The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-03
OUTPUT OF SHIPYARDS
LARGEST IN AMERICA OF ANY YEAR
IN TWENTY-FIVE SAVE ONE.
Many Registered American, Show
sci of the Future Is Steel.

WASHINGTON, July 1.-The fiscal year
which ended on Friday was an exceptional
one for the American merchant marine in
several respects. Full reports will not be
received by the Bureau of Navigation for
several weeks, but returns already received
warrant these statements: The total out
put of American shipyardS has been the
largest of any year for the last quarter of
a century except 1891, when .3S4 vessels of
500 3o2 gross tons were built and documented
in the United States. During the past fiscal
year the construction of merchant vessels.
officially returned, has consisted of ,429 yes
sells of &c., $40 gross tons. Besides these
twenty-five vessels of foreign construction
aggregating 9e,1H gross tons have been ad-
mitted to American registry. 1t is also re-
ported from Manila that since August 14l
vessels have been transferred from the
hands of the Spanish, German and British
subjects to Americans, indicating the conf
dence of the business men of Manila in
American government. The tonnage of
these vessels has not yet been reported and
the transfer does not carry with it all the
rights of American registry. Had the Sem
ate passed the House bill for the registry of
Hawaiian vessels the total additions to our
merchant fleet during the year would have
reached nearly 100000 tons. Our largest an
nual production was in 1855, when 2,027 YES
sells of $50, 450 tons were built.
During 1898 Great Britain built 1,539 vessels
of go, ia tons. The difference in the kind
of vessels built is roughly disclosed by the
average size, our construction averaging
only about 20 tons, while the British aver
age 800 tons. Nearly all of our new tom
mage is built to navigate in the coasting
trade reserved to American vessels. The
cstr hi FEh for
eign trade were the Havana and Mexi,
co, of the New York and Cuba mail, and
four Admiral" steamships for Cuba and
Jamaica. aggre eating 1880 tons, which were
built under the postal subsidy act. In an
ticipaton of legislation at the coming ses-
sion, however. construction has begun or
been contracted for on about 100000 tons
of steel steamships for foreign trade and
trade with Hawaii and Porto Rico, involv-
ing an expenditure of about a5.cOM.
81. the total tonnage of our steam vessels,
when tabulated, will exceed the total of
all other kinds OF documented vessels. Dur
ing the year. however, 400 sail vessels of
SO, ass tons have been built, compared with
426 of 42,5O2 for the previous year, while the
tons, compared with AS of Hops for the
previous year. In certain trades our large
sailing vessels endeavor to compete with
foreign cargo steamships and doubtless will
continue to do so, at all events until the
construction of the Nicaraguan canal.
smeatonD a steel schooner of about Ma
gross tons. built at West Superior Wis,
probably the largest fore and aft vessel ever
built. The largest sea-going sailing vessel
built In Europe in 1898 was the Ernest Sieg-
fried. of Havre, 3.214 tons.
For the first time in our history steel has
become the principal material in our an
nual construction of rugged vessels, the
steel tonnage for the year being 133, 99l tons,
wood 1890 tons. Iron has ceased TO be a
shpbuilding material. only one vessel of
nine tons having been built of iron. Dur
ing 1898 in Great Britain 80 per cent, or
practically the whole construction except
small fishing vessels, was of steel.