Show Gradually the United States is becoming be-coming a real maritime nation again The bureau of navigation has some shipbuilding facts for 1SSO According to it the ships built In 1S99 numbered I 034 with a gross tonnage of 2C7C12 tons as against 955 vessels with a gross tonnage I ton-nage of 2J7COO tons in 189S The steam I vessels built In 99 numbered 199 fewer I than those constructed In 98 while tho sailing ships built last year numbered I In the 12S more than those constructed previous year The construction of the Atlantic and Gulf shipyards numbered C5S with 1C3519 gross tons as against F jS of SC005 gross tonnage in 1S98 On tho Pacific only ill ships with 200S7 I gross tonnage were built ast year I us against 240 with a gross tonnage of I f G1U23 In 9S The yards on the Great Lakes built only four more ships last I year than they did tho year before and yet nearly all our heavy and cheap freight that is sent abroad goes in foreign ships It ought not to be Merchants aro losing a great deal of money nowadays because they cannot export the goods they have orders for through the withdrawal of so many r ships for the transport service of Great Britain t |