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1902.] MARINE REVIEW. This,: added to the United States tonnage dues, would make a total yearly port charges of $10,320, on the basis that the loading coal pier is owned by the steamship company and that the vessel pays such charges in France as enable her to tie up to a wharf, but does not pay for the stevedoring. Pilotage Charges.--The pilotage charges vary so greatly with all ports, depending upon accessibility, that in considering those of vessels entering the United States we shall take the rates used in New York harbor. Our vessel entering an- American port, light, would draw about 16 ft. maxi- mum. The inward pilotage would then be $67.60 and the outward $37.28, making a total pilotage of $104.88, and for ten voyages $1,048.80, or say $1,000. The pilotage entering the port of Marseilles is 43 centimes in- ward and 15 centimes outward per net registered ton, making a total of 58 centimes per ton, which on a 4,400-ton ship amounts to 2,552 francs, or $492.53 per entry. For ten entries or one year $4,925, say $5,000. Adding the American pilotage charge we have a total of $6,000 yearly. Towage.--For towage bills we will allow $5,000 per year. Capital Expense (interest, depreciation and insurance).--We now come to what is in the American vessels 48 per cent. of the expense of running, and in the British 43 per cent.; by far the largest single item on the cost sheet. The first costs upon which we have based the following figures are conservative and vessels could today be built on these lines and for these figures. It has been suggested that a depreciation of 7% per cent. should be allowed, instead of 5 per cent., because of the rapidity with which all appliances become old-fashioned in this present. age. On the other hand, such a vessel, well cared for, should be, and probably would be, at the end of ten years, sold for half her cost, which would amount to 5 per cent. depreciation for twenty years. British. American. Scandinavian. PEGt COSE-. eu. SU ee wo Oh $510,000.00 $370,000.00 $370,000.00 Interest 414% mortgage ......... 22,950.00 16,650.00 16,650.00 Depreciation a6 . 61.2... Siok. 25,500.00 18,500.00 18,500.00 dusurance 69", o. ieee oe ee 30,600.00 22,200.00 22,200.00 Total capital cost 1544%..... $79,050.00 857,350.00 $57 350.00 Total Yearly Operating Cost--We may now combine all the footings in the foregoing items and obtain the cost of carrying each ton of coal 3,800 knots to Europe, and bringing the vessel back light. American. British. Scandinavian. Con! consumption. «32... $36,900.00 $36,900.00 . $36,900.00 PVACRS 2 oo Cs Ce a iy 20,720.00 13,174.00 9,380.00 Maintenance -of créw.als. 35.2.0) 5,908.00 4,284.00. 3,672.00 Jonnage dues .2.6..00 10,320.00. _ 10,320.00 10,320.00 PuOtage 5.6. ee 6,000.00 6,000.00 6,000.00 ROWIee 2... 5,000.00 5,000.00 5,000.00 Capital expense... a. 79,050.00 57,350.00 57,350.00 Total yearly cost per vessel. .$163,498.00 $133,028.00 -- $128,622.00 The total number of tons carried per year in ten trips being 100,000, the cost per ton will be as follows: American. British. Scandinavian. $1.635 $1.33 $1.286 Cargo insurance can be obtained on this class of vessel for from 34 to Y% of 1 per cent., which would make cost of insurance per ton carried about 2 cents. Assuming that the management expenses of a company operating two such vessels to be $30,000.00 per year, the cost based on a ton of coal car- ried would be 15 cents. The stevedoring is not brought into considera- tion, as we are concerned only with the transportation. COST PER TON OF COAL CARRIED. American. British. Scandinavian. Rp ratin';. cost 4... a es $1.635 $1.33 $1.286 CALLO« MISULANCE ka rior ere ores Leet, 02 -02 02 BAER OeMCHT 6 oce. cess ek ue 15 15 Total cost of transportation 2 3... $1.805 $1.50 $1.456 Cost of a ton of coal aboard ship lying alongside quay, but not un- loaded, in Europe: = fost aboard ship at Noriolk .....0 2°, <7. $2.50 $2.50 > $2.50 Most oO. ireteht 0.) fee ae 1.80 1.50 1.456 $4.30 $4.00 $3.956 The present prices for coal in France range from $4.75 to $7.50 per ton, depending upon the kind (bituminous or anthracite) and the quality. As.a matter of comparison we state below the cost of coal per ton carried in a 5,000-ton deadweight ship and burning the usual present day amount of coal, viz.: 1.6 lbs. per indicated horse power. Vessel to make ten trips per year, and carrying no return cargo. : American. British. Mn 18D ne a $2.25 $2.00 40,000-ton special coal. steamer as aim SS Sn. Se 1.80 1.50 It must be borne distinctly in mind that the figures given throughout this article are based on the assumption that no return cargo will be car- ried. From the above discussion it is plain that American vessels, hampered by a high first cost and ridiculous employment laws, are hopelessly out of the question in a foreign carrying trade. But there never was, nor 1s there now, any obstancle to the ownership of British vessels by Ameri- cans. It is a logical conclusion that the seller shall deliver his goods to the buyer, and while now we are paying foreign vessel owners for carrying this coal, the time should not be far distant when the American owner of a vessel will be able to effect a through bill of lading from the mine to Europe. This can only be possible, however, by the establishment of "lines" of steamers which will lay the coal down in Europe with utmost economy of time between the mine pit and.the European coal dock. The lower the freight 'rates between this country and Europe are, the better chance American coal will have in the European market.~'A fleet of steamers of the kind we speak of would be able, by superior economy and ~ advantage of position, to overcome any opposition in transatlantic trade, and, owing to the high cost of coal in England and the low cost in this country, would be able to maintain f. 0. b. prices in Europe which would earn substantial dividends. PASSENGER STEAMSHIP APPOINTMENTS. General Manager W. C. MicMillan of the Detroit & Cleveland and Detroit and Buffalo lines has announced the list of officers who during the coming season are to operate the boats of the two companies. ore than ordinary interest is centered in the appointments this year on account of the selection of the masters of the Eastern States and Western States, the magnificent sidewheelers now building to go on the run between Detroit and Buffalo next June. The master of the Eastern States, which will make her first trip June 2, will be Capt. Duncan McLaughlan. His pilot will be Capt. John Mc- Callum, who, when the Western States is completed and placed on the run about the middle of June or the first of July, will tbe placed in com- mand of that boat. ee The appointments for the season of 1902, as announced by General 'Manager McMillan, are: . o Eastern States--Captain, Duncan McLaughlan; pilot, John Mc- Callum, it being understood that he is to be appointed captain of the new steamer Western States when she is put into commission; chief en- gineer, J. O. Snider; purser, D. C. Cummings; steward, Edward Pennell. City of Detroit--Captain, A. J. McKay; pilot, Malcolm 'MicLaughlan; chief engineer, William Huff; purser, Neal Mclean; steward, Alfred Welfare. City of Cleveland--Captain, Archie 'McLaughlan; pilot, John Light- body (he being promoted from first officer of steamer City of Mackinac); chief engineer, John F. Hall; purser, George W. Clarke; steward, E. H. Hudson, | i City of Alpena--Captain, Matthew Lightbody; first officer, William Kenyon; chief engineer, Almond Phillips; purser, John Sughrow; steward, B. Ransier. City of Mackinac--Captain, H. J. Slyfield; first officer, Fred Simpson (he being promoted from second to first officer); chief engineer, William McDonald; purser, R. S. White; steward, William Smith. The new men appointed were Steward E. H. Hudson, on the City of Cleveland, and Steward William Smith, on the City of Mackinac. Mr. Julian Herring has 'been appointed assistant chief steward to Louis Thorne, who has been at the head of this department for many years, and is one of the most popular men in the service. THE ISTHMIAN CANAL QUESTION. There is at present in Washington a gentleman who has permitted his prejudice to show its heels to his politeness. He has been a pleader in a special cause for so long, has, as it were, walked with it, talked with it and slept with it that he has became intolerant of opposition and, therefore, to provoke his enmity one has merely to differ with him in opinion. No man has done more than Senator Mrogan to further the cutting of a canal across the Isthmus of Panama. For a quarter of a century he has labored to this end, doing prodigious quantities of work, but he has allowed his mind to become so unalterably fixed. upon a single route--that of Nicaragua--that he will brook no opposition and make no effort to stay the current of his wrath if anyone suggests the advisability of another route. To the ship owning interests Panama presents one claim that appeals to them infinitely more than any other--and that is the fact that a ship may be navigated through the Panama canal in twelve hours, while it could not be navigated through the Nicaragua canal in less than thirty- three hours, This is the paramount advantage of Panama over Nica- ragua. But Mr. Morgan, as chairman.of the committee on oceanic canals, is brow-beating every witness who dares to say anything in favor of Panama. After Mr. Lampré, president of the French company, ap- peared before the committee, Senator Hanna took occasion to apologize to him in the name of the senate and of the American people, so severe was Mr. Morgan's handling of him. On Saturday last Rear Admiral Walker rebelled against Morgan's treatment. Morgan then began by asking all sorts of questions tending to discredit the commission because of its recent report in favor of Panama. Finally, he asked about the progress of negotiations concerning Colom- bian concessions. Walker said this was information he had received in confidence from the state department, to which he would have to refer the inquiry. Morgan straightened back, and asked if the United States senate, through its committee, was not to have this information. 'Not from me," replied Walker. "Do you refuse to. answer my question?' con- tinued Morgan. "I do," answered Walker. Morgan then announced that he would report him to the senate as a contumacious witness, and for that the senate is now waiting. The fact that Senator Morgan holds this committee chairmanship on sufferance may cool his ardor. The steering committee sent to Mr. Hanna and asked him to take it, but out of sentimental regard for Mr. Morgan, who had so long been identified with the canal question, he de- clined. Mr. Hanna will, however, present a report on the canal project, sub- stantially on the lines of the Spooner amendment. Whether this will be a majority or minority report is not known, although it is assumed that it will be a minority. Senator Hanna himself does not care how many sign it with him, and has made no effort to canvass the committee. He has for two years made a study of this question as one purely of business, and purposes to see it through on that basis. He regrets that more is not known of the character of the rocks over the Darien tunnel route. The advantages of directness, shortness, and sea-level are so great that Mr. Hanna hesitates to disregard them, even in the interest of the Panama route. He gets in this desire no encouragement from the Isthmian canal commissioners, who-regard the tunnel route as impracticable, because of the treméndous cost which it would involve. George Westinghouse is quoted as saying, however, that such a tunnel could be lined with steel, in case the rocks. are as shelving as alleged, at a cost which would not, be prohibitive. Everybody acknowledges, however, that any consideration of the Darien route means delay, and so the. probabilities are that the Panama route will be accepted. O;