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August, 1911 breakdown or a that the other fellow gets there first and grabs the pick of the crop--and the «t0p "Gr the market price. Day-in-and-day-out- competition of this kind has developed a type of commercial spud boat that is noted for speed and reliability. Nearly every boat bears the name of its owner or the firm it represents, and you see, Frank A. Guersney, Po- tatoes,- and Weyl-Zuckerman Co,, Hunt-Hatch Co., etc. When the buyer lands, he needs no further introduc- tion to the boss in charge. Spud boats range in speed from 10 to 20 miles per hour and from 25 to 35 or 40 feet in length. AIl models of hulls and all kinds of engines are used. In selecting an engine for a spud boat the points considered are reliability, power and weight, in the gold eagles, for @ beating means gets TAE Marine REVIEW and with @ 'slight Aare above water to take care of the rough stuff. The deck lines forward are full and gen- erally the forward quarter is decked over to protect the motor. Torpedo sterns are the favorites. A cabin is set amidships and is provided with ac- commodations for two or three men. As the buyer spends nearly all day, every day for three months, aboard his boat, all conveniences possible are provided. Dunbar Hanson, owned by Dunbar Hanson, and built by Stephens Bros., is a typical spud boat. She measures 32 feet by 5% feet and does 1434 miles per hour with a 30-horsepower Scripps motor:. Her dnl' 46. built of 3610. white cedar over l-in. square oak ribs. Her water lines forward are very sharp and she has a torpedo stern. A cabin accommodating two men is fin- 299 rying about 2,000 and 1,000 sacks of spuds, or 240000 and 120,000 Ibs., re- spectively. All kinds and designs of boats are used for towing, but they are broadly classed as tow boats and work boats. Empire, owned by the Empire Navi- gation Co., and built by Stephens Bros., cost $8,000, and it is one of the most powerful as well as one of the best all around boats on the river. Empire is powered with a 100-H. P. San Francisco Standard, turning a 56- in. wheel, which drives her 10 miles an hour: She 1s..53:4t<long, Has 13 {t. of beam and draws 6 ft. of water. Ex- cept for a stem of iron bark, 7 in. by 22 in., the bull As built of: pime.-- Phe keel is 10 in. by 12 in., fitted with sis- ter keelsons; each & in. by 12 in; The engine bed is 12Zin, by 12 in. and 20 ft. long. Allframes are8by 8-in. pine and 5 SERV AQUIN A Typicat Spup Buyer's Boat: WIth ExtRA LARGE CABIN ACCOMMODATIONS BUILT FOR Fast Service ALONG THE SAN JOAQU order given. A good price is no ob- jection, for a day in the shop in the midst of the season or a mile an hour slower than the other fellow, may mean the loss of many times the cost the engine in a single day. Many kinds of comparatively light motors are being used. This particular field offers a splendid opportunity for some engine manufacturer to demonstrate that his high-speed stock engine will deliver the goods through hard, con- tinuous service. Nearly all the spud boats are built by Stephens Bros. and John Grant, of Stockton. Stephens Bros. have devel- oped a hull for this class of work, With a very sharp waterline forward VALLEY, ished in natural.oak and is fitted with auto engine controls, toilet and handy seats. Dunbar Hanson is in service, on an average, six hours a day, every day for six months in the year. Com- plete, Dunbar Hanson cost $1,900 and > her reliability record is exceptional. The transportation of produce, not buyers, is next. For this service a very different class of commercial boat is used. While some of the spud crop is moved by river steamers, the majority is handled on barges and the barges are towed for the most part by gas tow boats. Barges used on the San Joaquin river are built of pine, of standard plank construction, in sizes 80 by 24 ft. and 60 by 20 ft., car- the planking inside and out is 2-in. pine, topped with a garboard strake, 3 in. by 14 in. A feature of the engine house are the walls, built of 4-in. tim- bers, bolted through and through. Just forward of the engine room is the 'pilot house with all controls. Aft is a cock pit for carrying freight. Empire carries 300 gal. of distillate for fuel. Steering gear and quadrant for the 6- in. ironwood rudder are on deck aft. On the river are 50 of these gaso- line tow boats, all equipped for one man operation and all doing the work of steam tugs with their crews of three and four men. The gas en- gineer, on the other hand, 'is pilot, captain, deck hand and cook, all in