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ECTION AND CLASSIFICATION BUREAU ~ OF THE WORLD’S SHIPPING. “the, past. several issues of THe MARINE RECORD . attention has been giyen to the several national for the inspection.and classification of shipping. ese seyeral societies, the greatest interest will un- : \y. be, manifested in the bureau that classifies ‘United States’ tonnage, we purpose therefore to Sh our readers with,a brief history of this, the Na- American, and Foreign Shipping” is a lange proportion of foreign tonnage. ssocia’ , for it is not a capitalized company or- jzed for profit, was incorporated by a special act of the legislature of the State of New York, on the 22nd April, 1862, continuing an association already formed. Its sole object is to promote the interests of American shipping and American seamen, and its work in that direction has found wide scope in endeavoring to estab- lish a system of classification and rating of vessels that would merit the confidence of owners and underwriters’ and up to the present every means has been employed to that end. .In the initial organization of the bureau certain princi- ples: and rules were drawn with care to secure proper workmanship and’Strength of material, these rules were foriniildted and adopted by the association for the con- struction of iron, steel, composite and wooden vessels,and their build and condition were published and class grant- ed accordingly, subject to an occasional examination to insure continued maintenance in good condition. Ac- cording to a very close estimate, it is found that about ninety per cent. of American sea-going vessels are now classified according to the rules of this association. The published reports of these vessels showing particulars of age, ‘material and build, are of value to government as wellas to private parties and many vessels classed in the “Record” have, with such aid, been inspected and reported upon favorably by naval boards of survey as being suitable, after some slight alteration, for service oo as auxiliary naval cruisers. ‘ “The “ Reéord of American and Foreign Shipping ” 3 supplies to American commerce all the facilities that __—s are provided by “Lioyd’s Register” to British shipping interests, and as now issued, is ranking as a standard among the univérsally recognized registers of classifi- cation of the shipping world. - All maritime nations have experienced the necessity of haying but one recognized standard for the rating of vesséls; notably that of Great Britain; step by step with the adyance of its maritime importance has value been placed upon the classification and rating as given in that standard, so that, notwithstanding the repeated efforts to introduce rival institutions to compete for su- premacy, the classification and rating in ‘Lloyd’s’” has now become the only standard that controls in that kingdom. ‘The ‘(American Record” aims to accomplish the same work in America as is done by “‘Lloyd’s Reg- ister” in England, and it is believed it compares favor- ably with it. The important inspection and classifica- tion bureaus of the world’s shipping are as follows: ist. The Record of the American and Foreign Ship- ping, published-by the American Shipmasters’ Associa- tion. 2nd. Iloyd’s Register, English, backed by the Eng- lish Board of Trade. 3rd. Bureau Veritas, France, a private stock concern. 4th. Germanischer [oyd’s. Sta. Register Italiano, Italy. th: Nederlander Uereeniging, Holland. .7th. Veritas Austro Hungarico, Austria. 8th. Norske Veritas, published by the underwriting clubs in Norway. To come back to the “ Record,’”’ we find that asso- ciation employs about 110 reliable experts in most of the important ports in the world, to supply it with reli- able information and also to examine and test with care the material and workmanship entering into vessel con- struction within their different districts, for which a class is desired. It also requires vessels to be opened for examination periodically, or when application may be made for re-classification, all of which is done to in- sure efficiency as well as the fullest confidence in the work of the institution. ‘The revenue derived from sur- veys is devoted to improving the “Record” and pro- moting the objects for which the institution was estab- lished, and during its existence, the number of vessels classed has steadily increased. It may further be added : that the ‘Record of American and Foreign Shipping ” x is the only book of-classification in America that sur- Ht) veys, fates and classifies wooden as well as iron and ‘dl % steél ships. é P ‘During the quarter of a century of the “‘Record's” of- igi @xistetice, it tras bought out the copyright, and aie THE MARINE RECORD. consolidated with it, the ‘New York Maritime Regis- ter,” established in 1857, later known as ‘“‘ American Lloyds Universal Record of Shipping,”’ also in 1883, the driginal “‘ American Lloyds" established in 1857, It will therefore be seen that the “Record of American and Foreign Shipping ” as published since 1869 is the embodiment of, and has all the experience and rights relating to ship classification that has existed in Amer- ica up to 1889, Then a joint stock company, under the name of the “United States Standard Steamship Own- ers, Builders and Underwriters’ Association,” started a book of rules for the classification of iron vessels only; this organization, however, has more of a local charac- ter, and has no office or agents in any of the chief ports of the world except in New York. The ‘‘Record’’ early recognized the need of an Ameri- can Register of Shipping for the merchant marine ser- vice possessing similar relation to the United States government that Lloyds English Register of Shipping does to that of Great Britain. With this object in view the association in 1889 submitted its rules for the con- struction of vessels, for the approval of the United States Navy Department, which appointed a Board of Experts for their examination, and reported unanimous- ly sanctioning the rules; also recommending certain ad- ditional rules for the construction of machinery, etc., these requirements were complied with and approved. ‘This Board of Naval Experts also sanctioned the advis- ability of all vessels selected by the government as auxiliary naval cruisers or transports to hold the rates established by the ‘‘ Record of American and Foreign Shipping.” Piper It may be understood from, the foregoing that the “Record”’ is the universally recognized standard classifi- cation of American shipping, and holding as it does, the substantial endorsements set forth, is worthy of the highest confidence. Its ratings are of the highest known to maritime commerce, and as such, these ratings may, with due propriety, be adopted to conform with lake and river commerce. An eminent writer on maritime subjects very truth- fully states that, in every country where more than one marine register is compiled, the rivalry generally takes the form of reducing the standard of building and re- pairing, and leads to the tolerance of imported building and dangerous sailing of vessels. The shipping of Great Britain has furnished many examples of the de- teriorating influence of two marine registers, no expert in ship inspection desirous of increasing the safety of life and property afloat, can recommend more than one book of classification in any country. It is also shown that inspection and classification should always be such as to influence the perfecting of ships rather than their cheapening. A high character and not a low price is the key to confidence and employment. It is to be hoped the vessel owners interest of the lakes is to be considered as of primary importance rather than that of a few individuals who are desirous of constructing light ships to carry excessive loads at the expense of a reduction of the scantlings, which always means alight ship without sufficient rigidity to endure the conditions incident to carrying heavy cargoes in rough weather or the groundings and other consequent heavy treatment to which the construction is liable to undergo in the ex- igencies of a special trade. ee CLASSIFICATION MEETING POSTPONED. ‘The proposed meeting of the general managers of marine insurance companies doing business on the lakes, and the officers of a New York classification bureau, which was to have taken place at Detroit yesterday, as announced in our issue of the 22nd, has been postponed until after the close of navigation. It seems that it was found impracticable to get a full attendance at the present time on account the press of business at this brisk period of the season, and unani- mous action on the rules of inspection, survey and classification are of absolute importance in ‘the re-ad- justment of class and ratings. _ ee PATRIOTISM, INDEED! Timothy Hogani& Sons, through patriotic (?) motives had their English built steamers Montauk and Mineola granted American registers by an easily influenced Con- gress, in their desire to float the Stars and Stripes over the commerce of the world, have again displayed their style of patriotism by going to English shipyards and having built for their account the rough looking speci- men of a tramp in the new steamer Monomoy, now at this port. It is to be supposed that with their knowledge of how to procure American Registers, despite the law regulating the granting of them, she will: be classed as an American vessel ere long, and will be allowed to compete with such steamers as the El Norte, etc.—Sea- board, New York, DETROIT RIVER TRAFFIC. The Report of the Internal Commerce of the Unit States, compiled by S. G. Brock, chief of the Bureai statistics, shows the commerce of the Great Lakes, the Mississippi River and its tributaries, for the year 1891, Mr. Charles H. Keep, of Buffalo, as special agent of — the Census Bureau, collected the data of the lakes, which occupies about two-thirds of the volume. The Jron — Trade Review a short time ago engaged the services of Mr. Amstutz as special artist to illustrate the dockage and © cargo handling facilities at all lake ports. This formed — avery able report, whichis partly embodied in the work, — as is also the table of vessels under construction on the lakes in 1891. A brief synopsis of the history of lake navigation, with but little of the details as published in consecu- tive issues of THE Marine RECORD during the years 1885-7, is also contained in the report: Figures regarding the tonnage passing through the Detroit river shows that in 1889, 19,717,860 tons passed Detroit, and in 1890 the traffic, including the foreign and coastwise traffic, amounted to 21,888,472 tons. The fol- lowing table, taken from the report of Col. O. M. Poe, Corps of Engineers, U.S. A., gives the number of ves- sels and total tonnage passing both ways, from 1880 to 1890, inclusive : 7 No. r Year. eect, pipet Year. Voile. Heaters 1880 | 40,521 20,235,239 1886 | 38,261.| 18,968,065 188i | 35/888 | 17,572,240 || 1887 | 38,125 | » 18/864,250 1882 | 35,199 17,872,182 1888 | 31,404 | 19,099,060 1883 | 40,385 | 17,695,174 || 1889 | 32,415 | 19,646,000 1884 | 38,742 | 18,045,949 || 1890 | 35,640 | 21,684,000 1885 | 34,921 16,777 ,828 ‘ ° This statement does not include Canadian vessels, a large number of which use this channel, nor does it include any vessels not clearing from the various cus- tom houses with the above tonnage included. It is esti- mated that 28,000,000 net tons of freight passes through the channel at the Lime Kiln Crossing annually. The magnitude of the commerce through the Detroit River will appear more surprising if contrasted with the ton- nage movement of our seaboard, and of some foreign ports. ‘The total vessel tonnage, entrances, and clearances of all the ports of the Atlantic coast of the United States in the foreign trade during the fiscal year 1890 amounted to 22,497,817 tons, and of the gulf coast 4,035,156, and the same tonnage of the Pacific Coast amounted to 4,261,680 tons, or of the entire seaboard, 30,794,653 tons. From the foregoing figures it will be observed that the vessel tonnage passing through the Detroit river is- about equal to thé vessel tonnage of the Atlantic coast engaged in the foreign trade, about five times as large as the total tonnage of either the Gulf or Pacific Coast, and over two-thirds of the total tonnage of the entire sea~ : board of the United States engaged in the foreign trade, ’ The vessel tonnage, entrances, and clearances in the foreign trade at London in 1890 was 13,480,767 ; of Liver- pool for the same year 10,941,800, and of these two great maritime ports combined 24,422,568. It will be seen that the vessel tonnage passing through{the Detroit River in 1890 was over 8,000,000 tons in excess of London, about double that of Liverpool, and nearly equal to the two combined, and this, too, in 228 days of open navigation, as compared to the 365 days of the comparative ports. rr ANOTHER DASH TO WINDWARD. ‘THe MARINE RECORD has scarcely had time to receive the congratulations of its contemporaries on the recent addition to its pages,making it the largest illustrated ma- rine paper in the United States, before along comes Sea- éoard of New York under the same press of canvas (or pa- per) and gives us a close hug to the weather shore, so that we now have to lighten the forms by throwing over- board even our column rules in the attempt to make another dash to windward. Seaboard? everyone one knows Seaboard as being the handsomely illustrated nautical newspaper published in New York, and whose columns — teem with the choicest reading matter possible to dish : out to the mercantile marine of the country. Messrs. Smith & Stanton the enterprising publishers and pro- prietors of our old-time contemporary are to be congratu- lated on the journalistic ability and vim which they have expended in placing Seadoard away ahead to the top notch of typography and illustrated technical art, and in furtherance of their aims in this direction we pleased to note that the seaboard and lakes are to literally united and connected by Seaboard through” opening of a lake marine department with headqua at Detroit. We salute our friends and gladly hail advent of another champion to advocate the needs disseminate a wider knowledge of the enhanced ance of the mercantile marine of the Great La