The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-01-12
FIGURING ON THE CANAL
STATISTICS TO SHOW THE SAVING
IT WILL MAKE.
Cost OF Trips OF Men-of-War From
New York to Manila by Suez orstrai's
of Magellan.

WASHINGTON January 2.-Some
time ago Senator Morgan introduced a
resolution calling upon the navy de-
partment for information as to the diff
ference in the money cost of a voyage
by naval vessel from New York to
Manila by way of the Straits of Ma
gellan or the Suez canal and the pro-
posed Nicaragua canal. In reply the
secretary of navy has sent to the SEN
ate a lot of tables showing the cost Of
voyages made by different Ships but
they are accompanied by no eXplana-
tions and are not ineligible to the
ordinary reader. This and other COM
munications show that naval officers
are not so efficient in furnishing infor-
nation as they are in fighting and sail
ing ships, but a patient examination
of the tables discloses some interest
ing information. The distance from
New York to Manila by way of the
Suez canal is II, 100 miles, and by way
of the Straits of Magellan 1882 miles.
When the Nicaragua canal is built the
voyage via Honolulu and Guam will be
shortened to 1920 miles.
There seems to be a great difference
between the cost of sailing vessels,
some being more economical than
others. This depends largely upon the
captain and more upon the engineer
The same rule applies to a ship that
| applies to a kitchen. One cook can
serve the same family with the same
kind of food at much less cost than
another, it is also a question of econo-
my and skill. There is a difference in
ships also, but comparatively little.
An examination of the tables shows
that ii cost the Oregon, under Capt.
Clark, $9S 253 to make her famous voy-
age of 14064 miles from San Francisco
to Key West during the war; She was
pushed to her utmost speed, as you
will remember, but she had the best
of captains and the most careful and
skillful of engineers. She was stripped
for fighting. She fooled away no time,
but tended strictly to business. On the
other hand. it cost Admiral Dewey
$155, 1886 to bring the Olympia home from
Manila, a distance of 12,749 miles, al
though she had only about half the
crew and half the tonnage of the Ore
gon. But that was a picnic. She came
along slowly, stopped at various places
and had a good time. These figures
include coal, wages of the men, sub
siStence and all other expenses 1t
cost the Oregon $140,734 to go from
New York to Manila, a distance of
1882 miles by way of the Straits of
Magellan, Honolulu and other ports en-
route. The same difference will be
found in the smaller vessels.
The Nashville and the Helena are
about the same SIZE and went to Ma
Mia about the same time the voyage
being approximately 10000 miles, yet it
cost $44,262 for the Helena, and only
S29 $40 for the Nashville. The Buff
falo is twice as large and has twice
the crew of the New Orleans, yet it
cost the former $42,767 and the latter
$46,594 to make the same voyage. 1t
cost the Buffalo 20 per cent more to
return from Manila than to make the
outward voyage. This was due to the
captains and the engineers.
The Princeton and the Marietta are
about the same size-1,00O tons each
and both made the same voyage, 1880
miles. to Manila. 1t cost the Marietta
$685. and the Princeton $27, 499.
There is an even greater contrast be-
tween the cost of running the Brooklyn
and the Olympia. The latter, a cruiser
of $50 tons, spent $155,335 on a voyage
from Manila to New York, while the
Brooklyn, with 9,215 tons and a crew
larger in the same proportion, cost
$59,39 for the same voyage through the
Suez canal.