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THE MARINE RECORD. REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES. MSSIONER OF NAVIGATION. WwW iterests of the United States is ably he Commissioner of Navigation in his ended June 30, 1892, a part of which we oduce for the statistical information con- ted States had maintained the protective inaugurated at the beginning, or had, nination of the late war, adopted some form tion to our merchant marine engaged in commerce, which would have fully counterbal- | difference in wages and of prices in'the tes and in foreign countries, we should to-day one-half of our foreign merchant shipping American flag. The actual status of this our merchant marine is indicated by the fol- statistics, which show the amount of tonnage in stic and foreign trade owned by American citi- various periods and the amount of tonnage of nand foreign vessels entered at American ports. E OWNED BY AMERICANS AND EMPLOYED IN FoR- COMMERCE AND IN DOMESTIC OR COASTWISE COMMERCE, INCLUDING THE FISHERIES. ms : Domestic ‘Ye Foreign ba commerce commerce Total Tons. 132,123 305,385 | 443,764 696,510 654,213 1,417,926 2,095,760 2,974,472 2,797,639 2,753,632 3,496,435 3,696,040 3,700,773 Tons. 478,377 972,492 1,424,783 1,280,167 1,191,776 2,180,764 3,535,454 353,868 246,507 068,034 424,497 5684,759 678,397 | Tons. 346,254 | 667,107 | 981,019 | 583,657 | 537,563 | 762,838 | 1,439,694 | | 2,379,396 | 5 1,448,868 | 4, 1,314,402 | 4, 928,062 | 4 988,719 | 4 977,624 | 4, i his table strikingly exhibits the growth of our lomestic or coastwise shipping, which is absolutely pro- ected against foreign competition by the acts of Feb- ‘y 18, 1793, and March 1, 1817. ‘he tonnage employed in our domestic commerce for fiscal year just ended (1892) showed an increase of 39 ent. over that of 1860. The fact must also be mmbered that the increase in our domestic tonnage been attained in the face of sharply competing ailroad transportation. On the other hand, the tonnage of American vessels ngaged upon the ocean in foreign commerce fell from 379,396 tons in 1860 to 988,719 tons in 1891, a fall of ‘ly 60 per cent. Let us now turn to the record of American and foreign nage entered at ports of the United States from reign countries. It is as follows: _ TONNAGE ENTERED AT AMERICAN SEAPORTS FROM — FOREIGN COUNTRIES. Perot. Ameri- can American] Foreign Total Tons. 71.56 66.04 39.11 20.59 22.15 Tons. 4,464,038 5,000,194 6,270,189 15,251,329 15,365,604 15,394,211 18,180,480 Tons. 1,269,763 1,698,291 3,817,963 12,111,160 11,961,020 y 11,723,839 23.84 ..-| 3,746,651 | 14,433,829 20.61 This table tells the whole story of our maritime de- au lence” in foreign commerce. In the attempt to com- on equal terms with foreign nations our shipping ployed fell from 71.56 per cent. of the total ton- entered in 1856 to 39.11 per cent. so entered in 1870, further to 20.59 per cent in 1880, Since 1880, under e restorative measures which haye been adopted, provement has been made. jut the most telling record of the decadence of Amer- shipping employed in our own foreign commerce is following statement showing the value of imports ight into the United States in American and in for- vessels: Per cent in American vessels In American In foreign vessels Year vessels $447,191,304 507,247,757 165,402,872 | 352,969,401 315,257,792 258,346,577 194,865,743 202,451,086 $160,066,267 255,040,793 437,010,124 538,927,488 884,788,517 1,124,265,434 1,079,518,566 } 1,371,116,744 206,459,725 | 1,450,081,087 220,173,738 | 1,564,558,808 statement it appears that the total value of merchandise entered at the ports of the tes fell from 73.7 per cent. of the total im- NOwRHONHA~T BRRASRASAS to conduct careful speed trials. ports in 1858 to 12.3 per cent. in the year 1892, and that the tendency is still downward. THE SHIPPING OF THE GREAT LAKES. This branch of our merchatt marine, in so far as re- lates to trade between American ports, is absolutely protected against foreign competition. For this reason, and the fact that our domestic trade between lake ports constitutes by far the larger part of the commerce of the Great Lakes, our shipping so employed is enjoying a high degree of prosperity. The recent action of the President in imposing tolls on vessels transporting merchandise to Canada through the St. Mary’s Falls canal, for the ptirpose of counter- vailing and off-setting the Welland canal tolls imposed by Canada, contrary to the treaty of Washington, and discriminating against American ports and vessels, has met a general public approbation, as a proper defense of American interests. The freight traffic of the St. Marty’s Falls canal for the season of ‘navigation of 1892 has exceeded 11,000,000 tons, and the increase of the sea- son of 1892 over any previous year will be larger than any annual increase in the history of the canal. The actual freight moved on the Great Lakes in the United States foreign and coastwise trade for the season of 1892 is estimated to be 33,000,000 tons. Our lake tonnage increased from 711,269 tons in 1882 to 1,183,582 tons in 1892. The nayal architecture of the lakes has been revolutionized during the last twenty years, The size of the vessels employed on the lakes has also steadily increased, as shown in the following statistics : The average registered tonnage per vessel was: Tons. t= 626.3 = VOLS - 790.5 - 833.8 - 862.1 ++. 884.14 The tonnage of the Great Lakes now embraces a fleet of large steam vessels, models of beauty and nautical efficiency which offer to shippers and passengers an un- surpassed transportation service. rr ec INVESTIGATING CHARGES AGAINST A LOCAL STEAMBOAT INSPECTOR. The committee of supervising inspectors of steam vessels, which has been holding sessions in Washington since the first of December, investigating the charges against William O. Saville, the local inspector of boilers at Baltimore, charged with neglect of duty on account of the explosion of the boiler of the steamer Wakefield, has completed its work. The argument of the attorney defending Capt. Saville will be placed in typewritten form and the report transmitted to the Secretary of the Navy. The committee which has been investigating the charges consisted of John Fehrenbatch, supervisor at Cincinnati, O.; Chas. H. Westcott, at Detroit, Mich., and Alexander McMaster, at Buffalo, N. Y. _—_— OEP ee JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NAVAL ENGINEERS. The November number of this valuable publication has just appeared, and isthe largest as well as the most interesting thus far issued. Of the 325 pages of the num- ber more than a hundred are given to the lectures of Passed Assistant Engineer, I, N. Hollis, which were originally delivered before the Naval War College, but have been enlarged and supplemented for publication. ‘The lectures treat of ‘‘The Coal Endurance of Our New Cruisers,” ‘Marine Boilers,” ‘The Marine Engine” and ‘‘Miscellaneous,”’ which include, personel, training of men, engine room signals etc,. These lectures are very interesting andcontain much information of great value. Naval Constructor D. W. Taylor has an excellent pa- per on ‘Speed Trials,” which discusses the subject thoroughly and should be studied by any one who has He gives for the first time in print, so far as we are aware, any tabular infor- mation on the necessary depth of water for fast ships. Much has been said in a vague way, but Mr. Taylor gives. figures. Other articles are by Chief Engineer, Isherwood, Pro- fessor Durand and others. One of the most valuable articles isan account of tests of riveted joints made for the Bureau of Steam Engi- neering at the Watertown arsenal. The tests were made with large specimens of thick plates and with the modern forms of treble and double riveting. It is stated that these are the most elaborate tests of riveted joints ever made, and our experience shows this to be so. The departments of notes, ships and merchant steamers are unusually complete, the latter containing the best description of the new steamer for the Fall River Line that has thus far appeared. Altogether, the editorial management of the Journal is to be congratulated on this excellent number. 1887 1888. 1889 1890. 1891... STATISTICAL FACTS ABOUT OUR MERCANTILE MARINE. agg pre Commissioner of Navigation Edward C. O’Brien was the principal speaker at the antiual meeting and ban- quet of the United States Standard Steamship Owners’ Builders’and Underwriters’ Association, held last week in New York. His address was listened to attentively and brought out many interesting facts about our shipping interests. He said in part: “Our shipping engaged in domestic commerce has grown with the growth of the country. But the case has been very different as to our shipping engaged in foreign commerce. At the beginning of the year 1828, the foreign cummerce. branch of our merchant marine enjoyed the protection of discriminating laws applying to both ship and cargo. During that period this branch of our merchant marine greatly prospered, but at last, confidence in the superior skill of our shipbuilders, in the enterprise and push of our merchants, and in the daring and developed attitude of our sailors and ship- masters, led us, in the act of May 24, 1828, to challenge all the world-to a free and equal struggle for the prizes of international commerce. “That went very well with us for nearly forty years. but it finally ended in collapse. The maritime disasters of the war of the rebellion, the change from wood to iron as a shipbuilding material, and the general intro- duction of steam vessels into fhe commerce of the globe,: once more, threw the advantage on the side of our old rival, Great Britain, where it still remains, In oui attempt to compete on equal terms, with foreign’ nations our shipping engaged in the foreign trade fell from 71.56 per cent. of the total tonnage entered in 1856 to 39.11 per cent. so entered in 1870, and further to 20.59 per cent. in 1880. Since 1880, under all the restorative measures which have been adopted, no improvement has been made. The total value of the imported mer-~ chandise entered at the ports of the United States in American vessels fell from 73.7 per cent. of the total imports in 1858 to 12.3 per cent. in the year 1892, and the tendency is still downward. “Of the amount of compensation allowed by the goy- ernment for the sea conveyance of United States mails to foreign countries during the year ended June 30, the North German Lloyd Steamship Co. received $172,165, the Hamburg-American Steamship Co., $40,619, and other foreign lines received’ amounts which in the ag- gregate, for transatlantic service, swell the ‘amount paid to foreign vessels to $449,405.19, For the same ser- vice (transatlantic) American steamers received the enormous sum of $3.48. It is said that comparisons are odious. This comparison is not only odious but exas- perating. “In certain other maritime services, as, for example, ~ ~ the Transpacific and the West Indian and South Amer- ° ican, American steamers fare better. Within the next two years there will probably bea line embracing a number of the finest ocean liners afloat flying the Amer- ican flag and receiving, it is to be hoped, a proper share of the payments nade by the United States for carrying the mails, andafair share of the receipts from the transportation of passengers and merchandise. The re-*- ceipts of foreign vessels, including the vessels of estab- lished lines and tramps, in the trade between the United ~ States and Hurope, amount to $200,000,000 a year. “This enormous sum goes to support the foreign com- merce of other countries and constitutes a drain upon» the United States. Our merchants, ship owners, ship builders, naval architects, underwriters, sailors, iron and steel workers, miners, shipwrights, canvas manu- ~ facturers, rope makers and others, directly or indi- rectly concerned, are thus losing their proper share of the money now expended in foreign countries for ships engaged in foreign commerce and their navigation. “Now, turn again to our coastwise or domestic ship- — ping engaged in commerce between American ports on — the sea coast, on the rivers of the country and on the ~ Great Lakes; there we see a merchant marine abso- lutely protected against foreign competition and never before so prosperous. The tonnage employed in our domestic commerce for the fiscal year just ended (1892) showed an increase of 39 per cent. over that of 1860. “But in the face of all these glowing proofs of Amer- ican skill and enterprise in nautical affairs, we face the — distressing fact that in foreign commerce we have been almost driven from the seas. ‘This failure is simply the relative cost of building and operating American and foreign ships. That is all. It illustrates the fact that tions is fatal to a competing American industry the single condition of cheapness on the side of foreigner. 7 hs ‘Tux international yacht race for the America’s” has been arranged with Lord Dunrayen, to take toward the close of next summer. Several plac Es free competition with the foreigner undér like condi-