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1901.] MARINE REVIEW. 19 geon. The hydraulic cylinder and ram are placed at the other end of these levers, and by making the center line of this cylinder follow the radial path of the arms of which the cylinder forms the outer end, con- A | FIG. 4. PORTABLE HYDRAULIC RIVETER. HINGED TYPE FOR GENERAL : WORK. necting rods between the two levers are avoided. The thickness of the sheerstrake plates and doublings in the large class of vessels has made hydraulic riveting most imperative, owing to the correspondingly large size of rivets. FALLACY OF FREE SHIP ARGUMENTS. In his testimony before the industrial commission at Washington the other day Mr. Osborn Howes of Boston made the assertion that Ameri- can carrying trade would revive quickly if restrictive laws should be repealed and if Americans should be permitted to purchase ships for American register wherever they liked. Mr. Howes' statements were widely quoted. Mr. R. Smith, in a letter to oe the Journal of Com- | merce, points out the fallacy of such. argu- ment. Mr, Smith says: "This is an oft repeat- ed statement. It would be well for Mr. Howes, or those who believe as he does, to specify what laws now upon our stat- utes are 'restrictive' in respect of developing our merchant marine. He would, I know, ex- tend our registry to any ship owned by an Am- erican citizen. But would he have the law repealed that requires the masters and officers of ships to be American citizens? Would he allow any for- eigners to command and officer' our ships, if competent? Would he repeal the law which fixes the food scale on board American ships at its present high standard of excellence? And would he be satisfied to subject or . sailors to the inferior food -scales of other nations? And : ; if a vessel be foreign-built, commanded and officered by foreigners, wih foreign food scale the standard, would he fly the American flag over her? For my part I would keep her under a foreign flag, in order to properly designate her as foreign in every respect save alone in ownership. Mr. Howes finds no support among American owners of foreign ships for his demand for American registry. He does not find any Americans with capital seeking the privilege of buying and registering foreign-built ships as American. Where, he should be asked, is the practical demand for the free American registry of foreign-built ships? It does not exist and never has existed. Both of the great political parties in congress, as recorded through their representatives upon the house committee on merchant marine and fisheries, put themselves squarely on record as not advocating the free American registry of foreign-built ships in the last congress, although Mr. Howes urged his views upon them at length. "What now prevents 'American capitalists' from purchasing 'ships without regard to where they were constructed?' Has not Mr J. ©. Morgan just shown to all the world in his purchase of the British Ley- land line that American capitalists are now permitted to purchase ships without regard to where they were constructed? Of course he intends to keep them under the British flag, as the British president of his com- pany announced he would. But the people ought to know that, even if ST : SS ESR 3 Ae FIG. 5. SMALL LIGHT DIRECT-ACTING HYDRAULIC RIVETER. he were freely given American registry for his Leyland line ships, Mr. Morgan could not afford'to accept it, because in doing so he would im- pose upon himself the higher cost of operating his ships under the Amer- ican flag than is necessary if he keeps them under the British ensign. Right here is the point of difference between people who believe as Mr. Howes does and those who believe as I do. Mr. Howes would allow foreign-built ships to be registered as American, and he'would allow for- eigners to command and officer our ships; he would make foreign food scales the American standard in order that they could compete with foreign ships without aid from the government. He would disregard the other aids foreign ships receive in the way of mail pay, subsidies, sub- ventions, naval reserve retainers, construction and navigation bounties, and suggest nothing by which American ships could overcome those ad- vantages enjoyed by foreign ships. But those who believe as I do would make our merchant marine consist of American-built ships, in which American materials and labor had been employed; they would have them commanded and officered by American citizens, and, so far as possible, manned by our own citizens; they would maintain our American food scale of a better quality and larger quantity of food than obtain on for- eign ships; and they would make good to the American owners of such ships, so built, so commanded, so officered, so manned and so provis- ioned, out of the national treasury, the extra cost of the construction and operation of those ships under the American flag for the aid they would be to our government--ships and men--in time of need, and for the larger markets they would open up abroad for our increasing surplus products. And the amount of that aid would be so fixed as to enable such American ships to successfully meet the competition of the subsi- dized and bountied ships of other nations." NEW CLASSIFICATION OF THE NAVY: An executive order of importance and of considerable historical interest has just been issued by the president, changing the classification of the vessels of our navy and rating them in a manner more in accord with modern conditions than has been the custom heretofore. The system of rating the vessels just abandoned was a makeshift; it was not provided by law and was an attempt to reconcile the rating laid down by law with the conditions of modern naval construction. For many years a ship's rating or classification depended on the number of guns carried. Before the war we had "ships of the line," carrying from eighty-four to 120 guns; frigates, each mounting fifty guns; sloops of war, of from 566 to 1726 tons, with from sixteen to twenty-four guns; brigs; screw frigates, with a tonnage of from 3,200 to 4,580, the Niagara displacing most, having twelve guns, while the Minnesota, one of the smallest, carried forty guns; and first and second-class "steam sloops," and smaller vessels. Tonnage and guns combined to give these vessels their rating. At the end of the war there were four ratings, with subdivisions in each. First rates included sailing ships of 2,000 tons and upward, screw steamers of 2,500 tons and upward, paddle-wheel steamers of 2,400 tons and upward, and ironclad steamers of 3,300 tons and upward. The other ratings were divided in the same way. A few years later, in 1867, the ratings were simplified; first rates were all vessels of 2,400 tons and over, second rates were from 1,200 to 2,400 tons, third rates from 600 to 1,200 tons, fourth rates under 600 tons. The scale of rating was changed from time to time, but never in a way to keep pace with the growth of the navy, so that in the system just given up we had such anomalies as the Alabama of 11,565 tons and the Chicago of 5,000 tons rating the same; the con- verted cruiser Buffalo, 6,888 tons, and the protected cruiser Boston, 3,000 tons, as second rates, while the Dixie of 6,888 tons, and the Princeton of 1,000 tons, were carried as third rates. The new system. groups the vessels as follows: First rate, men-of-war only, of 8,000 tons displacement and upward; second rate, men-of-war of more than 4,000 tons and less than 8,000 tons, together with converted auxiliary vessels of 6,000 tons and over, except special ships, colliers, repair ships, tank steamers and the like; third rates, men-of-war from 1,000 to 4,000 tons, and converted and auxiliary vessels of from 1,000 to 6,000 tons, and colliers, refrigerating ships, supply ships, distilling ships, tank steamers, repair ships, hospital ships, and other vessels used for special purposes, of 4,000 tons and over; fourth rate, all other rated vessels. Torpedo-boat destroyers, torpedo boats, tugs, sailing vessels and receiving ships are not to be rated. The new order changes the rating of several well-known ships of the navy, in each case lowering their position in the navy list. Thus the Texas, which has been a second-class battleship of the first rate becomes a second-rate battleship; the 'Columbia and Minneapolis, cruisers, and the Olympia, Dewey's flagship, also a cruiser, become second rate vessels; all of the battleships launched recently, as well as all of those building, go into the first-rate list, as do the armored cruisers under construction, so that the net loss of vessels of the first rate is very small. As some of the new vessels laid down have a tonnage displacement of nearly twice the minimum required for vessels of the first rate--the Georgia, for example, having one of 15,000 tons where only 8,000 are needed--it is possible that a further change in classification may be made in the near future. It is not likely that ships of over 15,000 tons will for so long a time as hitherto be rated as of the same class as those of barely 8,000 tons. The new order puts in formal shape a custom relating to command which has been followed for some years. An admiral or rear admiral may properly command a fleet, a rear admiral may command a squadron, a captain a ship of the first or second rate, and a vessel not rated; a com- mander, a ship of the second or third rate or one not rated; a lieutenant- commander, a ship of the third or fourth rate or one not rated a lieutenant, a ship of the fourth rate, a destroyer or a torpedo boat, a tug, tender or a vessel not rated; a junior lieutenant a torpedo boat, tug, tender or unrated ship, and an ensign a torpedo boat, tug, or unrated ship. These are merely the commands appropriate to the respective ranks. So long as no pro- vision is made for increasing the number of officers proportionately with the vessels of the navy, it is to be expected that officers below the rank of commander will have higher commands than those strictly appropriate to their rank. One cent a mile to Buffalo via the Nickel Plate Road, good going on July 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30, and returning within three days from date of sale. Write, wire, 'phone or call on nearest agent, or E. A. Akers, C. P. & T. A., Cleveland, O. July 30 1 fos ee eae ee aa