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16 MARINE REVIEW. MR. LEWIS NIXON ON THE SHIPPING BILL. It was represented in the New York newspapers that Mr. Lewis Nixon who established the Crescent Ship Yard at Elizabethport, N. J., and who was recently elected to succeed Richard Crocker as the head of Tammany in New York, would endeavor to have the democratic con- gressmen from New York city support the shipping bill. Upon this point he said in New York recently: : "T have not sent for the congressmen, nor do I intend to do so. My attitude is well known. Something must be done for the merchant marine, and what is done should meet the views of all Americans interested in their country's welfare. If the present bill cannot be put into such shape that democrats can vote for it consistently, they must vote against it. No man will be instructed by me to vote against his judgment or con- science. Two-thirds of the ovef-sea commerce of this country 1s handled at this port, and whatever benefits that commerce will benefit this port in a greater measure than any other portion of the country. I think that both parties should join hands and give us a merchant marine as they did a navy. "So far as my business goes, I do not make ships large enough to be benefited by the proposed measure. My party will never find me advo- cating measures that does not meet with its approval. My views on the merchant marine are founded on patriotic regard for the country and this city, and I am proud of them. But so long as they are my own and not my party's I shall make no effort to force them upon any one. The republican party does not want democrats to assist in measures tending to improve the conditions of our commerce, although for forty years they have 'been untrue to their trust and have allowed our merchant marine to decline until that engaged in over-sea traffic carries only 8 per cent. of the trade. a "Jefferson urged congress to find out and to apply all proper means permitted by the constitution to nourish over-sea commerce. Those who oppose the upbuilding of the merchant marine by misrepresenting me are simply hurting the city and are not hurting me, as I propose to be not a peddler of patronage, but one who will at all times do what is in my judgment best for the interests of the city and its commercial and manu- facturing interests. I shall, however, always remember that I am a democrat and keep to the party principles. In conclusion I have not seen nor written to any member of the New York delegation on this subject." SHIP YARD NOTES. Works of the Baltimore Dry Dock & Ship Building Co., Locust Point, Md., are very fully employed. The keel for two steel barges, capa- ble of holding 1,000 tons of coal each, are about to be laid. The barges are for the New York Automatic Scale & Barge Co. and will. be equipped with a patent unloading device which has already been described in the Review. Each barge will be 140 ft. in length, 30 ft. beam and 18 ft. deep. The company has put in a bid for the construction of a barge for the Standard Oil Co. and also for a tug for Flint, Eddy & Co. of New York. The Tacoma Ship Building Co., Tacoma, Wash., has the following contracts. under way: The four-masted wooden barkentine Thomas P. Emrigh for the Charles Nelson Co., San Francisco; four-masted barken- tine Arline for J. J. McKinnon of San Fraficisco; the steam schooner South Bay for E. J. Dodge of San Francisco; a passenger steamer, 110 ft. long, for A. W. Horn, San Francisco, and a fish steamer, 85 ft. long, for the Union Packing Co., Tacoma, Wash. W. A. Boole & Son of San Francisco will build-the first six-masted wooden schooners ever constructed on the Pacifié9*oast. Contracts for two of them have just been given to the firm by San Francisco parties. The vessels will be of the following dimensions: Length, 315 ft.; beam, 45 ft.; depth, 16.8 ft. The keels will be laid shortly. Messrs, Sinn & Page, naval architects and marine engineers, of Spar- row's Point, Md., have secured an order to build a steamer of the follow- ing dimensions for the Woodsum Steamboat Co.: Length between per- pendiculars, 50 ft.; length over all, 55 ft.; beam, molded, 12 ft. The steamer will be used on Lake Sunapec. The Portland Ship Building Co., Portland, Me., has elected the fol- lowing officers: John H. Humphrey, president; Edmund R. Norton, treasurer; Ralph S. Norton, clerk; Nathan R. Dyer, superintendent. Davis Bros., Gloucester, Mass., have contracted with Tarr & James, -Essex, Mass., for an auxiliary gasoline engine fishing schooner of the fol. lowing dimensions: Length, 118 ft.; beam, 25 ft.; depth, 10 ft. 6 in. GOLD WATCH FROM THE GOVERNMENT. A Montreal dispatch says: Sir Thomas Shaughness residen the Central Pacific Railway, has presented to Capt. Cobree Wetcuaall . the company's lake steamer Athabasca, a valuable gold watch and chain, the time piece bearing the inscription, 'From the president of the oa States Se ee PM cPoueell for humane services performed in the rescue of the captain and crew of the Uni on Lake Superior, fide 29, 1901." Ree cartons _It will be recalled that on that date the Athabasca sighted the Preston which was lumber laden, flying a flag of distress and in a sinking con- dition. Coming to the barge's assistance the captain of the Athabasca seeing no chance of saving the barge or its cargo, put all his efforts to save the crew, which he succeeded in doing with one exception, the wheelman, who lost his life line, and was crushed between the two boats The crew of the Athabasca contributed $100 towards the relief of the unfortunate sailor s widow. This present was sent by President Roosevelt to the office of foreign affairs in London, and turned over'by Lord Lans- downe to the secretary of state for the colonies, Joseph Chamberlain; and by him sent to Lord Minto, governor general of : ( it to President Shaughnessy for final tae oes yes aes yQ _ ae et < i , Past The W. D. Forbes Co., machinists. of No. 1300 Hudson'. b des pt . : ae . 'Pe ' byt . ' On'. St tt aro- Aken, N. J., was incerporated. last week with a dapibaleathets iaicane Ol. Edwin A. Steyens,-the Castle Point millionaire; who long: has heen interested im the ¢ompany, has developed nearly alb of his' mechanical in- ventions ijn the. Forbes shops. The colonel gets hi : working at a bench in the shops with skilled nechanivs on °*CTS! [January 23, FAVOR ACCEPTING THE PANAMA OFFER. The president has sent to the senate the isthmian canal commission's report on the offer of the Panama Canal Co. to sell its rights and property . to the United States for $40,000,000. The commission reports unanimously in favor of accepting the offer, which it finds was made in good faith and includes all the property held by the company. This offer remains in force until March 4, 1903, and the directors have been given full power to act. The cablegram from President Bo of the canal company to Ad- miral Walker says everything will be conveyed, if the offer is accepted. This includes 30,000 acres which cover nearly all the land needed for the canal and 2,431 buildings, including two permanent ones in Panama, a lot of machinery, launches, dredges, locomotives, cranes, surveying instru- ments and other supplies. The report says of the work done: The excavation already accomplished upon the main canal line, which will be of value in the plan favored by the commission, was carefully computed, and was found to be 36,689,965 cubic yards. As stated in the report of Nov. 16, 1901, the amount of excavation which can be utilized in the Chagres diversion is 210,873 cubic yards, and in the Gatun diversion 2,685,494 cubic yards. Adding these together, the total quantity of exca- vation which will be of value in the new plan is 39,586,332 cubic yards. A temporary diversion of the Panama railroad has been made at the Culebra cut, which also must be considered. The value of the work done is found to be: : Canal escavation <3 72..- 5. ee es ee $21,020,386 Chastee (diversities ee ree ts 178,186 Gatun diversion'... 2.5: Bere a ens Ce ett 1,396,456 Railroad diversion (four miles).......2..5...... oe eee 300,000 ACV Ola © otc ee es: es pee eee Paes $22,895,028 Contingencies, 20 per Cent = ..... oti eke cee eg fees 4 979,005 PR OO ey ee ee aes eee $27,474,083 The railroad company owes $986,918 to the Panama Canal Co., mainly on account of the construction of the pier at La Boca. Its total liabilities are $2,490,918, not counting the sinking fund subsidy bonds, for which the Colombian government has received the benefit and it should make allow- ance to the United States in the negotiations for treaty rights. Its cash assets Jan. 15, 1902, were $438,569.33. It owns three passenger and freight steamers of American registry, which constitute the Panama Railroad Steamship Co. Besides its rights of way, terminals, wharves and con- siderable areas of land, it owns nearly the whole town of Colon, the houses there being constructed under leases. The railroad company has no operating contracts which cannot be terminated in ninety days. The work of constructing the canal will largely increase the business of the railroad, and will enable it to pay off its liabilities in a very few years. After the completion of the canal its commercial profits will probably cease, but it will have a value incidental to operating the canal. The value of the maps, drawings and records, all of which are to be transferred to the United States, is placed at $2,000,000. Summing up the foregoing items the total value of the property is found to be: ; Excavation done: 21.44.05. i. eles a. oy eer? $27,474,033 Panama railroad stock at par... 3). 6.230. a yt a 6,886,300 Maps, drawings and records ......... Be eee et 2,000,000 $36,360,333 To which add 10 per cent. to cover commissions............. _ 3,639,667 TO ee a a $40,000,000 The last item is intended to cover buildings, machinery, railroad shares and other. matters. The commission concluded the Panama route would cost $45,480,000 less and would be 134 miles shorter than the Nicaragua. A vessel could pass through the Panama canal in twelve hours; by the other route in thirty-three hours. The Nicaragua would save time for vessels going north. 'Cost of Nicaragua canal, $189,864,062; Panama, $184,233,358. It would take ten years to build the shorter canal and eight for the: Nicar- agua. It would be necessary to secure a new grant from Colombia to get control of the canal forever. Under the French agreement the property reverts to Colombia in 1910. It would cost $1,300,000 more to maintain the Nicaragua canal. The senate has not arranged for consideration of the canal question. Senator Morgan says the United States cannot buy the Panama line and be freed from its debts unless the French government guarantees that this country shall not be responsible for past liabilities. Secretary Hay will begin negotiations with Senor Silva, the Colombian minister to the United States, for the conclusion of a protocol setting forth the arrangements on which Colombia will concede to the United States the necessary rights and privileges this government will require to undertake the completion of the Panama canal. CONSOLIDATION OF OCEAN STEAMSHIP LINES. During the past few days the newspapers have been full of a reported consolidation of the Red Star, Leyland, Atlantic Transport, Cunard and White Star lines and that Mr. Morgan has in hand a combination of ocean carriage that will rival in magnitude his famous Steel Corporation. There is undoubtedly. something in the reports but not as much as the newspapers seem to think. It is extremely unlikely that the White Star -and Cunard lines are to be included--at any rate as far as their passenger business is concerned. It is more than likely that the Leyland line, 'Atlantic Transport and part of the business of the International Naviga- tion Co. will be consolidated. Interests in these lines are very closely associated and it would not be a difficult matter to merge them.into one company; though it is understood. that whatever the form of merger may~ be the. companies will maintain theit independent existences as the under- lying) companies of: the, Steel' Corporation now-do. -However, a party. of gentlemen will reach this. cotintry>on Thursdaylon .therC€éltic to discuss the subject andswe shall doubtless: know! more abotit\it when 'the week is Overy 7 ATO " 7 th ealtow