Evening journal., 1897-10-11
our MERCHANT MARINE.


OUR MERCHANT MARINE.
There is a fund Of information in the
annual report OF the commissioner Of.
navigation, which has just been sub
mitted to the secretary Of the treasury.
It shows that the total documented ton
mage Of the United States on June 30,
1897, 47OO,02O tons, is the largest for
twenty-one years, except 1898, when it
was 4,S2507l tons. Our largest docu-
mented tonnage was 5,539,S13 tons on
June 80, 1861. Considering the speed
and number of trips of steam vessels
compared with sailing vessels, our mer-
chant marine feet has never before
been so efficient as this year. The
steam tonnage amounts to S,35S,S5S
tons; sail tonnage, including barges ana
canal boats, to 2,410,402 tons. Con-
struction thus far indicates that at the
end of the current fiscal year the steam
tonnage. for the first time in our his
tory. will exceed the combined tonnage
of documented sailing vessels, barges
and canal boats. BY act of Congress In
1874 about 100000 tons Of canal boats
and barges were exempted from docu-
ments and are no longer carried on the
governments books. The total con-
struction for the year. sol vessels, OF
232. 1888 gross tons, is the largest annual
output since 1891. The commissioner
states that the square-rigged sailing
vessel has virtually ceased to be pro-
duct OF American shipyards. No ships
or barks we're built in the United States
during the past fiscal year, and only
one barkentine. The Great Lakes re-
gion, for the first time in our history,
has built more tonnage than all the
rest of the country--120 vessels Of no.
937 tons, compared with III vessels OF
only 1l5, ,2O6 tons Our increase in ton
mage for the past decade has been al
most wholly attributable to growth on
the Great Lakes. In 1887, Of a total
tonnage of 4,271 ,226 gross tons, 3,1S1,SO4
were salt water tonnage, documented
on the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts,
and 1,069, ,434 fresh water, documented
on the Great Lakes, Mississippi and
tributaries In 1897, of a total of 4,769,-
O20 tons, 3,0S6, sos tons were document
ed on the seaboard and 1,6S2,212 OF
fresh water, the tonnage of the Great
Lakes increasing from 733O69 tons in
1887 to ,41O, 1OS in 1897. During the de
cade steam tonnage has increased Sl6,-
600 tons, of which increase 1000 tons
belong TO the Great Lakes system. The
American tonnage sold to foreigners
amounted to S,243 tons, the smalles
amount since 1874. During the past fou
years 3S,S3S tons Of foreign-built YES
sells have been admitted to Americai
registry, compared with 64,77S tons TO
the previous four years. The govern
ment's average annual expenditures 70
maritime purposes, including river AM
harbor improvements, amounted 4
S21 .OOO. 900, toward which foreign ship
ping. those conducting three-fourths O
our foreign carrying trade. contribute
last year $500, ,OOO Fully 20 per CEN
of the foreign tonnage enters the Unite
States in ballast and clears with cargo
The tonnage registered for foreign trad
amounted to 1872, ,S45 gross tons, the low
est since 1S4l. The greatest was 2
496, ,S94 tons in 1861. One, St Louis,
nearly 10000 tons, now is equal, how
ever annually as a carrier TO ovC
twenty of our ships before the wa
The whale fisheries, employing l2,7l
tons. compared with the maximum
19S ,594 tons in 1858. About 10000 me
are employed in deep sea fisheries,
whom $500 are citizens of the Unite
States.
For a nation which is but little ov'
a century old and which has been han
pered by tariff laws which almost pr'
hibted imports, this is wonderl
showing for our merchant marine.