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18 TRAE MARINE. REVIEW UNCLE SAM, SHIP OWNER. BY WALTER J. BALLARD. In his annual report for 1905, the commissioner of nav- igation, Mr. Eugene T. Chamberlain, tells us that our merchant marine of all kinds of documented shipping, on June 30, 1905, consisted of 24,681 vessels, of 6,456,543 gross tons. For the year, this is a net increase of 123 vessels, and 165,008 gross tons. The ee Hate distribution' on June 30, was: Vessels Gross Tons Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. ee ere, 173357 3,396,542 Northern' "Lakes 702.6007 6... Meat 3,011 2,002,147 Pacific: Coast -.ii9e Bias 2,674 793,088 Western. Rivers... ..%.-+: Paces 1,520 174,319 Hawaiian 1slands 5.65.0. 5 ees He 5 28,622 Porto Rito 2 a ee ee 57 1,915 ete eis ee 24,081 6,450,543 The construction during the year was: Vessels Gross Tons Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.......... 661 210,601 Woertiera "ates 2 aes) sea) 01 93,123 Paciic Coast.) 63s eas is 162 20,115 Western Rivets ....2-.-- oe cs 178 : 6,477 Totals : Ce ig ae ee 1,102 330,316 As the year's net increase in our merchant marine was only 123 vessels, of 165,008 gross tons, while 1,102 vessels, of 330,316 gross tons, were constructed, it follows that 979 vessels, big and little, nearly all the latter, of 165,308 gross tons, went out of commission from various causes, dur- ing the year. The new construction of 1905 included 55 vessels of 1,000 gross tons or upward, aggregating 194,307 gross tons, or about 60 per cent of the total construction. The largest of these was the leviathan Dakota, of 20,714 gross tons. The other 54 vessels ranged from 1,070 gross tong to 6,684 gross tons. Forty-one steel steamers of 158,631 gross tons 'were constructed for the great lakes trade. Seven steel steamers, of 41,030 gross tons, were built for the ocean trade; that is encouraging in view of our lamentable shortage in ocean-going vessels. These figures show that nearly four times as much new tonnage was built for our great lakes trade as for our foreign trade. "Tt is especially noteworthy," says the commissioner, "in view of the decline in this country of ship building in the past few years, that four large steamers for trade with Cuba and Mexico, have recently been ordered in American yards. These steamers, however, it should be stated, are to replace steamers which have been purchased by the government for the operation of its merchant line from New York to Colon, Panama. Two large steamers are also building on the Pacific coast for the American ' Hawaiian Steamship Company." When the present report was closed, June 30, 1905, the steel vessels under construction in private yards, for the merchant and government services, as compared with June 30, 1904, was as follows: Merchant Government Total No. Tons No. Tons No. Tons 1904 eva 57 B40) 30 §, 335425. 95. 427,121 1005. 2)... 2-96 190,903 39 g0mj70e tac 460,361 The government also had, June 30, four vessels of 32,185 tons (displacement) building for the navy at government navy yards, under an appropriation of $6,202,000. Says the commissioner: "The labor and capital employed in con- struction of the larger types of ocean steam tonnage thus continues to be almost wholly dependent on appropriations by caitiagapia and bids fair to continue so throughout the year." : Our ship building for foreign trade in the. past four fiscal years was: Vessels Gross Tons 1002 i Nie eA ee a ee 21 108,775 TOO8 i os. ee a es 18 "101,471 COO ie a ee ek ee 7 71,859 1005 "20... peace es Veet Ca a ee 7 41,030 room, Birdie ee ¥ 36,150 _ That is not by any means a record to be proud of. A re- duction of two-thirds in four years, while our foreign com- merce has grown $2,284,000,000 to $2,800,000,000 (1905 cal- endar year), an increase of $516,000,000, or nearly one- fourth, in the same period. Decreasing two-thirds in new carrying facilities and in- creasing one-fourth in goods to be carried is not the kind of business proposition we usually deal in. Our enrolled and licensed merchant marine is: ze Number Gross Tons team; Fron and. Steck ou. es oe 1,359 1,987,395 CAE, VOOM. cer ros ee ass 7,158 1,152,919 Sail, Wood and Iron and Steel..... 14,792 2,361,716 (Including canal boats and barges.) Oa eee i ee eee os Ose 23,309 5,502,030 Comparing that with our chief competitors in the world's commerce, we have: Number Gross Tons British Pipe 5.6. a 11,365 17,009,720 Germany ieee as ee a 4,225 3,517,073 "All of the merchant marine of the British Empire, ex- cept 2,336 vessels of 1,600,182 gross tons, consists of steamers, practically all of Great Britain's tonnage, and much the greater part of that of the British colonies, is employed on the sea. It is the same with Germany. By far the greater part of her marine tonnage is used in: foreign trade, while the foreign trade part of our large tonnage is only about 900,000. tons. It is interesting to note the nationalities of 120,635 sailors shipped and reshipped (including repeated voyages) who worked for Uncle Sam, ship owner, in 1905 fiscal year. mipericans (born) 22 asi i ee 37,008 Americans (naturalized): (200 3 a 22,571 rite ee ee ee eee ee 13,790 Speeds) gt a ae eons 11,738 MOL Weriale. 2.65 c. is fe age oe as ee eee 6,019 TEAS se et Ee ee 4,593 Swedes (0 Oe ee ies ees 4,223 eer Oe eS ee ee ee 4,178 Portuese: AG ye ed a ee 3,827 Pestate a ey ee 2,810 Wa eS ee eee oe ee ee eu SIyians 60 8 Pe ae Pee ee aes Hee ee Oe EES renew ore in is ee eee ce 562 FAVAR ESE: os ass bcs Py ee eee as ae 537 Pips = 2.0 ee es oe Pes a ee Seas " Po ORMELS cc ek es ee ee oder eteng ae eure 5,006 The total number working on American ships in 1905 was about 8,000 more than in 1904. That the Spaniards rank fourth is somewhat of a surprise. It is gratifying to find that one-half of Uncle Sam's merchant sailors are Americans by birth or adoption. Those classed as "others" are principally natives of Central and South American States, Mexicans, Cubans, and natives of the various West Indian 'Islands. In passing, and in view of the natural link between Uncle Sam's merchant marine and his navy, it is worth noting that Lloyds Register for January, 1905, says: "The warship tonnage launched by the United States in 1904, amounting to about 171,000 tons displacement was, with but one exception, the highest total ever launched for any country during one year; the exception being 1901 when Great Britain launched 210,000 tons of British war vessels." Uncle Sam, both as ship. owner and naval commander,