Collision to a great extent, and fire to a greater extent, cause loss or accident to vessels mainly through lack of skill and vigilance of the officers and crew. Except where caused by unusual storms or waves vessels founder, on the other hand, on account of structural weakness of the hull. This weakness may be inherent and the fault of the builder, or it may be due to age and inadequate repair, the fault of the owner. In rare cases a new vessel, splendidly built, may yield to the tempest. The separation of causes of loss by the "Bureau Veritas" into foundered, abandoned, and missing, while proper enough from the point of view of the statistician, is not wholly satisfactory to those required to deal with facts from the point of view of possible remedy. The three classes, foundered, abandoned, and missing, really constitute one class for remedial purposes. That class consists of vessels which, on account of defects of the hull, are lost at sea. Most of them founder. Some of them are abandoned by their crews and the ship does not actually go down before their eyes. All of these ultimately go down except the proportion kept afloat by their cargoes, such as lumber-laden schooners. This small proportion constitutes the class known as "derelicts." Leaks (defects in a vessel's bottom) cause about 2 per cent, of the accidents to American steamers and to foreign steamers. Leaks, again, cause 20 per cent, of the accidents to American sail vessels, and only 15 per cent, of the accidents to foreign sail vessels.

Stress of weather or storms accounted for 10 per cent of the accidents to American steamers, 13 per cent, of accidents to foreign steamers, 30 per cent, of accidents to American sail vessels, and 35 per cent, of accidents to foreign sail vessels. Doubtless the excellent system of weather reports and storm warning along the American coasts helps to produce this favorable showing for American vessels. The principal cause of accidents to American steamers lies in the engines and boilers to which 29 per cent, of our steamer accidents are charged, compared with 24 per cent, for foreign steamers. Collision (31 per cent.) is the principal cause of British steamer accidents; stranding (31 per cent.) of German accidents. Accidents to engines and boilers may be due to defective original construction, to inadequate repairs, or to faults of the men in charge of them. Generally speaking, American machinery holds a high place in the world's esteem, and while positive evidence is not at hand, it still seems probable that American marine engines and boilers are equal to those of foreign make. If that be so then the large proportion of accidents from engines and boilers must proceed from one or both of the other two causes mentioned. The returns of the number of men including masters required to man the documented fleet of merchant vessels and yachts of the United States report crews aggregating 135,828 men, 88,249 men being engaged on steamers, while the crews of sailing vessels number 45,-030 men, and unrigged boats require 2,549 men to man them. These figures are only for the crews reported.

Returns for 1903 show that 3,086 American steam vessels, including yachts, aggregating 2,994.866 gross tons, are propelled by engines aggregating 2,369,202 indicated horsepower. The figures indicate an annual consumption of about 10,000,000 long tons of coal for fuel on these steamers, and the employment on board of about 20,-000 men as firemen and trimmers. The total number of steam vessels (including motor launches) on June 30, 1903, was 8,801 of 3,459,644 gross tons, so that the figures stated cover 86 per cent, of our steam tonnage, including yachts. In the navy 207 steam vessels of 206,953 tons (displacement) are propelled by engines of 624,745 indicated horse-power. - Condensed from the Report of the U. S. Commissioner of Navigation.

Flag Day

Flag Day is June 14. "Old Glory" was 127 years old on June 14, 1904.