Semi-weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1852-1853, 1852-02-18

TIE STEAM MARINE OF THE UNITED STATES.
AT the last session of Congress- the Senate requested
the Secretary of the Treasury to ascertain and report
the official statistics of the Steam Marine external and
INTERNAL showing its magnitude, its disasters, travel
to and from commercial cities, &" human movements
along the great inland and tide water lines of travel
and such other information would exhibit to the
commercial world reliable details and aggregates OF
the several districts and the entire whole. The Sec
rotary has, within few days, reported this valuable
information to Congress, and we CLEAN the refom the
following aggregate results and facts.
The aggregates are Ocean steamers, Sc ordinary
steamers. 1872 propelers. 67 ferry boats, 80. Total,
CPS boats. Total tonnage. 2l3,5OO; high pressure
boats, 2l3 low pressure boats, 40; number of Off
and crews, ll,770; passengers during the year
ending July l, 1851, 33, 343 $40.
The shipwrecks on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts
and Jhe Gulf of Mexico, during the year, were: so
ships, So briggs, 100 schooners, 9 sloops, and 20
tempest, II by fire, Is by collisions, 10 snagged
and by explosions. The number of lives lost was
3ls.
The "Human Movements" by steamboats,, on the
principal Underwater lines, during the year, as
follows: Passengers-On Long Island Sound, 5O2.-
1917; on Hudson river, 995, 100 between New York
and Philadelphia by steamboats,, 100000 the Po-
tomac and James rivers and Chesapeake bay, 422,-
100; the Gulf Of Mexico, l69, 909 on the Pacific
coast, 79,2O9.
Shipwrecks: In &c districts on the Atlantic coast
there l6O vessels lost, valued at 81 .55917l
which insurance paid to the amount Of $96S, $50
l6l; in Philadel pha. $906,6l6; in Boston, 1854,
$685. and the total amount OF marine (not inland)
surance paid the last year, ending July 1, is es,ima
ted at So go, 900.
The grand total Of inland steam marine consists OIL
Yes steamers, with 2O4. 6I3 tonnage. manned by H.,
GOT officers and crews which carried during the veal
ending July 1851, five million eight hundred and
sixty thousand eight hundred and fifty passengers.
The entire steam marine of Great Britain and heI
dependencies is stated l, 1874 steamers, with
mage of I420so tons. While the aggregate of the
ternai and internal steam marine of the United
States consiste of 800 steamers with tonnage oil
527, lib ons-showrng that either the internal or ex
ternal marine of the United States exceeds the
whole steam marine Of Great Britain and her depen
denotes by tens Of thousands Of tonnage.
The losses the lakes and rivers, during the veal
ending July l, 1861, were IS boats by tempest, sc
by fire, ls by collision, 80 by snags. Lives lost or
the lakes 81, and on the rivers 626-:otal Cos.
| Travel: The travel to and from internal CONNER
| cal centres is follows:
To and from ST. Louis, 367,7S5 passengers.
- Pittsburg, 466,956 -
," Buffalo, 622,423 -
" Chicago, l99,862
Total, I,956.957
The resident population Of these four cities is bu
| 2l7,946.
| THE MELON. The melon has been cultivated fo
centuries II is a native of Persia and draws its ricf
and luscious juices from her arid and barren sands
To have the melon here in perfection, it must b.
grown in a sandy soil. New land fresh from tn.
woods suits them best. A piece of new land tina
has been trod by cattle will produce the watermelon
of monsirous size. All melons, to be kept pure
should not be planted in the immediate vicinity o
squashes, cncumbers gourds, the seed savec
from these, raised in close proximity, will Produce
melons partaking of the nature and flavor of all thu
squash tribe. The mixture of the pollen produces
new varieties but rendering all worthless, causiRs
the melon to be insipid. the cucumber to be over
grown and hollow, the squash to be watery, and tn
gourd shell soft. Water and musk.meIons may b.
planted from the middle of March through the month
some eight ten seeds to HILL and when they show
thin to four plants to hill Musk melons may b.
planted about FIVE feet apart and hinned the
manner. The nutmeg or citron musk-meon is tn
finest variety cultivated. When grown in perfection
it combines the flavor of the strawberry and the pin
apple, but this variety should not be grown in tn
vicinity of any other melon. To save seed, selec
the earliest and best melons, dry the seeds in tn
shade, and put them away in paper bags. Water
melon seed improves with age, and may be kept te
years 10 advantage.
Mr.. Devices, of Boston, says the skins of rai.in
} are utterly indigestibe. child recently died i
Boston from commissions produced by eating rasins
Dr.. Devices mentions the death Of three children from
the same cause and remarks that there is no storac
unless it be that of the ostreh-that can mase, tn
skin of the raisins'' recollect,'' he adds som
time since the death of child in commissions cause
by eating bits of bark and shreds of wool w itch
had picked up in creeping around the room on tn
carpet. Dried fruit, bark, cork wool from tn
CARPET or blanket, or any indigesble substances i