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1903.] MARINE REVIEW AND MARINE RECORD. - al streets,. yet there was a strain of democracy running through his nature which was at all times manifest. It is not. positively known whether Fisk's frequent. visits to the office were for the purpose of inquiring into the business of the company or receiving the attention of the thousands that his presence attracted. When among the boys at the office he was jolly and affable, and never failed to hand one of the clerks a bill, with instructions to go out and get a package of cigars, and with the injunction that they were to cost not less than 50 cents apiece. This unique figure finclly took up his residence in New York, and one of the sights of the street was lost forevet. The Bristol and Providence continued in service for a num- ber of years, and retained their popularity to the end. he for- mier passed out of service while at her pier in New York through fire, and about one year ago the Providence was broken up. 'The New Haven road abandoned the old office this week, taking up new quarters on Washington street. SHIP BUILDING AT NEWPORT NEWS. Newport News, Va., April 1--The second foreign warship to be docked for repairs in the United States will be the Ger- man cruiser Gazelle, which will arrive at the ship yard from south American waters probably the latter part of this week. The Gazelle was one of the German blockading warships in Venezuelan waters. So was the cruiser Vineta, flagship of Commodore Scheder, which was overhauled here last fall and was the first foreign ship of war to be floated into an American dry dock. So well satisfied were the German officers with the work done on the Vineta that they contracted to have the Ga- zelle overhauled, and it is not unlikely that when the latter ship leaves the small cruiser Falke, which is attached to Germany's south Atlantic squadron, will come to Newport News. 'The German government argues that it is much more economical to send its warships into American waters to Newport News to be overhauled than it is to order them back to Germany, when the work can be done just as satisfactorily and just as reasonably here. The Gazelle will not go out of commission while here, her officers and crew remaining aboard all the time and carrying out their daily routine. The Pacific coast lumber steamer Francis H. Leggitt is rapidly approaching completion and will soon be ready for her builder's: trial. It is reported that the Hammond Lumber Co. of San Francisco, for whom this steamer is being built, will have four more ships built after similar design, in which event the Newport News yard would probably be a bidder and would stand an excellent chance of getting probably all of them to con- struct. The Leggitt is building for the red-wood traffic along the coast of California. She is probably the staunchest and most seawortny vessel of her size ever constructed in America. No expense has been spared in her construction and it is said that she will cost something like $200,000 when completed. For a lumber steamer of less than 2,000 gross tons this is no small outlay. The officers of the Leggitt are now here and will take her out as soon as she is turned over to her owners. The battleship division of the North Atlantic squadron under Rear Admiral Francis J. Higginson, is expected to arrive here about May 20 to prepare for review and general inspection by Admiral Dewey, which will last for ten days or more. 'The ships will coal here, in all probability, and it is stated that after the review some of them will be docked here and cleaned and painted preparatory to the summer cruise to the Azores. 'The review of the battleships will take place outside of the Virginia capes on the southern drill ground. The ships which will ar- rive here are the Kearsarge, Capt. J. N. Hemphill, flagship; Maine, Capt. E. H. C. Leutze; Illinois, Capt. (G. A. Converse: Alabama, Capt. C. H: Davis; Iowa, Capt. T. Perry; Indiana, Capt. William H. Emory; Massachusetts, Capt H. N. Manney; 'Texas, Capt. W. TT. Swinburne, and the dispatch boat Scorpion, ieut. Com. C.J. Boush. Rear Admiral Bowles, chief constructor of the navy, and Naval Constructor Washington L. Capps, who is stationed at the Brooklyn navy yard, were visitors to the ship yard the other day. They came to note the progress on warships building here and especially to view the 16,coo-ton battleship Louisiana, which is making unusually fast headway on the ways. 'The sister ship Connecticut, which is being constructed under the direction of Constructor Capps at the Brooklyn navy yard is not nearly as far advanced as the Louisiana. Admiral Bowles ex- pressed himself as highly pleased with the excellent work that is being done here. Before returning to Washington the two naval officers visited the navy yard on business. _ It is probable that an early adjustment will be made of the differences existing between the navy department and the owners of the Schmoele tract, adjoining the navy yard, on which it is proposed to build a new dry dock and make other extensive improvements. The Old Dominion liner Monroe (new steamer) is expected to leave the ship-yard for New York the latter part of this week or early next. week. Estimates just submitted to parliament at Ottawa include an item of $94,000 for the Canadian canal at Sault Ste. Marie. This is an increase over last year of $44,000. A HEAVY LOSS. _ Editor Marine Review:--Whether by subsidies or in some other form is it essential that congressional aid of some kind be afforded to give the United States an ocean marine worthy. of its position in the world's trade. Statistics show that we' are -paying freights to foreigners on 92 per cent. of our exports and imports. That is the result on an average of the whole com- merce, but there are instances where the result it far worse. For instance, our trade with the Philippines: In 1902 94 per cent. of our shipments was carried in vessels flying the flags of other countries, and 99 per cent. of what the Philippines sent us was carried in vessels clearing under foreign flags. It is certainly humiliating that other vessels than those flying the American flag have to be used to carry to and foreign flags. It is certainly humiliating that other vessels than those flying the American flag have to be used to carry to and fro practically all the shipments between the "old homestead" and its family connections. A study of the earnings of foreign shipping lines, compared with the total investment in ships of those lines, shows enormous profits in which we are not sharing, but toward which we are contributing: . Value - Gross earn- of fleet ings, 1902. Peninsular' & Oriental. 300. 405 4 $13,685,083 $15,236,681 Messageries Maritumies: 7055 125.5 20. 19,403,422 13,564,750 Nippon Yusen (Japanese) «0.2.0. 11,146,844 11,640,708 These three lines are engaged mainly in the business of the orient, where our business is growing, and to which region of © the world we must look for new and enlarged markets to in- crease our foreign trade and help our 525,000 factories and 7,0c0,000 factory workers. 'The above figures are striking. The Peninsular & Oriental, a British line, earned in gross its entire investment in one year and $1,550,698 over. The Nippon Yusen also covered its investment and $493,864 over. For the two lines all their investment of $24,832,827 and $2,044,562 over, or a total earning in one year of $26,877,389 for our two chief rivals in the orient. It.would be of interest to know how much of the $213,0c0,0co we lost last year in ocean freights went to help put this $26,877,839 in foreign pockets. But that is not all. Other foreign companies earned as follows: General Italian Navisdtion Ca 210.0). ee $9,671,124 Compagnie General Transatlantique ..,.......--.... . 9,558,542 Pacific. Steam Navigation Co. (British) --.... ee 7,729,295 Curati Wie s... 5, Ae eee 6,777,853 Briish Royal. Mast bite oo. 5.-, a ho 4,126,470 'Including the smaller lines, a total gross earning of $83,- 484,387 for passenger lines is reported, against a book value of $o9.681,983 and a tonnage of 1,597,474. Nineteen reporting cargo lines earned during the. year~ $32,408,390, of which the Prince Line earned $3,820,651 on a fleet valued at $3,160,094. Foreign cargo steamers of 17,000,000 tonnage earned $58o,- 000,000 last year, and the foreign passenger steamers of 4,000,000 tons more earned $200,000,000, or a total of $880,000,000 earn- ings by foreign passenger and cargo steamers, toward which. we contributed $213,000,000, or nearly one-fourth of the total for- eign ships' earnings. As far as we are concerned this is all dead wrong and is entirely the fault (by neglect) of our Jaw makers. But, may say the opponents of subsidies for American ships, these earnings of $880,000,000 are largely made up of "gov- ernment pay" (as they call it). Not so; the subsidies granted by the foreign governments were to eleven of the passenger lines and amount to just $12,000,000 of the $83,484,387 earned by those lines, and for those subsidies they performed certain services and obligated' themselves to perform certain other services if called upon, just as our bill proposed, though ours was the more stringent., . 4 The simple but insistent fact remains: We need an ocean marine as badly as we ever needed anything in the history of 'the nation; as badlv as in 1897 our factories needed a protective "tariff and got it. 'The result of that wise move speaks for itself in each and every avenue of trade. Why not. stop this $213,- 000,000 yearly lezk by also protecting our shipping interests? Schenectady, N. Y., Mar. 209. - WALTER J. BALLARD. ---- Machine tool makers will be interested in the naval appro- priation bill recently passed. The sum of $150,000 is appropri- ated for improvements to the Washington navy yard. The Portsmouth navy yard gets $916,000 and the Boston navy yard $290,500. For the improvements to be made at the New York "navy yard $208,500 is appropriated. Among the items $30,000 will be expended for electric plant extension. At the League Island navy yard there will be expended $309,200 for various improvements. The sum of $25,000 is to be expended to com- plete the machine shops for the bureau of steam engineering. At the Norfolk navy yard $103,000 will be expended. The sum of $188,000 is appropriated for Mare Island navy yard and $295,000 for the Puget Sound navy yard. Liberal appropria- tions are also made for the various naval stations. The president of the board of trade, Mr. Gerald Balfour, has announced in the house of commons that a formal agreement between the British government and the International Mercantile Mariné Co: will be ready for signature before Easter,.