Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-09-16
the wOnLp's snlpwRECRs.
now THE GREAT "ooRAS MoSARcHs"
PASS OUT OF ngiT.


We hear much OF the many flnoly
modelled shiIs that are built ftOm time
10 time, but little OF the many vessels
that are lost. Occasionally public In
terost In excited by heruism displayed
In saving shipwreoked crew; bat Ia
many cnses tho loss OF good ship l.
only Indicated by line or two In the
Lat OF casualties In the daily papef.
Who, for instance, would think that
last year Us vessels, the larger pOst.on
ships, sailed from some port or other,
and, according 10 Lloyd's annual re.
turn, never again were heard OF, and
these, TO-, were fairy good sized craft.
What OF the crews?
The story emu never be completed,
the suilvringa may bo hut guessed At.
And Britain anu her colonies hnvr
more than their fair share, FOR While
we make up hull Of tho total lpslea,
We contribute as, 500 out "
the 5g,l00 tons which have thus
passed out OF record. The total
OF wrecke, too, seonia largc-lOs6
vessels Of $40, gi5 tons---hut IL must Ice
remembered that there are probably
always nfloat on the high h.as over
.0,O0O,OOO tone Of shipping, which
fact, although Il increases the surprise
that no many vesselb should tie lost
without any news, indicates generally
4 fairly low ratio Of loss To per
cent tonnage.
II may be accepted as n testimony In
favor Of steel that Of the total Tonnage
lost only II per cent was constructed
out OF this metal, while Al per cent
was Of iron and "a per cent was OF
wood and composite vessels. But 1t
should also be- noted that the iron and
wooden vessels arc older, so that age
Ms well IA material may have contri-
buted TO the result. Again, ships bulk
more largely than steamers, the latter
making ~ per cent and ships 81 per
cent OF the total; but age again must
be considered, for large number (l2i
vessels OF i7,Sl0 tons) we're condemned
and broken up against odly 1898 tons
Of STEAMERS. a ship IL more READILY
abandoned Mt sea than q steamer, be-.
cause when the mast Ego by the
bonrd" In storm the ship 10 often
helpless.
We have therefore 50,57O tons Of
ships thus abandoned against only
5000 OF steamers, which latter In itself
IL large number; they nre all OF large
sizo too, averaging ZOO tons. 1t Ia IN.
torcsting TO note further that steamers
collide more frequently than ships, or
the results are xOre disastrous. Thus
we find that while 1890 tons Of steam
Ors were lost by collision, only l2,540
tons OF ship losses are 70 accouutet for.
The number OF vessels does not show
the eamo disparity, 80 OF tho former
against ~ OF tbs latter, which would
indicate that emil ships more roadily
collide, and one may bo pardonud the
assumpl n that these arc mostly In
home channels rather than on the
high soRs.
or course the hidden rock, the fog.
bodimmet, rugged headland and
overpowering tempest, are M dis
astrous to the steamer an to the
ship, and We iind that In zach ease
about half Of the losses are at
trihuled TO those more or less un.
avOidahlo causes. As 10 nationality,
we lind that the "death rateD ton
age OF Britain's fleet In 5.67 per cent.
and Of the colonies 3.lS per cent. The
highest rate Is attained by Norway,
with b.24 per cent; Russia being next
with $40 per cent Tho lowest ratio y
Spain, with !. O5 per cent. Britain has
a heavier loss In ships than st.smers--
$3.50 per cent Of the former against 2,3O
per cent OF the latter, her total losses
for tho year being 3l5 vessels Of 2s2,-
0l2 tons.