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hee. MARINE REVIEW. _ 17 ORDERING LAKE FREIGHTERS FOR 1903. Orders for six steel freighters of the 5,000 to 6,000-ton kind, to come out in 1903, have been announced from the Cleveland office of the Ameri- can Ship Building Co. within the past few days, and it is understood that there are still four more steamers (Canadian canal size) under contract, but about which no information has been given out as yet by the builders. These four smaller steamers are for the Wolvin syndicate that is to develop a special trade in grain, package freight, etc., down the St. Lawrence to Quebec. Of the six large steam freighters ordered within the past few days five are for interests represented by Capt. W. W. Brown of Cleve- land and one is for the Messrs. Hawgood, also of Cleveland. Both Capt. Brown and the Messrs. Hawgood placed orders early last year with the ship building combination for large vessels, and they are now aug- menting their fleets, notwithstanding the hesitancy of other vessel owners in this regard on account of the enormous increase in vessel capacity on the lakes within the past few years. In placing orders now they are evi- dently prompted by conditions regarding the supply of material for new ships. No matter what effect freight conditions for the balance of the present year may have upon the business of another season, it is more than probable that as far as prices are concerned there is nothing to be gained for some time to come by delaying orders for new vessels, as manufacturers of shapes and plates are so crowded with work that there is even doubt now of getting material at any price for ships to be delivered next spring. These orders certainly give the ship building combination a very good start on another year's business. With only a few more con- tracts they will have new work enough to insure, with the regular run of repairs, employment for most of their plants until the spring of 1903. The United States: Transportation Co., a corporation in which L. © Smith of Smith-Premier typewriter fame and other Syracuse (N. Y.) capitalists are interested, is the organization which Capt. Brown repre- sents in placing the order for five freighters. These same interests ordered five steamers a year ago and Capt. Brown is now managing them, to- gether with three or four smaller vessels. Capacity of the five new steamers will range from 5,000 to 6,200 tons. The largest will be 434 ft. over all, 414 ft. keel, 50 ft. beam and 28 ft. deep. Three of them will be 400 ft. over all, 380 ft. keel, 50 ft. beam and 28 ft. deep. The smallest will be 390 ft. over all, 370 ft. keel, 48 ft. beam and 28 ft. deep. They will all have triple-expansion engines and Scotch boilers, and the boilers in all cases will be fitted with Ellis & Eaves induced draft. The vessels will be built at the Lorain and South Chicago yards, and are to be com- pleted April 15, 1903. The Hawgood vessel will be a duplicate of the steamers Etruria and Bransford of the Hawgood fleet which came out this season. She will be 484 ft. over all, 414 ft. keel, 50 ft. beam and 28 ft. deep. She will have triple-expansion engines and Scotch boilers. This steamer will also be ready for service by the opening of navigation next spring. The Craig Ship Building Co. of Toledo is also assured of new work running into next spring. Arrangements were made a short time ago with Thomas Adams of the Adams Transportation Co., Detroit, for the construction of a duplicate of the large freight steamer Thomas Adams, now nearing completion at the Toledo works, the new vessel to be delivered early next spring. The builders will be part owners of this vessel. The Thomas Adams, now about completed at Toledo, has a length of 355 ft., 50 ft. beam, and a molded depth of 28 ft., her carrying capacity being placed at about 5,000 tons. Capt. Nicholson and Engineer Watts, pe: in the old Tom Adams, now the Langham, will take out the new boat. Officials of the Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Co, are considering the advisability of adding another side-wheeler or two to their fleet of big passenger and freight steamers. If they are to have even one new steamer for next spring they must take action at once. It is the general opinion that they will order either one or two new vessels but that they will not be completed until the spring of 1904. Of course the new steamers will be built at the works of the Detroit Ship Building Co., where all the Detroit & Cleveland line boats have been built, and they will undoubtedly be of the largest and finest kind. The steamer Tuscarora, which struck 2% miles off shore and about 5 miles south of Manitowoc a few days ago, was docked for survey at the Shipowners' Dry Dock Co., Chicago, on Tuesday. The survey showed that it will be necessary to renew thirty-two plates on the port side, ten keel plates, six plates on the starboard side and 125 floors and frames. It is estimated that she will be in dry dock three weeks. The Johnson-Knudson Co., ship carpenters and contractors of 34 Robert street, Chicago, have been steadily increasing their facilities until they have quite a large business in repairs to wooden vessels. Vessel men express satisfaction with their work. They have a branch office at 288-290 So. Water street. Steamer Wilkesbarre, which stranded at Caribou island, will be in dock at Buffalo for a couple of weeks. Fifty plates have been taken off and all her floors for 20 ft. back from the bow must be replaced. She is also twisted aft and a large section of fender strake is being put on. Another quarterly dividend of 134 per cent. on the preferred stock of the American Ship Building Co. has just been declared. It is payable July 15. Stock transfer books close July 5 and will be reopened July 16. EXPORTS OF IRON AND STEEL. The exportation of manufactures during the eleven months ending with May, 1902, is greater than that of any preceding year, except in iron and steel. The total exports of manufactures for the eleven months ending with May amount to $371,647,609, against $378,533,496 in the eleven months of 1901, or only $6,885,887 less than those of last year. The ex- ports of iron and steel manufactures for the eleven months are $90,780,571, against $109,483,827 in the corresponding months of last year, a reduction of $18,703,256. From this it would appear that the exports of manufac- tures other than iron and steel are $11,817,369 greater than in the corre- sponding months of the preceding year. The exports of manufactures other than iron and steel are, for the eleven months ending with May, 1902, $280,867,0388. For the eleven months ending with May, 1901, they were $269,049,669. For the eleven months ending with May, 1900, they were $283,050,704, but when it is remembered that these figures included the exports to Porto Rico and Hawaii, which are not included in those of 1901 and 1902, it becomes apparent that the exports of manufactures other than iron and steel in the eleven months of the present fiscal year are greater than those for the same period in any preceding year in this his- tory of our commerce. oe _ While the exports of iron and steel have been decreasing, importations of iron and steel have been increasing. The following table shows the imports and exports of iron and steel manufactures in eleven months of each of the fiscal years 1900, 1901 and 1902: Eleven Imports Exports months. iron and steel. iron and steel. 1900 0s ae ee $18,689,857 $110,038,875 1901 A eee ne ee 16,408,996 109,483,827 1902. Moi 23,544,325 90,780,571 From this it will be seen that the importations of iron and steel manu- factures have materially increased during the three years, and the exporta- tions of iron and steel materially decreased. The cause of this change in the condition of the foreign commerce in iron and steel is discussed in the report of the Iron and Steel Association, just received by the treasury bureau of statistics, as follows: "A marked change has taken place in our foreign trade in iron and steel since this subject was prominently referred to in our annual reports in 1899 and 1900. In 1899 and immediately preceding years the iron and steel industries of Europe were exceptionally prosperous; there was an active demand and prices were high. In the years just prior to 1899 the prices of iron and steel in the United States were lower than they had ever been. Under these conditions we naturally found opportunities to dis- pose of our surplus iron and steel products in neutral markets and even in the home markets of our European competitors. But these con- ditions have materially changed; the European demand and European prices have declined and the home demand upon our own iron and steel works has greatly increased while our prices have advanced; hence sharper competition in neutral and all foreign markets and increased foreign com- petition in our own markets. The figures of increased imports and de- creased exports of iron and steel should not be hastily dismissed by our iron and steel manufacturers. We hope that they will lead them instead to dismiss the thought that the world's markets for iron and steel are to be easily captured and held. The activity in our export trade in iron and steel in the last few years was exceptional and abnormal. Not only is Europe adopting our improved methods of manufacture but it will always have cheap labor, and by these agencies it can hold its own markets and actively and aggressively contend for the possession of neutral markets. For our iron and steel industries, as well as for all other domestic manu- facturing industries, our home market must always be our best market." The following table shows the exports by principal classes during the eleven months ending with May, 1901 and 1902, respectively: Products of-- 1901. 1902. ° Agriculture... 05...5..... = $884,424,916 $805 ,622,656 Mantilacturés::..0:.05..32.0 878,533,496 371,647,609 Mining 05.3.7... 35,626,488 36,190,756 Forests 20. 3.0..5....3100 49,472,249 43,339,726 Pisheri€s ...0.003..3...5 0 7,454,347 7,440,629 Miscellaneous = ....555.55.. | 4,447,939 5,069,192 'otal domestic 2.5..4. 3. $1,359,959,485 $1,269,310,568 Foreign expotts ..3......-, 25,031,293 23,467,850 Total exports «........ ..) $1,384,990,728 $1,292,778,418 ANOTHER VIEW OF MR. MORGAN. English technical journals are determined not to let Mr. Morgan alone since he has invested in shipping property. The Engineer of Lon- don has this to say of him now: 4 "Tt will be remembered that, in writing about the Atlantic shipping trust, we have repeatedly said that it is not with the United States, but with Mr. Morgan, that we have to take count. We have explained that his action is in no way localized by patriotism; and that it is an unim- portant accident that he is an American citizen. A remarkable confirma- tion of the soundness of our views is afforded by the utterances of a well- known American jurisconsult, reported by the Vienna correspondent of the Times. This gentleman holds, as we do, that it is Mr. Morgan, and not the United States, with whom the rest of the world has to do. He goes on to say that whatever apprehension may be aroused by the rapacity of these trusts or a consideration of the effects of their extension to Europe, is but a trifling circumstance compared to the feeling on the sub- ject in the United States itself. This adverse sentiment springs from a perception of the fact that such men as Mr. Morgan may involve the country in foreign complication of serious import. For a time delight may be taken in the apparent expansion of American commerce and American influence; but it will soon be found that for these things the syndicates care nothing, and they would have no more compunction in injuring the United States than they would have in injuring Great Britain or Germany, so long as they made money. The American lawyer goes on: 'For a short time the public in the United States may be deceived by the fact that such movements are labelled American, and that the entire country is credited with the increased power and influence which in truth belongs only to a few individuals. But eventually they will forcibly rea- lize that there is a point beyond which individual power and influence can- not be permitted to take root in a republic.' He is confident that the great body of American citizens would resent to the utmost any action taken by their own government which would tend to estrange friendly nations in order to aggrandize the 'overloaded coffers of the trust magnate." Whether he is or is not right in assuming so much it is not for us to decide; no doubt he understands his countrymen better than we do. This is not the point, however. It is that a high authority endorses our arguments, and is quite as insistent as we have been that it is Mr. Morgan and not the United States against the world." The Cleveland Pneumatic Tool Co. of 'Cleveland has purchased a tract of land on Hawthorne and Second avenues and will at once begin the erection of modern factory-buildings. They will employ about 150 men in the new works.