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DEVOTED TO NAVIGATION, COMMERCE, ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE. ESTABLISHED 1878. PusiisHEp Every THURSDAY BY THE MARINE RECORD PUBLISHING CO. Incorporated. al Aye PUT SGU N a tecgiecsnsi cs w supia cle sys fea bg © a ere ace wyels Sis) Manager GAPT JOHN: \SWAINSON: 1). sieve clak in Sisco 20 Wie ols .....Hditor CLEVELAND, CHICAGO. Western Reserve Building. Royal Insurance Building. : SUBSCRIPTION. One copy, one vear, postage paid..... Dees ne cetie eae nine $2.00 One copy, one year, to foreign countries............. $3.00 Invariably in advance. ADVERTISING. Rates given on application. All communications should os addressed to the Cleveland office, THE MARINE RECORD PUBLISHING CO. Western Reserve Building, Cleveland, O. Entered at Cleveland Postoffice as second-class mail matter. No attention is paid to anonymous communications, but the wishes of contributors as to the use of their names will be scrupulously regarded. CLEVELAND, O., FEBRUARY 13, 1902. SHIPBUILDING IN THE UNITED STATES. Lewis Nixon has an article in the February Cosmopoli- tan on the development of shipping in the United States, which has, he says, in the past two years called into being the one remaining factor that will make the United States ‘of America the great shipbuilding and shipowning coun. ‘try of the world. There is a steady demand for ocean go- ing American bottoms. - The growth of the American shipyard has been slow, ow- ‘ing to the fact that shipbuilding and shipownirg in the ‘foreign trade have been discriminated against by United States laws. Formerly we built wooden vessels for all ‘the world, with our. advantages of abundant forests. ‘Tc- ‘day the conditions asito cheapness and quality of material for ‘the hulls are reproduced in steel, and Mr. Nixon ‘prophesies that we shall assuredly again build the world’s vessels as we did in the days of the wooden hulls. - The fact that English shipyards have such a demand ‘for ships of all types that they can afford to work each plant upon the particular type of vessel it can, best build, is the main reason why they build mercantile vessels to- day cheaper than we do. For the last ten years there has been a steady demand for vessels of war, and today we build them cheaper than they could be reproduced abroad. That shipowning is profitable, Mr. Nixon is satisfied, but he believes the same vessel can make more under a foreign flag then under the American flag today, and while trade may follow the flag, it appears naturally to sail under the flag which offers the lowest rates. Creat Britain, when she saw that.the vessel of iron was a better vessel commercially than the vessel of wood, gave Jarge orders for men-cf-war, and so enabled her ship- builders to put in metal-working plants and gain ex- perience in building metal vessels. It took us until 1887 to catch on. Up to that time all money appropriated for the Navy was spent in the Navy Yards and spent most extravagently, this article says. In 1882 we began our new nayy—built it by contract and built it with American workmen of Americin mater- ials. Today we have shipvards equal to the best abroad. “and in refinement and efficiency of product lead the world. The manufacturers of steel, guns armor and powder have all felt the quickening touch. ee _ Germany at first did very much as we did, building her ‘hulls in Navy Yards, but after the war with France, the great demand for new tonnage led to the placing of an or- der with a private yard, which was so well and quickly done that the Admiralty suddenly realized the military value of the commercial shipyard. And today Germany not only builds her own vessels, but numerous ard profit- able orders pour in upon her from all over the world for commercial and naval vessels, No nation produces better sailors than the United States, but they must be trained, and the opportunity for such training should be given under our own flag. * _ In conclusion Mr. Nixon says: “I consider a nation ‘vhich must depend upon other nations to do its carrying, yon the ocean, as undeveloped and tributary to the na- ns that carry for it. In case of a war between Great .5,046 newspapers and 655 parcels. THE MARINE RECORD. Britain and Germany, seventy-five per cent. of our export trade would be cut off.. Such a bottling-up of this country would produce wide-spread disaster. “A shipbuilding and shipowning policy will benefit every calling, profession and trade and bring the American ship- yard to the front as competitor with the foreign plants. and bring back the Americar sailor upon the ocean, “Shipping and shipyards developed to such an extent that we could carry a fair share of our own trade would keep at home two hundred million dollars now paid to for- eigners,.and take fully a quarter of a million men from the ranks of idle labor, who would earn at least one ,hun- dred and fifty millions a’ year.” a oe or STEAMSHIP INSPECTION. RULES. The government inspectors of steamboats have made several changes which will be of importance to owners and licensed officers on the lakes. The new change is that all boilers must be equipped with fusible plugs, made of brass and banca filling. ‘The inspectors will not pass a boat which has not -had its boilers fitted with these plugs, and Inspector C. H. West- cott, of the Eighth district, says that he will probably issue a circular letter later notifying owners of the new requirement. ae One of the strict measures adopted by the supervising inspectors is that many of the old style of plugs will not be accepted. Recent inspections after explosions, have revealed the fact that in many instances the fillings have failed to melt when the water in the boilers got low and that the purpose of the plug was, therefore, lost. Another important position taken by the supervising inspectors is that they may hereafter anticipate the expira- tion of licenses of masters, engineers, and pilots thirty days ahead of the actual expiration and renew the papers during the winter when business is dull. , Many of the papers run out in April, May and. June, and during this time the office force of the supervising in- spector is overcrowded, and the new move.was to shift a large part of this work. into the dull months as well as to make it easier for the officers whose licenses need re- newing. This new rule will go into effect in about two weeks, or immediately after the proceedings of the supervisors have been compiled by the secretary and printed. _——— —$$$ $$$ ‘'SO0O" CANAL COMMERCE. Statistical summary of lake commerce, through canals at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Ontario, for season of I90r: Mota, matle-tOsisy ses crac sae coud seas o tosoeScpaae beats 23,383,861,987 Total freight carried, net tons.............. 28,403,065 Total valuation placed on freight carried ... $280,906,865 Average value per ton of freight carried .... $10.21 -Total amount paid for freight transportation. $23,217,974.07 Average distance freight was carried, miles . 823.3 Cost per. mile, per ton, mills). 2... ..6.0..06% .99 Average cost per ton for freight transporta- LOM Rea pice eine ow atle On eat RTRs craw cliasbad $0.82 Total number registered vessels using canals. 803 Total number of passages by unregistered erait. carrying, treteht osu atin. 413 Time American canal was operated, days ... (}230 Time Canadian canal was operated, days ... ; 246 Total valuation placed on registered vessels. $60,556,100 Total number of passengers transported ... 50,063 Freight carried by Registered. vessels,: tons:.. cee... cee cc ee nies 28,353,205 Unregistered’ vessels7. tons: 6. viiis es 64 casi w 49,800 AMericani Vessels. Per COME =F <pye ciated aia ben © 96 Canadian vessels, per cent .............. are 4 Passengers carried by American vessels, per Gents ¢ ssi aiieeeie ns « 28 Wanadian vessels, pen.Cent so.c oped cote, tiers « 72 The canal post office delivered 118,270 pieces of mail dur- ing the season, consisting of 107,643 letters, 4,926 postals, In addition to this, 905 pieces were returned to the city post office after being held 30 days uncalled for, and 2,441 pieces were forwarded to new addresses. This shows an increase over the previous year of 13,683 pieces of mail. The carrying, distributing and delivery of marine mail was done by the office watch- men in addition to their regular duties of receiving mas- ters’ reports and keeping traffic records. —<—$_—$ $e ae ae Never before since the Civil War has the Navy De- partment been so at a loss to obtain officers for the vessels of the Navy as at the present time. If a glince be taken et the or’ers ta officers ‘sst.ed during the past tew wecks, it will be noticed how very few assignments to ¢c: mmis- sioned officers have been made. ‘Ihe truth is that ‘there are no officers left on shore duty whe can possibly be sent to sea, notwithstanding the fact that the Pureau of Navi- gation is only allowing a few months shore duty to officers of watch and division rank. It is stated at the Depart- ment, that matters have now reached such a point that it is impossible to commission a single vessel without placing some other craft out of service. Some relief will have to be afforded by the present Congress, unless it is the de- sire of that body to see many of the best vessels in the Navy rapidly deteriorate for want of proper care—Army and Navy Journal. ’ FEBRUARY 13, 1902, ICE IN RIVERS AND HARBORS. A general increase in the thickness of ice, as compared With:the reports of the previous week, is shown through- otit the northern districts. ‘The Mississinni is now frozen within a short distance ‘of Cairo, Ill., and from St. Louis to St. Paul the icé ranges from) 2 to 25 inches. In the Missouri’ice ranges from. 11 inches! at Kansas City to 25 inchés at Williston; at stations in the lake regions, from 5 to 30 inches, and in the rivers of New England from 4 to 22 inches. j The followitig reports have been received : : Gardiner, Me., February 10.—Snow 3 inches deep. Ice 12 inches thick. Weather very favorable for harvesting; fully one-third of the crop housed during the past week. Bangor, Me., February 10.—Snow 6 inches deep. Penob- scot river frozen; full of anchor ice. Albany, N. Y., February 11—Light covering of snow in Hudson Valley. Ice 20 inches thick in Lake George, and 13 inches: thick in Hudson river at Cedar hill. Sec- ond crop of ice in creeks ten inches: thick. . Harrisburg, Pa., February 10.—Susquehanna river closed early on the morning of February 7th. Cairo, Ill, February 10—Mississippi river. back of city frozen over; thickness of ice near shore 4.5 inches. Duluth, Minn., February 10—Lake ice extends 22 miles averaging 5 inches. As compared with the corresponding date of 1901 there is more ice in all northern districts, excepting New Eng- land and at stations on the upper Missouri river, where there is considerably less. James Berry, Weather Bureau: ———— Oa ’ THE HEAVENS IN FEBRUARY. Astronomical data for February, 1902, furnished to THE MarinE Recorp by the Washburn observatory: xi Mercury and, Venus are both evening stars the first part of the month; but. the;former is low and not-easily seen and the latter, though still a brilliant.evening star, is rapidly approaching the sun and diminishing in brightness. Venus .passes through inferior conjunction Feb. 14th, followed by Mercury Feb. 18th, so that both, planets. become morning stars late in the month, Mars is too close to the sun for observation. Jupiter and Saturn appear again in. the southeastern sky, in the early morning, the latter a_ little south and west of the brilliant Jupiter. The pair of planets rise about one hour before the sun. by the middle of the menth, The times of sunrise and sunset at Milwaukee for the - month are as follows: SUNSET. SUNRISE ebruaiy sic GHeN hee eo ak 7:08 5.103 Heb rte tyes ie cc cee ona 6:56 Bidz Hebriaie warn apes stews arent e 6:42 5:30... Pebriany een wuss elaten sce oie 6:31 5.239 The times of the moon’s phases are: Newemloon: tee ieys etek Rebruary.- Sans ee 7:22 a.m. First, quarter. pce ce ae February; 15; .22 0.4% 8:57 a. m. LMS Ul EegnalaYon aleenpees Rennie sae Cree February. 22.0 2% < 4:.:7103 asm The principal fixed stars visible durine the month in the evening hours are: To the west Capella, Aldebaran and the Pleiades. Near the meredian, the bright stars of the constellation Orion and Sirius. TO the east, Procyon, Regulus, and Castor and Pollux. ro oo THE ATLANTIC FERRY. To clip from twenty-four to thirty-six hours from the record time for crossing the Atlantic is the promise of the New York & European Steamship Co., a new trans-At- lantic. steamship line, which offers assurance of 'a speedy fulfillment: of its pledge. This company, which ‘has already applied for pier privileges in New York, and for- mulated the larger part of its plans, expects, by the sub- stitution of the turbine engine for that now in use, to secure a constant speed of 30 knots an hour in its new boats. Such speed will mean that passengers can be carried from this country to Europe in a little more than four days. The success that has attended the use of the turbine engine in Europe, and especially the remarkable speed that~has been secured thereby, has naturally raised the question as to its adaptability for trans-Atlantic steamers. In New York a strong company has been organized, and plans have been pretty well completed for this new line: To cut off a day in the time of crossing ‘the Atlantic will mean’ to bring enormous profits to the steamship company which succeeds in doing it. Fast mails, not only of this country, those which are beginning to pass through Australia and the far east, will naturally fall to the steameship company that can handle them quickest. Delivered at Queenstown, these mails could, according to the plans of the New York & European Company, be carried in three days and seven hours, a reduction of two days from the present time. Of the importance and value of the turbine engine Professor R. H. Thurston recently spoke at length before the Society of Mechanical Engineers. —_—_—_—————— OS OS The private shipyards in the United States have for the past year°or so been visited by representatives of for- eign maritime nations to view otir machinery and study our methods, and have returned home amazed at the prog- ress the shipbuilding industry of this country has made.