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24 MARINE REVIEW. [May 15 DEATH OF JOHN T. HUTCHINSON. The death of John T. Hutchinson, vessel owner of Cleveland, was not unexpected, but it was nevertheless a shock to the vessel community in Cleveland. He died in his office in the Perry-Payne building at 4 o'clock Wednesday afternoon. He had been to the office very little of late. In about six weeks he had been down town only once and that a few days ago. He had been ailing all winter. Heart trouble had made a great change in him. Less than a year ago he was apparently in the best of health. When he dropped into the office Wednesday, cheerful as he always was, he said he was feeling very much improved. For prob- ably two hours he talked with W. H. McGean, a member of the firm of Hutchinson & Co., and with the other men around the office. He was com- fortable in a rocking chair that he had used very much when he was at the of- fice every day. Nothing happened to excite or disturb him. Suddenly the men around him saw him gasp for breath and his head fell. There was no strug- gle. He was probably dead before he had been lifted tenderly to a couch that was only a few feet away. Physicians were called and one of them was on hand in a few minutes, but his hurry was of no avail. Mr. Hutchinson was very highly regarded in vessel circles. Practically his entire life was spent at the business. He had friends in all parts of the lakes. His manner of doing business, according to the old school, was plain and upright. He was of a genial disposition, not at all given to worry, and his happy manner made friends in his business affairs, but he was after all very much of a home man, especially of late years. Oswego, N. Y., was Mr. Hutchinson's birthplace. He came to 'Cleveland at twenty- five years of age and soon thereafter became interested in vessels. His first vessel was the schooner Ellen White, a craft that would be regarded as a very small affair now. His interests in the Ellen White type of boat gradually increased until he built the schooner Emma C, Hutchinson in 1873. When she was built the Emma C. Hutchinson was one of the finest vessels on the lakes. Mr. Hutchinson's first steel vessel was the 5,000-ton steamer that bears his name and which is only in her second year. He was sixty-eight years of age Sept. 12 last. He is survived by his widow, who was before marriage Emma C. Camp of Cleveland; by a son, Charles L. Hutchinson, who is also in the vessel business, and by a daugh- ter, Mrs. S. A. Mintz. MR. FOSS SOUNDS A NOTE OF WARNING. The naval appropriation bill, which provides for two new battleships, two armored cruisers and two gunboats, and carries a total of $77,650,000, was taken up in the house of representatives this week. Representative Foss of Illinois, chairman of the naval committee, in opening the debate sounded a note of warning against the over-confident belief that our navy is invincible. He said that, while we have 138 ships built and building, yet comparatively few of them have any real fighting value. Most of those now building are what are termed peace boats. "T know," Mr. Foss said, "that there are some who think that just because we whipped Spain in a fight of a hundred days and lost only a single life that we could wipe out the fleets of the navies of the world. There is an impression that the American navy is strong and powerful. Yes, it is, so far as it goes. I believe we have better officers, better men, and that our ships, ship for ship, are better than those of any navy in the world. But do not let us delude ourselves with the thought that because we whipped a little nation, which had only a little navy, that therefore we can whip anything that comes along. It would have been to our ever- lasting shame if our two fleets at Manila and Santiago had not sunk both of the Spanish fleets. Why? Because they. were superior; they had a greater tonnage, each one of them. I have a statement showing the relative comparison of the two fleets at the battle of Manila and the battle of Santiago, and, while I would not for a single moment disparage the bravery and the courage of our American officers and men and the value of our ships, yet if there is any lesson to be learned from the Spanish- American war it is that superior men, superior ships, both in tonnage, in armament and in armor, superior gunnery, superior marksmanship, will win in the future as they have won in the past." LEWIS NIXON'S SHIP YARD INCORPORATED. The ship building establishment of which Lewis Nixon is the head has filed articles of incorporation at Elizabeth, N. J., under the title of the Crescent Ship Yards 'Co., the papers showing an authorized capital of $1,200,000 divided into shares of $100 each. The corporation is a continu- ation of the old organization, which has leased for the last eight years the ship yard of the Samuel L. Moore & Sons Co.. The new organization is privileged to do many things, including mining, manufacturing and transportation of every description. Mr. Nixon said that he had a great many contracts in his own name, and that the company was incorporated simply to protect his associates in the business against any possible en- tanglements in case of the death of himself or any other member of the company. It is rumored in Elizabeth that the Crescent Ship Yards Co. will soon absorb the Samuel L. Moore & Sons' Crescent Iron Works, opposite the ship yard, which does a large amount of work for the yard. Mr. Nixon had an option on the iron works, but it expired two years ago. The Moore & Sons' (Co. stands ready, a member of the firm said to sell the plant to Mr. Nixon for a specific price in cash, but not for securities in the new ship building corporation. This Mr. Nixon had previously offered, but it was not satisfactory to the other firm. _ Alfred Jones of the Elder, Dempster Steamship Co. has offered free passage, annually, to Canadians and Americans holding Rhodes scholar- ships at Oxford." a ee AMERICAN STEAMSHIP GO.'S BONDS LISTED. Recently there was listed on the New York stock exchange $5,452,000 first mortgage 5 per cent. gold bonds of 1920 of the American Steamship Co. of West Virginia, owned by the American Steel & Wire Co. The stock of this company was transferred on June 4, 1901, to the Pittsburgh Steamship Co., which is the name under which the United States Steel Corporation operates its lake fleet. Accompanying the application for listing of the bonds is the following statement of the earnings of the American Steamship 'Co. during the years 1899 and 1900: EARNINGS AND EXPENSES DURING THE YEAR 1899, Steamer earnings 6.656 . a5 ss fase ee Sie te eee. fo $696,151.76 Opetfating: Expense. .. 2'... 6. cee ve es cee enae ste $258,996.62 Full ansurance wi... oe es ce ee 42,676.29 RCDAITS i nd os bo nck cs cme ca 9,184.23». 310,857.14 Net edrnines .....o $385,294.62 Leds expenses; et nicc: - . cues ee cw ee $ 26,922.55 Ihéss ebond= interest. 220... 0 oe oc ce 12,605.83 --_---- 39,528.38 Net: :profit- for 1890 2 oo. wee is oy ks es ce a ee $345,766.24 Surplus: trom: :Zenith Transit Gowen. 3. cos 6 eee ee el 66,569.15 $412,335.39 sess dividends: paid: ini 18997... ccat sag ese oe et ee 349,000.00 Surplus: Dec.::81, 1899s te ee $ 68,335.39 The above represents earnings from July 1 on the five Zenith Transit Co. boats, namely, Queen City, Crescent 'City, Empire City, Zenith City and Superior City, and from October on the W. H. Gilbert. EARNINGS AND EXPENSES DURING THE YEAR 1900. Sten nier earnine se es oc as vce « -$1,550,987.90 Operating: expense' 2.3 .4.4.-: Dee, ON PI ae $614,429.45 Pll insurance <0... 2554. ae. Bt le ieee 117,892.67 Repaihs 42750007. ae i as 5,000.67 Loss on-insurance -disasters, 1000.25: ..5.6.005.%3 2,702.42 : 740,025.21 Net' catninws. 0020, fe. 50 7). ed Pa ee $810,962.69 Sundry" credits, "insurance; etd. 220 eee ee ieee. ae 8,022.94 $818,985.63 Less expense, ete.) i. 1k a ee $ 31,197.89 Less bond interest and preimitims.)7.2..... 0.0.04. 26,021.69 57,219.58 Net -profit-for 1900.49. 32.0086. ee. A $761,766.05 Surplis Dedc.317- 1800 250, ee i ees 63,335.39 $825,101.44 Less dividends: paid in 1900...0. 2.0.22: ero ee 600,000.00 Surplus Dee. .B1 10008. 22) ae ee $225,101.44 The above represents earnings of steamers as follows: Zenith City, 3,429 tons; Queen City, 3,198 tons; Empire 'City, 3,269 tons; Superior City, 3,694 tons; Crescent City, 3,676 tons; W. H. Gilbert, 2,200 tons, for whole season; J. W. Gates, 4,440 tons, from May to end of season; I. L. EIl- wood, 4,432 tons, from June to end of season; Wm. Edenborn, 4,482 tons, from July to end of season; J. J. Hill, 4,578 tons, from May to end of season; A. B. Wolvin, 1,587 tons, from August to end of season; W. P. Palmer, 1,609 tons, from July to end of season. SHIP BUILDING IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. From the returns compiled by Lloyd's register of shipping it appears that, excluding war ships, there were 481 vessels of 1,240,344 tons gross under construction in the United Kingdom at the close of the quarter ended March 31, 1902. The particulars of the vessels in question are as follows, similar details being given for the corresponding period in 1901 for the purpose of comparison: March 31, 1902. March 81, 1901. DESCRIPTION. No. Gross tonnage. No. Gross tonnage. STEAM. : SteO]) es ee a ee 399 1,213,144 410 1,293,071 TRON fice css is cee ees oa oa or ep ene 1 200 1 190 Wood and Composite... i... 5.5. se. eek A 160 4 902 Peal a a 401 '1,213,504 415 «1,294,168 SAIL Stee) oes ics ecg onset eee 15 25,283 9 7,120 TROD ee oboe sc nes sc Mee ECs sistas Roe es re er a eee Wood and -compositesc:3.%.; 50... <c.cuek.: 15 1,557 20 1,833 Total occ. 6 Mie ieee. 30 26,840 29 8,953 Total steam and<sail i032. e2csass 431 1,240,344 444 1,308,116 Compared with last quarter's figures the present return shows a de- crease in the tonnage under construction of about 119,000 tons. Of the vessels under construction in the United Kingdom at the end of March, 363 of 981,457 tons are under the supervision of the surveyors of Lloyd's register with a view to classification by that society. In ad- dition, eighty vessels of 311,950 tons are building abroad with a view to classification. The total building at the present time under the super- vision of Lloyd's register is, thus, 443 vessels of 1,293,407 tons. During the quarter ended March 381, 109 vessels of 221,799 gross ton- nage were begun and 136 vessels of 302,366 gross tonnage were launched. The dominion government has made a contract with the Halifax & West India Steamship Co. for a monthly service between Halifax and Jamaica, which will continue in force until Dec. 31, 1906. The steamer to be used is the Beta! of 1,037 tons register. The company is td' receive a subsidy, of $13,800 per ai num, or at the rate of '$1,150 a trip for, twelve trips. o ; als