The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1918-06-26
Department Of Commerce Gives
First War Statistics.
SECOND ONLY TO BRITISH
Merchant Marine Of America Now
100000 Tons-6o2 Vessels Built In
Last Five Months-single Months
Growth in 1918 Equals Whole Num-
Der Launched in 19i4-Now Reckon
by Deadweisht Tonnage.

The steady growth of the American
merchant marine in all classes Of YES
sells has been revealed for the first
time since the war began in statistics
from the department of commerce.
hThey show that in the first five months
o. this year there have been built In
this country and officially numbered
by the bureau of navigation a total
Of 629 vessels Of GS7,Oj5 gross tons.
The merchant fleet Of the United
States now amounts TO approximately
100000 gross tons, not including
merchant craft under control Of the
army and navy as transports and sup
ply ships At the beginning Of Jan
uary 2G.2f2 merchant vessels of $685.
224 gross tons were flying the Stars
and Stripes ON trips across the Allan
tic with food and munitions, into the
Caribbean and Pacific with American
products for foreign customers and on
the lakes and rivers OF this country as
part of the nations domestic trans
portation system.
includes New Vessels.
This tremendous fleet is second only
TO the merchant tonnage of Great Brit
ain. 1t includes I'll new vessels built
under the direction of the shipping
board and thousands of other ships,
smaller in tonnage but greater in car
rying capacity, which play so large a
part in commerce and the maintenance
of a favorable balance Of trade.
All merchant vessels gre required by
law 60 register with the bureau Of
navigation of the department Of COM
merce aud to receive an official iden-
tiication number, before being per-
mitted to fly The flag Of the United
States. The number is awarded when
the finished slip is measured for gross
tonnage capacity. which is the content
of the ship in terms of 100 cubic feet
and the Internationally accepted meth
Cd of expressing size.
The shipping board, building exclu-
sivcIy cargo ships has adopted dead.
weight Tonnage ms the medium Of COM
putting new tonnage deadwcight capa-
city being the actual weight Of cargo
and bunker coal which can be carried.
Indicates Fleets She.
The dcadwoight tonnage Of a cargo
ship is about 80 per cent greater than
its gross tonnage, but in a passenger
vessel is less because the space Is ~.
, cupied by passenger accommodation.
The former German liner Vaterland.
now the Lcviathun has gross tom
mage Of $1,000 but a lightweight capa-
city Of only about 5000 tons, which H.
Illustrates why, in dealing with all types
of ships, gross tonnage or the actual
size regardless Of the space allotted To
cargo, has been chosen internationally
as more truly Indicative of the size of
a fleet.
There has been a steady increase in
new ships this year, the May tonnage
being three times as great as the Jan
uary output, and greater than the
whole output for the year 1914. In
the first month Of 1913 there were 81
ships of 64,7j9 tons given official
numbers. In February 81 ships of
117,G01 gross tons We're numbered.
March saw notable jump in the pro-
duction Of small ships, numbers being
awarded to 1873, the tonnage being H.
145. The record in April was 1G5
ships Of 10000 tons, and in May 1855
ships of 1911, 4Gj tons.