New-York tribune., 1901-03-23
COMMERCE OF GREA I LAKES.
INTERESTING FIGURES AND COMPARI-
SONS FROM THE TREASURY
BUREAU OF STATISTICS.

Washington March % (SpeciaD.-The prospect OF
an early opening of navigation on the Great Lakes
and the preparations made by the Treasury bu-
reau of Statistics to continue its work, begun III
1900 of gathering statistics of that commerce.
lend interest TO a review of last years business
on the lakes. compared with that of earlier years.
just prepared by that bureau. The entire CONNER
cial development of the Great Lakes and or the
territory contiguous thereto has been embraced
within the century just closed, and the more in
teresting phases of 1t presented by the record
of the last years. Before that time the growth
had been by leaps and bounds, interspersed win
periods of depression and in the five years folloW-
ing 1875 when rail competition first became active
there was an appreciabe falling off both In Vessei
tonnage and the volume of freight traffic
Taking up first the accessons to the tonnage en-
gagged in the carrying trade on the inland seas II
may be noted that never before 1890 had the lake
tonnage reached an aggregate of 100000. In
that year the aggregate tonnage was l,o6Suoi'
and from that time until the present day an al
most steady increase has been noted. Never since
1889 has the total dropped below the 100000 mark
and. with the single exception of 1894. there has
been no year wherein the tonnage has not
shown increase over the preceding twelve
months. The minimum yearly increase in the de-
cade was II 059 tons and the maximum s6.oS5 tons,
the latter having been recorded in 1887, while the
year previous has gain of s2 COS tons to its credit
The aggregate tonnage the lakes at the close of
the last fiscal year June 30, 1900, was l,5booS''
a gain of 5o2.524 tons, So per cent, in the period
covered by the comparison.
II may be of interest TO digress for moment at
this point TO consider the relation of the lake fleet
the vessels Of all kinds owned in the United
States In 1881. for instance. when the aggregate
tonnage under the American flag 46Sl.15S, the
tonnage of the lake amounted to 1,l54S7O, or
2i per cent The aggregate tonnage for the
nation increased gradually before 1860. and thus in
1896 and 1897, when heavy additions were made to
the fresh carriers, the shipping of the inland
seas represented as high as % per cent Of the the
IN he
by the United States Commissioner OF Navigaton.
Sss tons and the Great Lakes with i565.5S7 tons.
thus embraces 80 per cent Finally it may be noted
vessels now owned on the Atlantis lar and Gulf coasts
ceeds by "a per cent the tonnage on the Great
i-ahes.
exclusively, the Great Lakes make a much more
favorable showing OF the l.592SS1 tons Of iron
Hawaii. there are the inland seas 6s7.76s tons,
or or g per cent. The Atlantic and Gulf coasts nave
lake fleet as compared with excess of "a per
Grafton The true significance Of the figures indie
ative Of the relative strength of shipping on the
Great Lakes and Atlantic and Gulf coasts is only
gained, however. when a comparison Of the num-
sented in conjunction with the statements OF ton
flying the American nag the Great !akes have only
S22 as compared with 16S on the Atlantic and Gulf
only Is per cent Of the metal vessels in the Ameri-
whereas the iron and steel fleet owned on the At
lantic and Gulf coasts numerically exceeds that on
the lakes by lSl per cent in tonnage the IS
as has been said. less than l. per To carry
thls comparison further it may be Of interest TO
consider the apportionment Of the larger iron and
steel steel yessels,those of 1000 tons each and over
now operated under the American flag. OF this
ciass or tonnage. ont of total in the United
lhere are TO be found on the Great Lakes 42i YES
seis OF Sllo33 tons. 1t will thus be that the
Iakes nave "a per cent OF the whole fleet and SO per
cent of the tonnage. -
IN numerical strength the lake fleet exceeds thai
OF the Atlantic coast and Gulf OF Mexico by lIl
sesseIs. or 90 per cent. and in tonnage by 27 1881
tons, or AZ per