Evening star., 1934-01-14
A Century Of American Shipping
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

The hundred years between the end
Of 1853 and the end Of 1888 has seen
the American merchant marine grow
from heet Of l,6o6, ISL tons to 15,oeo,-
l57. In that century the most profound
changes have taken place. There
have been Ucissitudes, as there have In
other branches Of American life, but
on the whole the story has been one Of
growth. It Is true that the merchant
feet today is less than It was at the
postwar peak, when q tonnage Of
18,462,9 ,967 was reached. But that was
In 1922, when the last Of the vessels
laid down as O. part Of the wartime
program came Of the ways. The Ma
ton was told that ships would win the
war and such governmentally subsidized
enterprises as the great Hog Island
Shipyard turned bottoms out regardless
Of normal trade demand.
The extent Of the real growth, In re-
sponse to commercial demand, Is better
measured by the figures, which show
that In 1917, the year In which the
United States entered the World War.
the tonnage was only 8,871,037. Even
duced IN the war (spurt the feet now
just before entry into the war.
The background Of the American peo-
pie Is largely maritime. None but
seafaring people would have ventured
across the Atlantic to colonize the
American continent. and while Spain
sttl was contesttng the dominion of the
main OF the time Of the early settle.
ments, the nag of England was In the
ascendant. So even during the Colonial
days Americans were shipping men.
And when the new Nation looked over
its merchant marine and took stock In
1888 1t found fleet Of 1852 tons.
Today there are half dozen ships
with aggregate tonnage greater than
that figure, but IN view Of the fact that
all were sailing ships and most OF
homemade work 1t was fairly respect
able showing. Thereafter growth was
very rapid. By 1833Nthe beginning of
the century under review-the Ameri-
can merchant feet had grown to
1,606. ISL tons.
Sailing Ship Races.
These, too were all sailing ships with
the exception Of a few experimental
steam craft-expertmental compared
with modern craft. It had not been
until 1907 that Robert Fulton's Cler-
mont first steamed up the Hudson, and
while quite a number Of steam ferry
and tow boats had been put in use,
steam navigation had not truly made
its advent.
Indeed 1t might be said that prac-
tical commercial steam navigation dates
back for just century for 1t was in
1882 that the various small steamboats,
and ferries operating on the Hudson
River were consolidated, and in 1885
that the Peoples Line was organized. It
was this line which operated the Swal-
low and the Rochester, two boats IA
nous In their time, which often en-
gagged in races on the route between
Albany and New York City.
The day Of sail was by no means
0ver-in fact the American sailing fleet
had not yet fully developed to Its great
est strength. At the close of 1888 there
were already 101 ,851 tons Of steam
shipping. but there were 1,504, 300 tons
under sail. The American naval VIC
tories which won the War Of 1912 gave
the sea increased prestige and American
seamen new confidence. From the end
Of the war onward American packet
masters began taking the carrying trade
away from England, and with the ad-
vent Of the Baltimore clipper, q type Of