The investigation of the Dingley Committee led to the formulation of a comprehensive measure known as the “Dingley Shipping Bill.” It was thoroughly and exhaustively discussed through three Congresses, until finally, in the last hours of the short session of the Congress ending March 4, 1891, a bill was passed providing for a meagre and wholly insufficient subsidy in the shape of special pay for carrying the ocean mails of the United States. This bill was not only meagre in its provisions, but it was not comprehensive in its application. It did not result in any immediate increase of foreign tonnage. The following year, however, Mr. Cramp, in a spirit of meeting the free-ship people half-way, agreed to a compromise which provided that certain ships of foreign (British) registry might be admitted to American registry, provided their owners would contract to build two ships of equal class and tonnage in the United States. This was the act by virtue of which the English steamships “New York” and “Paris,” belonging to the International Navigation Company, an American corporation and owned by American capital, were brought under the American flag, and the “St. Louis” and “St. Paul” were contracted for and built to meet the condition imposed by this law. The principal dimensions and qualities of these ships are as follows: Length between perpendiculars, 535 feet 8 inches. Length over all, 554 feet 2 inches. Extreme beam, 62 feet 9 inches. Depth from first deck to flat keel, 42 feet 4 inches. Depth of hold for tonnage amidships, 23 feet 2 inches. Height of bow above water-line at load draught, 39 feet. Number of decks, 5. Number of water-tight compartments exclusive of ballast tanks, 12. Gross register, 10,700 tons. Load displacement (about), 15,600 tons. Dimensions of main dining-saloon, 109 feet 4 inches by 46 feet. Dimensions of second cabin, 39 feet 6 inches by 56 feet. Seating capacity of main saloon, 322. Seating capacity of second cabin, 208. Berthing capacity of steerage (about), 900. [Illustration: ARMORED CRUISER NEW YORK] The propelling machinery is a pair of vertical inverted quadruple-expansion engines, to carry a working steam-pressure of two hundred pounds and develop from 18,000 to 20,000 collective indicated horse-power. These are the largest and most powerful marine engines ever built in America, and, as the principle of quadruple expansion has never before been applied on so large a scale, its results in this case have been watched with interest by the entire profession of marine engineering. Structurally, the art of naval architecture has been exhausted in their design, and the skill of the best mechanics in the world was tried to the utmost in their construction. Whatever may have been their performance as to speed and time of passage, nothing is hazarded in saying that in safety, seaworthiness, and comfort they are not surpassed by anything afloat.