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30 MARINE REVIEW. MARINE REVIEW Devoted to the Merchant Marine, the Navy, Ship Building, and Kindred Interests. Published every Thursday at No. 418-19 Perry-Payne building, Cleveland, Ohio, by THe MARINE REvIEW PUBLISHING Co. SUBSCRIPTION--$2.00 per year in advance. Single copies 10 cents each. Convenient binders sent, post paid, $1.00. Advertising rates on application. Tntered at Cleveland Post Office as Second-class Mail Matter. With an output in excess of one and a half million tons the year 1897 has established a record in the annals of British ship building, and the prospects for the immediate future on the other side seem fully as hope- ful as they are in this country. But there is no denying the fact that the representatives of this great industry throughout England and Scotland are greatly disturbed on account of the positive indications of competi- tion from the United States. They have just passed through a year of strained relations between employers and employed, with the greatest strike in the engineering trade ever known. The iron workers have shown little consideration, it is claimed, for their employers, and the trades unions, although their power has been shaken by failure in the en- gineering strike, are still in position to enforce arbitrary rules that would not be tolerated in this country. The English builders have also seen American tools introduced in all branches of the ship building industry on an immense scale throughout Europe, and the aggregate sales of American made ship plate for foreign consumption is by no means a small item. These are the conditions, coupled with fear of favorable shipping legislation in this country, that prompt numerous editorial paragraphs © similar to the following (from Fairplay of London) in shipping journals everywhere throughout the United Kingdom: "Workmen must not forget that we are not now builders for the world. | They have been, and possibly are still, under the impression that the bogey of foreign competi- tion is always held up as a red rag to try and intimidate them; but the writer has had frequent opportunities of seeing what is going on, and within the next few years Germany, Russia, France, and last, but by no means least America, will be able to fulfil all their own requirements, and, if I am not mistaken, America will in many ways prove a strong conpeti- tor. They are creating large new shipbuilding and engineering works on the other side, and they can buy materials much cheaper than we can. Their workmen earn high wages, it is true, but the employers reap the advantage, as the equivalent in work is done, and the American workman is steady. Steel is already coming to this country, and I am informed on good authority that contracts for large deliveries have been arranged. All this points to lower prices for steel in this country, and as we pay more for the raw materials and have not the labor-saving plants of the Amer- icans, it looks as if someone will have to go to the wall. 1 recently had an opportunity of discussing this question with an eminent steel maker, and he told me that he was not at all happy at the American competition, as he knew from personal observation that the Americans were a long way ahead, and that, unless we protected ourselves, the only choice left would be to remove to the other side." _A glance over the pages of this issue of the Review should certainly. bring satisfaction to the advocates of a shipping policy worthy of the na- tion that once held its full share of trade on the seas. We are not simply preparing to make up for neglect and indifference regarding our merchant marine. The work is already begun. Ships fully equal to the best that are to be found in the world are described in these columns, and the num- ber of them is beyond the hopes of the most ardent supporters of this industry. With a great deal of labor, the Marine Review has searched the United States--coasts, rivers and great lakes--for every scrap of informa- tion that is to be had regarding ships building or under contract at this time in the numerous yards of the country, large and small. It is certainly a source of gratification to find that if we include some fifty-eight naval vessels--a wonderful record in government orders--the ship yards of the country are now supplied with work sufficient to keep most of them, and especially the larger ones, actively engaged for the next three years. Several new ship building and engineering works of large proportions have been created within the past year. The Carnegie Steel Co. and other manufacturers of ship building material have made sales within the year of large quantities of steel plate for delivery to foreign ship builders. All of the large tool concerns have had their agents scouring the engineering works of Europe and their sales have been phenomenal in the ship yards as well as in establishments generally where metal working tools are re- quired. All this without any reference to the avowed policy of the present administration at Washington to provide adequate aid to American ships in the foreign trade in competition with aided foreign ships. There is certainly a grand future in store for the shipping interests of this country if the beginning already made with the building of ships for our own trade is to be followed by the passage of the Hanna-Payne bill, now before congress, and which will, if passed, result in the construction of two or three hundred thousand tons of new ships for the foreign trade at an ex- penditure of many millions of dollars during the next few years. Neve before has there been such a union of the shipping, ship building, m as facturing and mercantile interests on a measure of this kind Tee doubtedly the most thoroughly practical and e uitable plan for a i ing the end desired, and will, in all probability, mect with eovcs nee, ; ; probability, meet with approval from the present congress. Then look for a , : stead : SAFE progress in the United States. ady march of ship building 'It is un- andaee 12, THE are TS VERYTHING points to an activity in -- VM ARIN E ---- ship building during the ensuing year, unprecedented in the history of the R EVI E W industry in America. The large number of orders for merchant ships, the extensive IN nayal program contemplated, and the numerous contracts placed for expensive 1899 steam yachts demonstrate this beyond the peradventure of a doubt. Naturally every- body interested in naval affairs or shipping pursuits will want particulars of these new vessels at the earliest possible moment. The REviEw will endeavor to sup- ply this, as well as full reports of tests and trial trips, as soon as obtainable. The data will in almost all cases be accompanied by photographs or working drawings, which will frequently, as in the past, be published in the REVIEW long in advance of their appearance in other publications. THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE OF THE REVIEW IS $2 PER ANNUM. In the : offices of many of the leading ship builders and naval architects of this and other countries files of the REViEw are kept for matters of reference, furnishing as they do a complete epitome of ship building and navigation generally. Prospective sub- scribers who desire a complete volume may have their subscriptions begin with m : the first number of the year. MARINE REVIEW PUBLISHING CO., 418-19 Perry-Payne Blidg., Cleveland. i WORK OF TWO MASSACHUSETTS YARDS--THE LEXINGTON. In a small way one of the most creditable performances among ship builders of the east during the past year was the completion oi the patrol! boat Lexington within a very brief stipulated period, by A. D. Story of Essex, Mass. This vessel, which is 122 feet long, 22 feet beam and 9 feet draught, replaced the old Ocean Gem at Buzzard's bay and is designed for general coast patrol service, particularly against "'porgie" pirates. Bids for the construction of the Lexington were the subject of a lively controversy at the Massachusetts state house after the award had been made to Arthur D. Story upon his agreement to have the boat completed in 125 days. Several other builders openly questioned the ability of the Essex ship builder to fulfil any such agreement, and the award was held up by the governor's council for several weeks in consequence, but was finally aproved, Mr. Story taking the contract at a figure in the neigh- borhood of $50,000. Mr. Story not only kept his promise but turned out a highly efficient boat, which upon her trial trip, although made under the most unfavor- able conditions, attained a speed of 13.04 knots. The vessel was designed | = PATROL BOAT LEXINGTON, BUILT BY A. D. STORY ESSEX, MASS. by W. E. Waterhouse of Boston, Mass., and her machinery was built by Bertelsen & Petersen. She carries a rapid-fire gun and is otherwise equipped for the service in which she is engaged. The year just closed, while showing no activity in its opening months, was on the Whole a pretty satisfactory one for Essex ship builders. Ten vessels, with a tonnage of 1,746 (carpenters) tons, were turned out, as against nine vessels of 1,234 tons in 1897. James & Tarr launched the schooners Mattakeesett, 174 tons; Juniata, 174 tons; Admiral Dewey, 194 tons, and a schooner yet unnamed of 96 tons; total, four vessels of 638 tons. A. D. Story launched the schooners Dawson City, 180 tons; Mary P. Mosquita, 128 tons; Helen F. Gleason, 185 tons; steamer W. H. Moody, 300 tons, steamer Lexington, 225 tons, and schooner Esther Anita, 190 tons; total six vessels of 1,108 tons. As will be noted in the summary of vessels building, throughout the United States, presented elsewhere in this issue, Mr. Story is now working on two schooners of 72 and 106 tons, re- spectively, valued at $7,000 and $9,000. James & Tatr also have a schooner of 194 tons on the stocks, and both yards have the prospect of additional contracts in the near future. ; | .