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The disasters embraced in the foregoing divisions a follows, viz:

are classified as

1. Founderings-embracing founderings which resulted from the leaking or capsizing of vessels, but not those which resulted from collision, stranding, or striking any sunken wreck, or against piers, shags, or ice.

2. Strandings-embracing disasters resulting from running aground, striking a rock, reef, bar, or other natural object, although the vessel may have foundered as a result of such casualty.

3. Collisions-embracing all collisions between vessels only.

4. Other causes-embracing disasters resulting from various causes as follows, viz:

Fire, irrespective of result.

Scuttling, or any intentional damage to vessel.

Collisions with fields or quantities of ice, although vessel may be sunk thereby.

Striking on sunken wrecks, anchors, buoys, piers, or bridges.

Leakage, (except when vessel foundered or went ashore for safety.) Loss of masts, sails, boats, or any portion of vessel's equipments. Capsizing, when vessel did not sink.

Damage to machinery.

Foaling of anchors.
Striking of lightning.
Explosion of boilers.
Breakage of wheels.

Also water-logged, missing, and abandoned vessels.

four hundred and seventy-seven vessels are reported as having met with collision, but it should be remembered that as two vessels were engaged in each collision, (though in a few instances three or more collided with each other in gales,) the actual casualties of this nature are about one-half that number.

Besides the disasters to vessels and cargoes which are embraced in the tables, 73 lives were lost by drowning out of the crews employed 54 different vessels. In these cases neither vessels nor cargoes suffered damage, the persons drowned having been lost overboard, or having perished by the capsizing of small boats in which they had left their vessels to attend fishing-trawls, or for some other purpose.

While the information contained in the following statements is andoubtedly generally accurate, it should be borne in mind that the reports upon which the tables are based are those of the owners, agents, or masters of the vessels concerned, who are interested parties. The Tables distinguishing the causes of disasters, therefore, may not be tirely reliable, and the actual number of disasters arising from defects of vessels, or their equipments, or from carelessness, inattention, ignorance, &c., may be more numerous than appears.

The number of disasters to foreign vessels in American waters during he year was 83, copies of the returns of which have been forwarded through the Department of State to the respective governments to hich the vessels belonged. In return, wreck reports giving the pariculars of disasters to American vessels on foreign coasts have genrally been received from the governments of the countries in which they carred, copies of which have, in all cases, been promptly forwarded To the owners or agents of the vessels concerned.

The tables include all disasters involving losses as low as $50, for the purpose of exhibiting the nature, causes, and localities of casualties, the baracter of vessels, loss of life, and other information of importance.

As, however, any damage less than $500 to vessels or cargoes may be considered unimportant, the following table is presented which shows the number of casualties resulting in damage of that amount and exceed ing it.

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Prior to the act of June 20, 1874, there was no provision of law requiring the collection and preservation of statistics of marine disas ters. Such statistics, however, became a year or two since incidentally needful to the Department. Instructions were therefore issued to officers of the customs, requiring them to collect and forward all essential particulars of disasters which might thenceforth occur within their districts, or to vessels owned therein, together with all obtainable information respecting disasters of the ten preceding years. All available sources were resorted to for the desired data, such as the records of underwriters, wreck commissioners, superintendents of life-saving stations, light-house keepers, &c. From the careful research made and the extent and completeness of the various records which were consulted, it is believed that the information obtained is substantially correct. These statistics, properly tabulated and arranged by years, were published in an appendix to the last annual report, and are available for comparison with the following tables of last year's disasters.

Month.

Month.

ATLANTIC AND GULF COASTS

TABLE 1-Abstract of returns of disasters to vessels on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts during the year ending June 30, 1875, showing the number and value of vessels and cargoes, and amount of loss to same, where known.

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August

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September.

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October

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Sevenber

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December

41.

884, 800

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436, 774

January

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461, 765

February

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1, 115, 227

March

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April.

110, 252

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8

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546, 118
806, 695

8 431

123, 370

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83, 665

1 22

11 42

149, 139

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21

19

27

34

32

16

20

32

24

30

26

Total.

637 10, 429, 330 66 448 5, 458, 446| 96

96 572 2, 192, 935

2*129 237 584, 897

4 303

In this column are included the casualties in which no damage was sustained by the vessels; for the number of which, see appropriate column in Table 2.

TABLE 2-Abstract of returns of disasters to vessels on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts during The year ending June 30, 1875, showing the number of vessels totally lost, the number damaged, aggregate tonnage of vessels totally lost, number of passengers and crew, and number

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TABLE 3.-Abstract of returns of disasters to vessels on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts during the year ending June 30, 1875, showing the number of vessels and cargoes insured and uninsured, and the amount of insurance where known.

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TABLE 4.-Abstract of returns of disasters to vessels on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts during the year ending June 30, 1875, distinguishing the nature of each casualty.

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TABLE 5-Abstracts of returns of disasters (excluding collisions) to vessels and cargoes on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts during the year ending June 30, 1875, distinguishing the cause of each disaster.

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