The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1901-11-09
AT SEA.
Annual Statistics of Maritire Casual
ties BY LloYd,s Register.

Inc STATISTICAL summary OF vessel:
totally lost, condemned, etc, pub
lished by Lloyd's Register, showsthai
during 1900 the gross reduction in
the effective mercantile marine OF
the world amounted to S4S vessels, OF
677,1S2 tons, excluding all vessels OF
less than 100 tons. OF this total 296
vessels, Of SS6,304 tons, were steam
ers, and 552, of 990,S7S tons, were
sailing vessels, As regards steamers,
the present return exceeds the aver
age of the previous nine years by 16
vessels and 2i,554 tons; as regards
sailing vessels it is below the aver
age by pa vessels and S3,96S tons.
The figures relating to steam and
sailing tonnage owned in the United
kingdom, says the London Mariner,
are below the average by $4,000 and
10000 tons, respectively. Apart
from vessels broken up, condemned,
etc, the United Kingdom steam ton
mage loss during 1900 is below the
average of the preceding nine years
by about 10000 tons, while the tom
mage owned has increased during that
period by over 3,250,O0O tons. The
summary exhibits interesting data as
to the relative frequency of the diff
ferent kinds of casualty, ETC., which
conclude the existence of vessels.
STANDINGS and kindred casualties.
which are comprised under the term
wrecked" are much the most pro-
lltic cause Of disaster. To such cas-
ualties are attributable Al per cent. of
the losses Of steamers and As per cent.
OF the losses of sailing vessels. The
next most common termination of a
vessels career is by condemnation.
breaking up, etc.; about II per cent.
of the vessels removed from the mer-
chant fleets of the world are ac-
counted for in this manner. OF the
remaining causes of loss collision is
the most general for steamers (about
IL per cent?; while for sailing YES
sells cases of abandonment at sea come
next in order of frequency (also about
IL per cent?. Gases of abandoned,
foundered and missing vessels NAV
perhaps be regarded as frequently
more or less similar in the cimcum-
stances Of loss. If these be taken col
lectively they comprehend 10 per
cent. of the losses of steamers and 2S
per cent. of the losses of sailing YES
sells.
The return has been compiled by
LlOyd's Register in such a manner a.
to enable a comparison to be made
between the percentages of loss suf-
fered by each of the principal mer-
chant navies in the world. Great as
the absolute annual loss of vessels be-
longing to the United Kingdom ap-
pears TO be, it is seen to form a very
moderate percentage of the mercan-
tile marine of the country, and to
compare favorably with the losses
sustained by other leading maritime
countries. The merchant navies
which exceed a total of 1000 900
tons are those of the United King
dom, the British colonies, the United
States Of America, France, Germany
and Norway. Of these countries the
United Kingdom and the British col
onies show the smallest percentage
of less, viz, 2.39 and 2.34 per cent,
respectively, of vessels owned; Ger
many follows, with 3.39 per cent.
and Norway is the highest, with 500
per cent. As regards steamers, while
the percentage of the United King
dom stands at 1.9j, the average of the
percentages of loss for the other five
countries show an average percentage
of 500, as compared with 4.O5 per
cent. for the United Kingdom. The
percentages given at the end of the
preceding paragraph suggest that
steamers have a much greater immu-
nifty from disaster than have sailing
vessels. This inference is borne out
II the losses, etc, sustained by the
chief remaining merchant feet of Eu-
rope be dlsotaken into account. While
the losses of steamers amount only
to two per cent. of the number and 1.8
per cent. of the tonnage owned. the
losses of sailing vessels reach 81 per
cent. of the number and as per cent.
of the tonnage.