 4,769,020 1898 15,993 2,377,815 6,712 2,371,923. 22,705 | 4,749,738 1899 15,891 2,388,227 6,837 2,476,011 22,728 | 4,864,238 1900 | 16,280 2,507 ,042 7,053 2.657 ,797 23,333! 5,164,839 *Includes unrigged craft. STATEMENT SHOWING GROSS TONNAGE OF VESSELS OF ALL KINDS BUILT IN THE UNITED STATES DURING TEN YEARS PAST. Y On the ee" On the rd, .the | coding On a New England | _ including oo. Total. June 30. 3 coast. New England teibutarios coast. : 1891 111,856 105,491 237 ,462 19,984 869,302 1892 45,969 60,624 138,863 14,801 199,633 1893 99,271 37,091 102,830 9,538 211,639 1894 41,985 28,665 80,099 9,111 131,195 1895 36,353 26,783 67,127 8,122 111,602 1896 108,782 39,582 102,544 15,771 227,097 1897 116,937 21,942 103,504 11,792 232.988 1898 54,084 23,944 112,879 13,495 180,458 1899 80,366 68,761 196,120 23,552 300,088 1900 130,611 72,179 249,006 14,173 393,790 STATEMENT SHOWING THE CLASS, NUMBER AND TONNAGE OF IRON AND STEEL VESSELS OWNED IN THE UNITED STATES ON JUNE 80, 1900. *Sail. Steam. Total. Districts. @ Gua Gan 'OS: No. ioaeace. No. tbunage, No tonnage. Atlantic and gulf coasts} 41 54,890 712 | 707,931 || 763 | 762,821 PACIC COABLS s55..0ecacir: 13 15,275 71 | 110,107 || 84] 125,382 Hawaiian islands......... 6 5,458 Souk |) eats 5 5,458 Northern lakes............ 72 141,223 250 | 646,546 822 | 687,769 Western-rivers. ccc oe ee, 51 11,401 61 11,401 Grand total...2.3..0 141 216,846 || 1,084 |1,375,985 || 1,225 |1,592,831 *Includes barges. . CONTRACTS FOR THE ELEVEN NEW WARSHIPS. As matters now stand contracts for building the eleven warships, provided for by recent acts of congress, will be awarded by the navy de- partment as follows: One battleship and two armored cruisers each to the Cramps of Philadelphia, the Newport News company of Newport News, Va., and the Union Iron Works of San Francisco; a battleship to the Fore River Engine Co., Weymouth, Mass.; and a battleship to the Bath Iron Works, Bath, Me. There is a possibility, however, that the Bath company may not get an award. Contracts for one unsheathed cruiser each have been definitely given to the Cramps, the Newport News company, and the.Union Iron Works. Naval Constructor Baxter, who inspected the Fore River Engine Co.'s works, and Naval Constructor Hibbs, who inspected the Moran Bros. Co.'s works, reported that these firms could build armorclads within the specified time if they made certain improvements. Mr. Baxter said that the Fore River company was abundantly able financially and would have the constructive capacity and facilities: as the work progressed to -- construct a battleship, and Mr. Hibbs reported that the Moran Bros. Co. needed more tools, which could be obtained, however, in time to enable them to complete armorclads within the limit of the contract. The Bath Iron Works may secure one vessel if it changes its bid, which, while $50,000 below the limit of the appropriation, eliminated certain work that will cost $180,000 according to the board's estimate. The best bid of the Moran Bros. Co. was regarded by the board as too high, but there is a chance that the secretary may exercise his authority to allow them to scale their bid so as to obtain one of the three vessels to be built on the Pacific coast. RECORD BREAKING SEASON--NEW BOATS. The Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Co., operating freight and pas- senger steamers on the St. Lawrence river and Lake Ontario, has just closed a most successful season and a record breaker as far as passen- gers are concerned. The company has decided to put on the Lake Ontario route another new steamer after the type of the Fall River boats, with modern improvements. The new steamer, for which the contract has been given to the Bertram Engine Works Co. of Toronto, is to be 340 ft. long--that is, 62 ft. longer than the new steamer Toronto and 50 ft. longer than the. steamers Kingston and Quebec. The width will be 42 ft. in hull and 73 ft. over the guards; depth of hull, 15 ft. The name of this new steamer is not definitely decided, but it will in all probability be called the Montreal; the present boat of that name to be renamed. There will be over 266 staterooms, including twenty-two parlor rooms and eight bath rooms. The contract calls for a style of finish unsurpassed by anything afloat... The saloon will be built with two tiers of staterooms, and so arranged that a third tier can be added subsequent- ly, which would give one-half more sleeping accommodation. The dining room will be on main deck aft. There will be accommodation for second- class passengers on main deck forward, which will have a large number of sleeping berths. The engine is to be inclined, triple expansion, having three cylinders and three cranks, and of 3,000 I.H.P., with feathering paddle wheels and curved steel buckets. The consumption of coal is not. to exceed 1.68 lbs. per indicated horse power per hour. There will be six single ended Scotch boilers, each 11 ft. diameter and 11 ft. 6 in. long, with Howden hot draft. The regular service speed is to be 17 miles per hour, with ability to make 19 miles when required. The engine is of the same style as that of the steamer Toronto, but will have half more power than the Toronto's engine, and a speed of three more miles an hour than that of the present Quebec steamers--one of which this new steamer is to replace. Contract calls for completion of boat in the spring of 1902. Next season the new steamer Kingston, with the Toronto, will form the line between Toronto and Prescott, and the steamers Bohemian and Columbian will receive the passengers at Prescott and take them to Montreal. The Columbian is now being prepared with completely new upper saloon, dining room and all. other necessary rearrangement for that service. The Quebec and Saguenay line will be the same as in past sea- son, but the following year (1902) when the new Montreal is on the Montreal and Quebec route, the present steamer Montreal will be changed into a pilgrimage boat, with complete new passenger accommodation, giving her a passenger capacity double that of the present pilgrimage steamer Three Rivers. The Hamilton line is to be still further improved the coming year, the Spartan running with the Hamilton and Algerian, thus giving a direct tri-weekly service between Montreal and Hamilton, and being one steamer more than in the past season. Boilers of the new 18-knot Ward line steamship Morro Castle, hay- ing 442 sq. ft. of grate surface, are equipped for forced draft, furnished by four special Sturtevant fans, having wheels of 66 in. diameter, driven by direct-connected, double-enclosed engines, designed to run at 480 revolutions per minute. After several months of curtailment, the production of pig iron is again increasing, and it is encouraging to note that at the same time stocks are declining. . :