New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-11
Eighty-nine Vessels Destroyed


stroyed within the period, according
to these figures, was eighty-nlne. vi
these, twerty-one were trawlers and
smacks. The summary classihes these
losses as follows:
Torpedoed-Bri steamships, %:
Entente steamships other than British.
10; neutral steamships, Il; trawlers
and smacks, Il.
Sunk by mines-Nine vessels, class
and nationality not stated.
An official of a very large interna-
tional shipping company estimates that
Great Britain has on hand a supply OF
food equal to less than six weeks con-
sumption. That is not as sensational
as at first thought might seem to be
the case. The British are the largest
food importers in the world, relying
more than any other people on sup
plies from overseas, and under normal
conditions The stock of food would be
perhaps always less than enough to last
for a period of six weeks in the un-
imaginable event of sudden and total
cessation of shipping. The fact, as
stated. merely emphasizes the vital ne
cessity of keeping the food lanes open.
British purchasing agents in this
country are said to be bending all their
efforts toward eXpediting the movement
of foodstuffs from this continent to
England, especially wheat. They have
been very active during the last few
davs in Chicago, the American grain
market centre. and it is said that 600
cars 100000 bushels) of wheat orig
inally routed to Eastern parts Of the
United States have been diverted TO
the Canadian seaboard.
Great Britain's wheat imports since
the end of August have been parallel
to those for the corresponding period
of the preceding year and are consider
ably less than in former years. Ac
cording to the latest official statistics,
imports Of wheat into England during
nineteen weeks to January in the last
four years have been as follows:
Year. Bushels. Year. Bushels.
1916-17.. 1854 900 19l4-r5.. 73,47O,00O
19l5-16.. 1921 ,O0Ol9l3-I4.. s7,0l6,0OO
Ever since the outbreak of war the
British government. besides directly
requisitioning vast quantity OF mer.
chant tonnage, has made reservation Of
portion Of the cargo space of the
mercantile marine flying the British
flag. Recently the amount Of tie space
so reserved has been increased in the
case of some, if not all, such vessels
entering this port to two-thirds of the
total capacity, and by far the greater
part of this space has been utilized for
the shipment of food, largely wheat and
other grains.
Wars Effect on Tonnage
At the outbreak Of the war Lloyd's
Registry gave the worlds steam and
sail tonnage at 49.0S9.552, composed OF
30,S36 vassels. The tonnage credited
to the Entente Allies was 1901 ships
of 26,554 CAT tons. or this the United
Kingdom had 1923 ships of 21,045, 0l9
tons. The Central Powers had 1896
ships of 6,64s,l73 tons. Lloyd's reports
on all craft over 100 tons, and includes
river, harbor and fishing boats.
Practical steamship men. who have
made effort to estimate the oceangoing
tonnage, calculate that when the
ships in use to serve the war fleets OF
the Allies and vessels in service in
transport of troops and supplies to the
armies are subtracted it leaves not
over l0,000,000 British tons available
for the transatlantic trade. The ocean
going tonnage of all nations, exclusive
of that OF the Central Powers. now in
active, is estimated at around 100000
tons.
BY the records for the nine days Of
February, Germany is destroying ton
mage at the rate OF 5,06s,l25 tons q
year. At this rate it would take her
over eight years to destroy all hostile
and neutral ships, making no provision
for new vessesl constructed Ii would
take her over four years to wipe out
Britain's merchant vessels if her
energies could be centred upon their
destruction. It would take Germany
two years to destroy all of England's
ocean ships now conveying food and