SHIPBUILDING. Shipbuilding was, after agri culture, the first industry to develop in colonial America. The possession of an abundance of timber has always given the United States a great advantage in the building of wooden ves sels. Vessels constructed in the United States carried the bulk of the American trade until after 1860. The zenith of the shipbuilding in dustry was reached between 1850 and 1860, at wbic•h tune the superiority of the American built 'clippers' for endurance, speed, and safety was conceded. About the time of the Civil War, which was in itself a serious blow to the indus try, the British shipbuilders were changing from sail to steam and from wood to iron in the con struction of vessels, neither of which changes was adopted by the American builders. In con sequence American shipbuilding failed to hold its own absolutely, and relativel• fell far be hind foreign countries. For many years Amer ican shipyards have done little more than supply vessels for the large domestic water-borne trade, which has by law been restricted to vessels built in the United States. The aggregate tonnage of American-built vessels registered for the for eign trade in 1900 amounted to only 42.2 per cent.
of the total product turned out by American shipyards for that year. Only one steel steam ves sel was built in the United States during 1900 for the foreign trade. The figures for the construction of iron and steel vessels have been greatly swol len in recent years in meeting the requirements of the Navy Department. The order for war ships has been placed with domestic firms, in the belief that it would lead to the equipment of plants in a way that would enable them success fully to engage in the construction of large steel merchant vessels. The value of products for the private iron and steal shipbuilding establishments increased 287 per cent. between 1890 and 1900, but there was a decrease of 3.4 per cent. in the value of products for wooden ship and boat building during the same period. Sixteen and two-tenths per cent. of the total tonnage built in the United States during that year was constructed on the Great Lakes. The Delaware River district is far in the lead in the shipbuilding industry. The Chesapeake Bay is also important. These two regions employ nearly one-half the capital in vested in the industry in the United States.