1800 horsepower, a lumber steamer of 1815 gross tons and 700 horsepower, and a special type of self-unloading freighter, the Huron, of 4810 gross tons and 1775 horsepower, for the Wyandotte Transportation Company. The greatest output of the yards on the Pacific coast was by the Union Iron Works, San Francisco, Cal., which built two large oil tankers, the Frank H. Buck and Lyman Stewart, both of 6076 gross tons and 2600 horsepower, the former for the Associated Oil Company and the latter for the Union Oil Company. The Union Iron Works had under construction for the Standard Oil Company an oil tank steamer of 6000 gross tons and 2600 horsepower. The Seattle Construction & Dry Dock Company, Seattle, Wash., had some minor work in cluding submarines and the submarine tender Bushnell, of 2500 gross tons and 2500 horsepower, fitted with Yarrow watertube boilers and geared turbines, and building for the United States government. motors, and the California will be the first electrically-driven warship ever built. VATERLAND. The Vaterland which exceeded the Imperator by 41 feet in length and 2 feet in beam and in displacement by no less than 600 tons, was the world's largest steamship, and made its maiden voyage from Hamburg to New York in May. The Vaterland was 950 feet in length, 100 feet in beam, and displaced 54,282 tons. She was built as a 23-knot ship, but on her trial trip averaged a speed of 25.8 knots, and resembled the Imperator in many respects. The Vaterland was built with both longitudinal and transverse bulkheads, the former serving as inner walls of the coal bunkers and acting as an inner skin. Her main dining-room will accommodate 800 people and the ship has a maximum capacity of 5300 persons. It is driven by four screw propellers geared to four steam turbines, and there is a total bottom triple section extending well above the water line. The Vaterland on account of its size is unable to pass through the locks of the Panama Canal, which are but 100 feet in width. On her arrival in New York City, May 21, over 40 tugs were required to dock the steamer, on account of the Tonnage tide and interference by a tug and tow. The 7,085 Imperator returned to Germany, leaving the Vaterland interned at Hoboken after the begin53,123 ning of the war. The Hamburg-American Line launched during the year the third of the famous trio of large ships which was christened the Bismarck by the German Emperor. This liner was 955 feet in length, 100 feet in beam, and 60,000 tons displacement, being designed to maintain an average speed of 25.3 knots. Like 165,267 the Vaterland she was to be driven by turbines operating on four shafts. Statement of vessels built in the United States and officially numbered during the calendar year, 1914: 30,155 90,363 1,762 157,496 6,009 8,847 187,651 59,132 255,630 NAVY YARDS. A greater amount of shipbuilding work was in progress in 1914 in the United States navy yards than ever before. The Secretary of the Navy authorized new construction work at three navy yards which hitherto had not undertaken the construction of vessels since the days of steel. Ship construction in addition to being carried out at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, N. Y., and at the Mare Island Navy Yard, San Francisco, Cal., was to be extended to other yards and besides the battleships Arizona and California which were being built at the New York Navy Yard, the fuel ships Kanawha and Maumee, building at Mare Island Yard, work was begun on the construction of a submarine at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Portsmouth, N. H., on the supply ship No. 1, at the Boston Navy Yard, and on the transport No. 1, at the League Island Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pa. The necessity for installing new machinery and equipment delayed the construction on these vessels, however, for over a year. On the recommendation of Rear Admiral R. S. Griffin, engineer-in-chief of the United States navy, the Secretary of the Navy, Daniels, authorized the installation of a steam turbine electric propelling plant on the superdreadnought California, which was to be built at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. A test of this type of power plant was made on the collier Jupiter, the first deepsea vessel of any type to be fitted with electric AQUITANIA. A notable vessel of the year which was put into service, and had a brief passenger career, as it was taken early in the war by the Admiralty for a transport or merchant cruiser, was the Cunard liner, Aquitania. This vessel launched in April, 1913, was notable for its machinery, having a turbine working in triple series with a great range of expansion for steam so as to secure greater economy. The Aquitania had a quadruple screw, triple expansion turbine, was 865 feet in length, 97 feet in breadth, 64 feet 6 inches in depth, had an indicated horsepower of 56,000, and a sea speed of 23 knots. It had a displacement of 49,430 tons and a gross tonnage of 46,150 and a net tonnage of 17,500. It would carry 6000 tons of coal in permanent bunkers, and its passenger capacity was 618 first-class, 614 second-class, 1998 third-class, in addition to a crew of 972 persons, making a total carrying capacity of 4202. In addition to its representing the latest possible developments for transatlantic service, being designed to operate in connection with the Lusitania and the Mauretania to maintain a weekly passenger service across the Atlantic, the Aquitania was designed for possible naval service, with positions on the deck specially strengthened for carrying concealed pedestal mountings for a large number of quick-firing guns, there being two such gun positions amidships on the port and starboard sides, on the bridge deck, and aft on the poop, while on the forecastle there were two gun positions on each side of the ship and on the same deck two similar positions on each side so that 12 guns were provided for. The Cunard liner, Transylvania, went into service during the year and marked the first application of the geared turbine to Atlantic service, though this device had been tried previously on ships of comparatively small size. The Transylvania displaced 19,400 tons, was 567 feet over-all, by 66 feet 3 inches molded width, and carried 305 first-class and 216 second-class passengers and 858 third-class passengers. She was equipped with two sets of Parsons turbines, giving a joint total shaft horsepower of 9000, and driving the ship at 151⁄2 knots. The propellers ran at 120 revolutions per minute, and the gear reduction mechanism produced this speed from a revolution of the turbines 122 times as fast. SHIP REGISTRY ACT OF AUG. 18, 1914. An important step was taken on Aug. 18, 1914, brought about by the outbreak of the European War, when it was realized that the legislation in the United States embarrassed the citizens of the United States who own property at sea, inasmuch as they had been forced to employ other flags and registers which conformed to statutes, but not to actual ownership. From the date of the first Registry Act of September, 1789, American registry was confined to ships built in the United States, and Congress at the outset passed legislation providing that only documented ships could engage in the trade of the United States and divided these documented ships into three classes; first, registry for general purposes of trade and obligatory on foreign ships; second, enrollment for vessels in the coasting trade; and third, the annual license of a vessel for a year to engage in the coast trade or in the fisheries respectively. Foreign-built vessels owned by Americans could not carry on sea commerce or engage in any form of trade except under prohibitory penalties, and as a result of this policy and the fact that modern steel ships for some years could be built more cheaply abroad than in the United States, American capital desiring to invest in shipping had purchased abroad and operated its ships under other flags. They were prohibited from trading with the United States under the American flag though they were free to do so with all other parts of the world. For many years for Flag eign-built ships representing American capital but under foreign flags were nearly equal in tonnage to ships registered under the American flag for foreign trade and had even greater carrying power. It was not until the Panama Canal Act of Aug. 24, 1912, that any effort was made to repeal the law which provided that for admission to American registry for foreign trade and trade with the Philippines, Guam, and Tutuila, foreign-built vessels certified by steamboat inspection service, as safe to carry dry and perishable cargo, not more than five years old at the time of registration, could be admitted. In March, 1914, the Secretary of Commerce recommended that the five-year age limit be repealed and a bill to that effect was introduced in Congress, but it was not until the outbreak of the European War that an act was passed which brought about this change of policy and enabled American owners to use their own property at sea under the American flag. In this act certain discretionary powers were given to the President to suspend the requirements as to the American citizenship of watch officers and the survey inspection and measurement by United States officers of foreign-built vessels so admitted to registry when the same was demanded by the needs of foreign trade. Accordingly up to the end of the year (or more exactly up to Jan. 7, 1915) 110 vessels with a total gross tonnage of 395,460 were admitted to American registry. In this number were included ships belonging to the United States Steel Products Company, the Standard Oil Company, the Dollar Steamship Company, W. R. Grace & Co., the Vacuum Oil Company, and other well-known American corporations which previously had sailed under foreign flags. The largest registered was the Oceana of the Morse Dry Dock and Repair Company, running between New York and Bermuda. WORLD'S SHIPPING IN 1914. In the accompanying table are given the number and net and gross tonnage of steam and sailing vessels of over 100 tons, of the several countries of the World, as recorded in Lloyd's Register for 1914– 15. Total Steam Net tons 11,545,746 Colonies Net tons Number Tonnage 364,677 9,240 19,256,766 156,666 2,088 1,783,283 Lloyd's Register of Shipping was unable to publish, for the quarter ended December 31, the usual information regarding the shipbuilding industry throughout the world. It was stated that in the United Kingdom at the close of the quarter, of vessels of 100 tons and upwards the construction of which was actually begun, there were, exclusive of warships, 462 vessels of 1,627,316 tons gross under construction. This tonnage under construction was about 96,000 tons less than that which was in hand at the end of September and 329,000 tons less than the total at the end of 1913. SHIPPING. See section Commerce under sive year with a total of 97 out of a possible 100. SHORT BALLOT. See ELECTORAL REFORM. SHREVEPORT CASE. See RAILWAYS. SIAM. An independent kingdom in southeastern Asia, extending approximately from the sixth to the twentieth degree of north latitude and from the ninety-seventh to the one hundred and sixth degree of east longitude. It is a buffer State between British Burma and French IndoChina. Capital, Bangkok. The total area is estimated at 600,000 square kilometers (198,900 square miles); the population (1910-11) at 8,149,487. Foreigners in the country in 1911, about 2000, of whom 538 Turks, 244 Germans, 218 French, 190 Japanese, 163 Danes, 135 Americans, 123 Italians, 80 Portuguese, 48 English, etc. Births numbered for the year 1910-11 162,491, and deaths, 84,495; Bangkok had 628,675 inhabitants, of whom 197,918 were Chinese. The SHOCKS, SURGICAL. See ANESTHESIA; and immigration of Chinese in 1910 was 75,409; in TWILIGHT SLEEP. SHOES. See BOOTS AND SHOES. SHOOTING. There were no international rifle shooting matches held in 1914 of any great importance. The national contests of the United States which had formerly been held at a central point also were abandoned, the country being divided into five sections, only three of which held competitions. The team match in District A was won by Massachusetts and in District D by Arizona. The contest in District B was left undecided because of a dispute between the teams taking part. Charles C. Terry of the United States Marine Corps won the individual match in District A with a score of 326. In District B the winner was Sergt. E. E. Walters, Mississippi National Guard, with the same score, and in District D, E. A. Cole, First Kansas Infantry, with 323. The individual pistol matches resulted as follows: District A, Second Lieut. W. B. Loughborough, United States army, 731; District B, Priv. J. E. Crook, Florida National Guard, 567; District D, Quartermaster-Sergt. S. G. McKane, First Kansas Infantry, 683. The intercollegiate indoor championships were won by the Michigan Agricultural College and the outdoor by the Massachusetts Agricultural College. In trap shooting the Interstate Association's Southwestern Handicap, held at Oklahoma City, Okla., was won by M. D. Dickman of Durant, Okla., with 88 out of the possible 100. Woodfolk Henderson of Lexington, Ky., won the Grand American Handicap, his score being 98 out of a possible 100. The national amateur championship went to Ralph L. Spotts of the New York Athletic Club with 188 out of a possible 200. Spotts also captured the indoor title for the second succes 1911, 71,258; 1912, 68,361. Emigration of Chinese, 1910, 63,007; 1911, 52,562; 1912, 45,986. The national religion is Buddhism. Large educational powers are in the hands of the Buddhist monks. PRODUCTION AND COMMERCE. The staple product and export is rice, and the area under this grain has been much enlarged by irrigation during recent years. Other crops of some importance are sesame, hemp, cotton, tobacco, pepper, and fruits. Cattle are raised in considerable numbers. The collection of rubber has been begun, and the cutting of teak in Northern Siam is an important industry, chiefly in British hands. Large quantities of fish are taken along the coasts. The only minerals worked on a commercial scale are tin and wolfram. The export of rice in 1912-13 was valued at 65,320,000 ticals (1 tical=37.085 cents); teak, 5,600,000 ticals. The total imports were valued at 76,225,000 ticals and the exports at 81,971,000 (68,205,000 and 108,910,000 in 1910-11). The United Kingdom contributed imports valued at 20,622 thousand ticals and received exports valued at 3013 thousand ticals; China, 15,286 and 212; British India, 8222 and 2008; Germany, 5668 and 4194; Singapore, 5326 and 36,870; Dutch East Indies, 5959 and 475; Hongkong, 1445 and 25,343; Switzerland, 561 and 13; other countries, 13,136 and 9843. There were entered at the ports in the 1912-13 trade, 664 steamers, of 566,172 tons; cleared, 677, of 569,316. The merchant marine in 1913 included 33 steamers, of 8621 tons, and 45 sail, of 3612. State railways had a length in 1912 of 1024 kilometers (636 miles). Telegraph lines, 9457 kilometers (5876 miles), with 10,628 kilometers (6604 miles) of wires and 152 stations. Post offices, 223. |