The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-05
NEW YORK PASSES LONDON.
NOW THE GREATEST SHIPPING
PORT IN THE WORLD.

Remarkable showing of Reports
NOW in Preparation bH- the Treas
ury DCpartment-To Tonnage Of
T5.S0I.797 for London, New York
Rolls Up Total of 15.S42,si9.
Western Wheat and Cattle. south
,rn Cotton, steel and Manufac-
turcd Articles Have Won the Vie
tory-New York's Long struggle
for First Place With Hamburg.
Then With London.
New York. Dec AFTER three centuries
of undisturbed supremacy. London has at
last been forced to yield her proud posi-
ton as the foremost commercial city OF
the world. Like many another trophy OF
old-world power and influence, this dis
tinction has at last crossed the Atlantic
10 America. and now rests with the city
OF New York. Although London had
large population and a wide commerce
when the first settlers built their log
houses on Manhattan Island, IL has taken
the new world city little more than
century to catch up with her venerable
rival New York scarcely began 10 have
commercial importance until after the
close of the revolution and even at the be-
ginning of the nineteenth century her
trade was only one-tenth that of the Brit
ish metropolis. Not even the most san
gune of Americans dared to prophesy so
years ago that before the close of the
nineteenth century New York would
place London as the most important sea-
L IL
years ago, the struggle between New York
and Hamburg for second place was much
more close than the race between the
American city and the British metropolis.
But in the year 1898, which is likely to be
remembered as a momentous one in the
history of the United States, the port
which Hendrix Hudson discovered 2S9
years ago, not only drew safely away from
the busy town at the mouth of the Elbe,
but surpassed the lordly city of the
Thames as well.
What the Forthcoming Treasury Re-
port VIII Show.
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Van
derlip is authority for the statement that
New York is now in a position of suprem-
acy among the commercial cities of the
world. Mr. Vanderlip says:
I am glad TO be able TO announce that
the forthcoming annual report of the COM
missioner of navigation contains the
statement that New York is, or at least is
about to become, the first seaport of the
world. The figures on which this statement
is based are those giving the tonnages of
vessels reported as entering and clearing
from the port of New York in the foreign
trade only, since no record of coastwise
trade is kept in American ports. The tom
mage figures for the last fiscal year for
the port of London are not available as
yet. but in the preceding year London
gained 2l5,000 tons to New York's increase
of 1,lS1,727. The monthly reports for the
present year thus far indicate that New
York has maintained her advance, while
London certainly has not increased hers.
This puts New York into the first place,
so far as ocean commerce is concerned"
The total tonnage of vessels entering al
or clearing for foreign ports from New
York and the figures reported at London
OF vessels engaged In trade with foreign
or colonial ports are shown in the follow
ing table. The years indicated are fiscal
years. ending on June 80, except in the
last line, where an estimate of tonnages
for the calendar year 1898 is given
Year