The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-03
AN EXCEPTIONAL YEAR
The American Shipyards Have
Turned Out Many Vessels.
ADMITTED TO REGISTRY
We Have Not Yet Come Up to Our Own
Record of 1855-Most of Our
Vessels Are for the
Coasting Trade.

Washington, July 1.-The fiscal year
al for the American merchant marine
in several respects. Full reports will
not be received by the bureau of navi-
cation for several weeks, but returns al
ready received warrant these state
ments. The total output of American
ship yards has been the largest in any
year for the last quarter of century,
except 1891, when 1884 vessels of &c.,
302 gross tons were built and document
ed in the United States. During the
past fiscal year the construction of mer-
chant vessels, officially returned, has
consisted of 1,429 vessels of S20,S76 gross
tons.
Besides these % vessels of foreign
construction, aggregating 30,1S1 gross
tons, have been admitted to American
registry. 1t is also reported from Ma
Mia that since last August 141 YES
sells have been transferred from the
hands of the Spanish, German and
British subjects to Americans, indicat-
ing the confidence 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 senate
passed the house bill for the registry
of Hawaiian vessels, the total addi-
tional tonnage to our merchant fleet
during the year would have reached
nearly 100000 tons.
Our largest annual production was in
1855, when 2,027 vessels were built and
documented. During 1898 Great Britain
built 1,549 vessels of $780, ia tons. The
difference in the kind of vessels built
is roughly estimated to be of the lower
kind. Our average is only 225 tons,
while the British average is 900 tons.
Our vessels are built mostly for the
coast trade. The only steamships built
directly for the foreign trade were the
Havana and Mexico of the New York
and Cuba Mail, and the Four Admiral
steamships for Cuba and Jamaica, ag-
gregating 10, 750 tons, which We're built
under the postal subsidy act. In an
ticipation of legislation at the coming
session, however, construction has be-
gun or been contracted for on about
100000 ons of steel steamships for
foreign trade and trade with Hawaii
and Porto Rico, involving an expendi-
ture of about s15,00000O. For the first
time in our history, on June 30, the total
tonnage OF our steam vessels when tab
uldleu Will eSCGeu the lOlal OF all OtnGf
kinds of documented vessels. During
the year. however, $50 sailing vessels
of 9645S tons have been built, COM
pared with 426 of 42,502 tons for the
previous year, while the steam YES
sells built numbered ats of l67,S51 tons,
compared with 44S of 10, 1928 tons for the
previous year, In certain trades, our
large sailing vessels endeavor to com
pete with foreign cargo steamships and
doubtless will continue to do so, at all
events until the construction of the
Nicaragua canal
The notable vessel is the John Smea-
ton, a steel schooner of 5,049 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 Siegfried of Havre, SPA tons.
For the first time in our history steel
has become the principal material for
the construction of vessels. Iron has
ceased to be a ship building material,
only one vessel of nine tons having
been built of iron. During 1898 in
Great Britain 95 per cent, or practically
the whole construction except small
fishing vessels, was of steel.