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24 MARINE REVIEW. -- ny AMERICAN COAL TO EUROPE. AN EXHAUSTIVE STUDY OF THE TRANSATLANTIC SHIPMENT OF COAL IS MADE --WHAT THE ACTUAL COST OF OPERATION WOULD BE. Messrs. Holmes and Goodenough of No. 21 State street, New York, have, at the request of the Coal Trade Journal, made an exhaustive report upon the transatlantic shipment of American coal for the benefit of those who, seeking a safe and profitable investment, may have had their atten- tion turned in that direction. The article was prepared after consultation with a number of gentlemen prominent in shipping and coal circles. The major part of the article is as follows: Thanks to the improved working methods and the judicious intro- duction of the most efficient mining machinery, the American output of coal exceeds that of the United Kingdom, while it is admitted that in calorific qualities the coal is fully equal to the very best British. Con- sular reports from various parts of Europe show that American coal has long been favorably known, and that, but for the lack of economical and systematic transportation, a regular and profitable trade would long ago have been established. That only ships of large size can be truly econ- omical in carrying cargoes like coal across the Atlantic is evident, and it is our purpose to show how a steamer, specially designed for the coal trade and carrying 10,000 tons, can be economically operated. For comparison's sake we will state the first cost and running ex- penses of a steamer built in the United States and operated under the American flag, and of one built abroad and sailing under a foreign flag. The highest skill whereof the naval architect and marine engineer are capable would have to be exercised in producing a steamer, which would be at the same time of moderate first cost, staunch and seaworthy, economical in the consumption of coal and easy of handling. That a steamer carrying coal to Europe would in most cases have to return in ballast, is probable, but it is believed that even under such conditions the undertaking would be a paying one, and it is not to be doubted that, when once the trade is properly established, some kind of return cargo will be found. Very large shipments of Spanish iron ore are being made to the United States, and for such a cargo the ship now contemplated would be eminently suitable. The steamer in question would be about 460 ft. long on the water line and 58 ft. beam, and approximately 6,500 tons gross and 4,400 tons net tonnage, and would carry her. cargo of 10,000 gross tons of coal on a draught not exceeding 26 ft. The propelling machinery would be of a power sufficient for a mean speed of 10 knots per hour at sea, and placed as far aft as possible in order to leave, for the greater convenience in load- ing and discharging, a series of hatches, equally spaced. Provision would be made for water ballast, not only in double bottom but also in deep tanks, so that, in addition to obtaining the requisite immersion for proper - working of the propellers, the center of gravity of ballast would be suffi- ciently high to ensure the ship's easy behavior in a seaway. While it is well known that at several European ports the facilities for loading and discharging are not at present such as could accommodate a ship of 10,000 tons, drawing 26 ft., these facilities will no doubt be fotthcoming when it is a a permanent trade of great magnitude has been firmly estab- ished. ' For a long time Great Britain has been seriously concerned about her coal supply, and fears are now frequently expressed that the exports are excessive, this condition of affairs being emphasized by the appointing of a royal commission to inquire into the possible exhaustion of the coal fields. As a consequence of decreased exports, the price of British coal on the continent of Europe cannot fail to rise, thus rendering the outlook for American transportation considerably brighter. : The machinery for such a vessel as we are considering must neces- sarily be in keeping with its ship, and, therefore, will be as economical as is possible to make it without the introduction of mechanism and parts which will require the services of a greater number of more skillful engi- neers, or need a greater amount of repairs than is given to first rate vessels of the present time. The average modern vessel built since 1896 con- sumes 1.6 lbs. of coal per indicated horse power per hour, the lowest known consumption of marine engines being .97 lbs. per indicated horse power obtained on a trial trip. There should, however, be no great diffi- _ culty in obtaining machinery capable of 1% lbs. of coal per indicated horse power per hour. While twin screws would slightly decrease the efficiency of the motive power as a whole, in the average of a year. crossing the At- lantic ocean they would amply make up for it in speed during light draught and in heavy seaways. The rate of insurance should also de- crease as a result of having duplicate machinery. There will be no ad- dition to the engine-room force at this power because of the duplication. __ Any reasonable sum spent in making a vessel of this class economical is money well spent. For instance, suppose we save % lb. of coal per indicated horse power per hour; then with 3,000 indicated horse power, 300 days of steaming per year, the total saving of fuel in one year on this size of vessel would amount to 2,410 gross tons, and with bunker coal at $3.00 per ton this means a gross saving in running expenses of $7,230. And further, let us assume that in order to obtain machinery of this de- scription we are obliged to add $20,000 to the first cost, and this is a lib- eral amount; with capital cost per year at 1514 per cent. (insurance, inter- est, depreciation) of first cost we have the yearly expense of the invest- ment as $3,100. Now deduct this from $7,230. and we shall have a net Saving to our running expenses of $4,130 per year. In addition to this we increase the earning capacity of cur ship by the amount of extra cargo which we can carry where this bunker coal was. If the dost of transport- ing the coal is $1.50 per ton, then for ten trips, or one year's work, we could carry 2,410 tons of paying coal at $1.50 per ton, owing to the economy of the machinery. This would amount to $3,615. dr a total sav- ing"to the ship per year of $7,745, or a profit of 38.7 per cent. on the extra investment.' We insert this example because, at least in this coun. try, the economy of steamships is given too little attention. n--For reference, a table of distances in knots: by the tio : -- ween American and European ports is most direct navigable routes bet here inserted: Newport News to Hamburg ...---++:ccercttttts: ae knots <é Re re cc ee een et a ees 278 : UR os yee wait Aes 3,101 Bordeaux «.c- 4 seen ites eset ee uses 3,304 fs AP apeeilleS «<b ee a ys css tee et tee 4,005 : Baltimore © PWamburg ..-.cececeertresr iste oie ' S ee i ea teenie sts das ' . RO ge les tae oh 3,268 : s OP eA ogc aoe ce eh es 3,501 : . 1 Warseiles « <.-s..- 2000 ene Se te 4,172 Philadelphia amd 6 ks ee eee dan eee es oe a yi ee ae Rta Hee 3,284 : y eee i we ene ee eee 3,107 % Bordcaus tose ae cots as es 3,340 " MO NEA PSCIUES: . oa pees Cae ee poet |e 4,030 " We assume for the vessel under consideration that she will travel 3,800 knots each way, or a round trip voyage of ee ce L conomical speed will be 10 knots per hour loaded and 11 knots per ghir iene or 940 'lertots per day loaded and 264 knots per day light, which would make the total steaming days per voyage 30. By the above named speeds we mean 10 and 11 knots as an average at sea all the year around, which would mean trial trip speeds of 11% to 12% knots. We shall assume the loading and unloading appliances on the docks to which this vessel will go to be of modern construction and that the total lay days per voyage will not be greater than five. That such speed of stevedoring can be easily obtained is within the author's knowledge. Then. from the above, we have a voyage taking 35 days, or let us say ten nore: voyages of 7,600 knots per year, with a vacation for overhauling. As we have just. determined, the number of days steaming are 300, which, with 3,000 I.H.P., 1% lbs. consumption of coal per indicated horse 'power we will have a total yearly consumption for steaming purposes of 12,000 tons. For work in port, such as running winches, banking fires, galley purposes and electric light, we may allow 300 tons, making a total of 12,300 tons bunker coal per year. At $3.00 per ton this would amount to $36,900. i Wages.--It is not the intention of this article to advocate the opera- tion of vessels under any one flag, but the difference in wages, mainten- ance and capital cost is so variable between different countries that it be- comes imperative in order to be clear to state cost under different flags. To this end we tabulate from conservative and authentic sources the wages, maintenance and capital costs of vessels operated under the American, British and Scandinavian flags. In this table below we in- clude such men comprising the crew of the vessel as will be sufficient to keep her thoroughly keyed up-to her duty as a machine for carrying coal. The bunkers would be made self-trimming to the extent that no trimmers will be necessary in the stoke hold. As many managers consider it good business to encourage their captains and engineers with a yearly bonus, we have added that also. On account of the British and Scandinavian vessels not touching at home ports each trip, the wages for these steamers will be considerably in excess of what they would if the crews were signed at home. American. British. Scandinavian. Rating. Rate. Total per Rate. Total per Rate. Total per month. month. ' month. Cantaiine pein. gaa: $200.00 $145.00 $130.00 | IESE COMNCeT, aka ct sts 90.00 51.03 35.00 Second' officer- c2 264 70.00 36.45 28.00 Third Of Ger -acsus o<dus 50.00 29.16 21.00 - Three quartermasters. . $30.00 90.00. $21.87: 65.61 $15.00 45.008 One carpenter 2.02... 40.00 31.59 17.50 Six sailors 6 25.00 150.00 20.65 123.90 10.50 63.00 Ome COOK Gs. cast ao. 60.00 31.59 17.50 One messhboy........; 25.00 14.58 5.00 Chief engineer ........ 150.00 S711 75.00 First assistant ene..... 90.00 62.10 : 50.00 Second assistant eng... 75.00 45.14 40.00 Third assistant eng.... 60.00 34.02 28.00 Four-oilers, 22.2.4. 40.00 160.00 23,08. 92.32 15.00 60.00 Ven firemen. o.oo 40.00 400.00 23.08 230.80 15.00 150.00 Total per ship per month $1,710.00 $1,081.20 $765.00 Total per ship per year 20,520.00 12,974.40 9,180.00 POMS oot od ek 200.00 200.00 200.00 $20,720.00 _ $13,174.40 $9,380.00 Maintenance of Crew.--The cost of maintaining the crew varies Grand. total (252 fas, greatly, as can be seen below. The extent of the bill of fare is not inter- fered with by the British government, and private agreement brings it greatly below that permitted by the laws of the United States. The values given below will be found to be a fair average: American, British. Scandinavian. . Cost per man per day... $ .45 S25 $ .30 Cost per 34 men per day.... ---15.30 1190 10.20 Cost per year of 360 days.$5,508.00 $4,284.00 $3,672.00 Tonnage Dues.--Thé gross registered tonnage for a vessel of the description which we are considering is about 6,500, and the net registered tonnage about 4,400. _ . The tonnage tax of all vessels entering United States ports from foreign ports is 6 cents per ton per entry, not to exceed 30 cents per ton per year. Thus the United States tonnage charges on our vessel will amount to $1,320 per year. The tonnage tax of vessels entering French ports is one franc (19.38 cents) per net registered ton if the total number of tons discharged is greater than half the net registered tonnage. For ten entries per.year this would be $1.93 per ton per year, or a total, of $8,492." To this has to be added a sanitary tax of 15 centimes per ton, which adds $127.38 yearly, making a total of French port dues of $8,620, -- or, in order to cover fire guard, passport and stamp, say about $9,000. [February 13, 7