The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-02-19
who Own Our Merchant Navy.

Who Own Our Merchant Navy.
There is no subject of national interest
about which more misconception exists than
the ownership of our mercantile marine.
The current notion is that the volume Of
commerce assigned to given state or city
affords a tolclably accurate measure OF the
capital invested in navigation; but this. with
very few exceptions. is ludicrously untrue,
and II Is worth while to mark the exact facts
which we find set forth in a report lately
published by the Chief Of the Bureau of sta
tistcs. The returns embraced in this report
were prepared by collectors Of customs, and
show the number and tonnage OF all vessels
belonging to each customs district, without
reference to the place where they may be
temporarily enrolled or licensed, but with
exclusive regard to ownership.
II il true that the city Of New York is
credited with moro than une-third II all the
shipping owned in the Atlantic and Gulf
States. The aggregate tonnage Of the whole
country for the year ending June 81, 1871,
and excluding vessels belonging to the lakes
and Western rivers and the Pacific coast.
was 3,Oss,OoO. To this total l,073,oOO was con-
tributcd by the commercial metropolis. and
about 5000 by Sag IIarbor, these two ports
engrosslng all the ocean tonnage OF this State.
There is nothing unexpected in these figures.
But the amount OF tonnage asoribed to the
state OF Maino, whose trade, both foreign ana
coasting. is relatively inconsiderablc and
whose shipbuilding interest has been pros
tratcd for many years, is certainly surpris-
ing Not less than $4,000 tons are owned in
the Pine Tree State, which not only stands
] N fh.4 ~ Of chi n.k ltlf
/ far ahead Of her nearest rivals Massa-
chusetts and Pennsylvania. The latter
are respectively credited with 43s,0OO and
36s0O0 the latter amount being wholly
charged to the customs district Of Phia-
dclphia which accordingly ranks second
among shipowning cities. The fifth place
on the list belongs 10 Maryland, Of whose
| $4,000 tons about six-sevenths should bc as
signed TO Baltimore. From this point the
official report presents a succession Of sur
priscs. New Jersey, for instance, notwith-
standing all the tonnage belonging TO Jersey
City is credited to the customs district Of
New York, still commands the sixth place
in the table. Her tonnage aggregates, in
deed, ll2,OOO or more than three times the
amount owned by the State Of Louisiana, in
Guiding the latter's great seaport Of New
Orleans Indeed, the little State Of Rhode
Island owns more shipping than Louisiana.
while, if we throw out the Crescent City, all
the southern States combined, from Vir-
| ginia to Texas, have n smaller tonnage than
the State Of Connecticut. When We consider
that the latter Is only credited with 10000
I tons, we can form some idea OF the maritime
| decay in Mobile, Galveston, Charleston, Sa-
vannah, Wilmington, and Norfolk. And
here we may mention that the total tonnage
OF the Pacific coast is only $4,000, To which
San Francisco contributes 10000, or less
than a single inconsiderablc town in Maine.
1t is sinsularly interesting, indeed, to de-
compose the totals assigned to particular
States, and note the quotas furnished by
small and obscure seaports. For example,
the city Of Bath, Maine, with n population
Of some 5000, has been identified with the
history of American shipbuilding; but few
persons are aware that the figure of the ton
mage owned there reaches 10000, an amount
much larger than that possessed 10y the citi-
zcns Of Baltimore or OF san Francisco. Even
the Insignificant town Of Marlborough,
Maine, exhibits more tonnage than Balti-
more, being credited with l2l ,OO0 So, too,
the shipping owned at Belfast. in the same
State, a town Of some 5000 inhabitants ag-
grcgatos $1,000 tons, or more than the Joint
merchant navy of all the Southern scaboard
States, with the exception Of Louisiana
Passing to New Jersey, we find the tonnage
owned in Perth Amboy exceeding that OF
New Orleans, and that Of Great aud Little
Egg llarbor larger than the united quota Of
Georgia and the Carolinas. Indeed, Little
Egg IIarbor alone, Of which it Is probable
few natives Of Alabama have ever heard, Is
shown by the official report to own moro
tonnage than their whole State, including
the cit y Of Mobile.
That portion of the report which gives the
details of lake and river navigation reveals
some curious facts. II appears that Il larger
amount Of tonnage Is owned by the inland
city of st. Louis than by San Francisco, tho
Official figures being 100000 Among other
cities prominent IN the river trade, Pitts
hurgh is credited with 100000 an amount
nearly equivalent to tho foreign and coast
tOnulgcot Baltimore. Among the lake cities
Nunllo ms might haYehccn expected. stands
fret with Il quota Of lGl,0uO tons, ncXt
comes not Chicago. nor milwaukee,, nol
Detroit but another New York porL-Oswc-
go, with Il tonnage of ll5,0Oo. Chicago is
credited in the official table with only $4,000
or the precise amount assigned TO Belfast
Maine, The tonnage Of Milwaukee is g., 900;
that Of Detroit, $4,000, both ranking below
Cuyahoga, Ohio, which has 740JO And
finally, we may mention that the shipping
owned IN the district OF Huron, Michigan
represents larger amount Of tonnage than
that ascrbed to New Orleans We may
note, also, the broad fact that the shipping