The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-02-22
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 q given
state or city affords toerably accurate
measure of the capital invested in naviga-
ton; but this, with very few exceptions,
Is ludicrousiy untrue, and it is worth while
TO mark the exact facts which we find set
forth in report lately published by the
chief OF the bureau of statistics. The re-
turns EN- braced In this report were pre-.
pared by collectors OF customs, and show
the number and tonnage of all vessels be-
longing to each customs district, without
references to the place where they may be
temporarily enrolled or licensed, but with
exclusive regard to ownership.
1t is true that the city of New York is
credited with more than One-third of all
the shipping owned IN the Atlantic and
gull states. The aggregate tonnage of the
whole country TOR the year ending June
90, 1877, and excluding vessels belonging
TO the lakes and western rivers and the
Pacific coast, was 3,0SS,000. To this
total l,O73,OOO was contributed by the
commercial metropolis, and about I6 900
by Sag Harbor, these two ports engrossinR
oil the ocean tonnage of this state. There
Is nothing unexpected in these figures,
But the amount of tonnage ascribed to the
state OF Maine, whose trade, both foreign
and coasting, is relatively inconsiderable,
and whose shipbuildiDg interest has been
Frustrated for many years, is certainly sur
prlslng. Not less than 632, 900 tons are
owned IN the Pine Tree state, which not
only stands second in the list of ship
owners, but Tar ahead of her nearest rivals,
Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. The lat
ter are respectively credited with 43S 900
and 800, 900, the latter amount being wholly
charged to the customs district of PEila-
delphla, which accordingly ranks second
among shlpownlDg cities. The fifth place
on the list belongs to Maryland, of whose
$4,000 tons about six seventies should be
assigned to Baltimore. From this point
the othclal report presents succession of
surprises. New Jersey. for instance. not
withstauding all the tonnage belonging to
Jersey City is credited to the customs dis
trlct of New York. still commands the
sixth place in the table. Her tonnage
aggregates, indeed, ~, 900, or more than
thfee times the amount owned by the
state Ot LOUISIANA including the latter 8
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 south
ern states combined, from Virginia to
Texas, have smaller tonnage than the
state Of Connecticut When we consider
that the latter is only credited with 80 OOU
TONS we can form some idea of the mari
time decay in Mobile, Galveston, Charles
ton, Savannah, Wilmington, and Norfolk
And here we may mention the total ton
mage Of the Pacific coast is only 1856, 600 t.
which San Francisco contributes L 80, 600
or less than single inconsiderable town il
Maine.
1t is singularly interesting, indeed. t.
decompose the totals assigned TO particula,
states and snote the quotas furnished b,
shali and obscure seaports. For example
me CITY OF Bath, Maine, with population
3i some 5000, has been identified with III,
history OF American shipbuiding; but few
PERSONS are aware that the figure of m,
tonnage owned there reaches i5O, 900. a,
amount much larger than that possesss,
ny the citizens Of Baltimore or Of Sa