San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-09-05
SHIPS AND SHIPPING.


Philadelphia.
The publication Of the Nautical
Almanac" began in I7S7 by DIR.
Maskelyne.
Copper sheathing WAS first used
for vessels of the English navy
about the year l1IO-
Deep sea soundings, in the in
terest of science and commerce,
were begun in 1865.
The log was first used in naYiga-
ton by Pigabetta early in the SIX
teenth century.
In the early days OF the fifteenth
century, sea captaius used globes
instead Of charts.
The French navy has 39S ships
of all classes, armOred and I'M
armored, and 1851 men.
The German navy has seventy
seven war ships of all kinds, oil
guns and 1901 men.
The tonnage of the world in 1888
was 21,65O,0OO; the carrying power,
3S,S02,00O tons.
The first naval expedition ON
record was that of the ArgOnauts,
probably pirates, B. {. 1868.
In 1880 there were 1850 ships lost
at sea, the value Of vessels and ear
goes being Eos 327,O 600.
The average life of an American
ship is IS years; of an English,
%; of a Scandinavian, 30.
The English Royal Naval Asy-
lum was begun in 1901 and estab-
lished at Greenwich 1907.
The average consumption of coal
is II pounds per hour to each in
dictated horsepower.
Between 1859 and 1867 the Bril-
fish government sold 80 wooden
ships of all classes as useless.
Mention of the French navy first
appears in 72S, when the navy con-
sisted altogether of galleys.
In 1859 an act Of Parliament for
babe fiogging in the royal navy,
save after a trial and sentence.
The first sea fight mentioned in
history was between the COrin-
thians and COrZyZeans, B. C.664.
The first screw line-Of- battle ship
was the Napoleon, French, built
in 1S49, 100 guns, 600 horsepower.
The United States coast survey,
in the interest of navigation, was
proposed in 1906 and begun in 1917.
The first English act "tO encour-
age commerce with foreign ports"
was passed by Parliament in 1901.
Mortar boats were first built dur
ing the Anglo-Russian war of 1875
for a projected attack on CrOnstadt.
The total value of the shipping
under the protection of the Ameri-
can flag is estimated at $780,
100000.
Lifeboats and life-saving sta
lions were instituted on the French
coasts by the Empress Eugene in
1866.
MercatOr's projection, which Won
derfully simplified the science Of
navigation, was made puclic in
1859.
British vessels do nearly all the
carrying trade of Great Britain
and nearly half that of all the rest
of Europe.
The first United States naviga-
ton laws were passed by Congress
in 1892, and, for the most part, are
still in force.
The standard English manual Of
navigation is "Raper's British Nav
igatOr. 1t is approved by the Adj
miralty.
The naval warfare of the world
was revOlutionized by the battle
between the Merrimac and MOni-
tor, March 9, 1862.
The life saving service on the
British coast was established in
1924, and has been the means of
saving 34,O43 lives.
The tonnage of seagoing entries
in 1888 Of London was 100000; of
New York, 100000; of Liverpool,
100000.
In 1870 the Dutch owned and OPP
Grated One-half the worlds ship
ping; now they own about l per
cent of the whole.
The first war vessel captured by
an American ship was the Edward
taken by the Lexington, April II
177T.
1t is stated by authorities in
naval architecture that steel
vessel can carrY 20 per cent more