The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-09
AMERICAN SHIPPING
INTERESTING REPORT of COMMITS
sIONER OF NAVIGATION.
TONNAGE ATTAINS MAXIMUM.
REACHES HIGH WATER FIGURE
OF FORTY YEARS AGO.

Two-Thirds of the Coasting Trade
Carrying Capacity is Confined to
the Great Lakes-Decrease in
Whaling and Fishing Fleet over
Eighty Per Cent.-Foreign Pacific
Shipping Has Doubled In Three
Years.
Washington, Nov. s.--The report of
Mr.. Chamberlain, the United States
commissioner of navigation states
that the past fiscal year has been the
third successive year of notable pros
perity and growth in American ship
ping, exceeding the two previous
years. The extent,and nature of work
under way or projected in shipyards
promises an even greater growth for
the current fiscal year.
American tonnage has now attained
| practically the former maximum Of
1861. The figures of 1901, compared
with 1861. show an increase in coast
ing trade vessels from 2.TO4.544 tons to
4,5S2,6SS tons (two-thirds of this in
crease being on the Great Lakes). a
decrease in foreign trade vessels from
2,4a6,S94 tons to S79,595 tons, and a de-
crease in whaling and fishing from 1885,
S75 tons to 61,94o tons.
OF our total tonnage of 3623,2O1 tons
are wooden vessels. and only 1901 200
tons are iron or steel. In 1900 Great
Britain launched 100000 tons of steel
vessels.
Although registered American YES
sells increased 62.435 tons during the
! year. American vessels carried only
| 81 per cent. of our exports and i'm
ports, the smallest percentage in our
history.
Our fleet of ocean steamers in for
eign trade, the report says, is too
small to be compared with that of for
/ eign nations.
1t is compared with the fleets of four
large British and German steamship
corporations, each of which exceeds the
American fleet in tonnage. mileage and
| business.
The tonnage built and documented
In the United States during the past
hscal year comprised 1850 vessels and
4S3, 469 gross tons.
| The steel vessels under construction
or under contract during the current
fiscal year will much exceed similar
| tonnage built in any previous year.
| The bureau is advised OF eighty-riine
such merchant vessels of S55.645 gross
tons, to be valued at about $4,000. 900.
Besides these sevei1ty-one naval yes
| sells of 2sf las tons displacement are
building at contract prices of SIS, 900. 900.
In this work fortyfour plants with
| capital of about $6S, 900. 900 employing
about $4,000 men, are engaged.
The building of ten trans-A Atlantic
| steamers presumably rests on anticiI
pated legislation by Congress. Six for
the Atlantic transport line are building
| hom the same plans used in building
steamers in England for the same COM
pany. The American cost of steamer
of the Minnehaha type will be s1,s46. 900.
| the British cargo steamers will be
| $729 900, for which the British price
ranges from $53400O to $4S6,0OO.
The difference in wages on AmeriL
| can and foreign vessels is considered
| i'm detail. In illustration the payroll
| Excluding MASTERY of $50 men on the
steamer st. Louis, is S11, 300: of 427 on
the British steamer Oceanic is S9,900
and of 500 on the German Kaiser Will
helm der Crosse, $7,715, The German
is the fastest steamship, and the Amer
lean is the smallest.
The report contains a detailed state
n1ent of the foreign voyages of Ameri-
can vessels last year. showing that the
American flag was seen much often on
the North Atlantic during President
Jefferson's embargo 0S0S). or during
the cruises of the Alabama. than at
present. Foreign shipping In our Pa
cific trade has doubled in three years.
The purchase of the Leylapd line is
considered as evidence that American
capital is willing to invest in ocean
steamships that there is an advantage
to American exporters in American
control Of American steamships, even
If not under the American flag, and
that in the coming development of our
ocean transportation facilities the un-
ion of trunk railroad lines and steam
ship corporations will be an important
factor. Including the Leyland purchase
American capital owns fully $4,000
tons of steamers under foreign flags.
which in actual carrying power exceed
all American vessels now engaged in
foreign trade. The War and Navy De-
partment also own 126,S47 gross tons
of foreign built transports and colIiers.
BY various special acts. fifty-six for
eign- built vessels of 1877 gross tons
have been admitted to registry. Ameri-
can money accordingly of late years
has purchased 900 tons of foreign
built steel steamers, while since 1891
there have been built in the United
States 1006, 900 tons of steam vessels
of all kinds.
The principal foreign and American
ocean mail contracts are printed in
full. and IL is shown that at the pres
ent prices of steamships, British ocean
mail contracts are more advantageous
for steamship lines than American con-
tracts under the act of 1891.