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June, 1919 during the war with satisfactory results. Engineers for diesel engine boats can command a premium above the salaries fixed by the shipping board. The higher wages do not affect materially the economy of the vessels. The Mount Hoop carries a crew of .but 28 men all told. This crew includes but four engi- neers, three oilers and one donkeyman. It is necessary to have but one engineer and one oiler on duty at a time. Buys Wood Ships Considerable interest by shipping men is being taken in the project put on foot by the. Nacirema~ Steamship. Coi, of New York, -when it recently purchased 15 wooden vessels from the _ ship- ping board. In view of the widely published opinions of. many _ shipping people that the wooden ships built for the government were. not sea- worthy and. were' poor - ventures, the official announcement that these vessels had been sold for trans- atlantic operation at approximately $650,000 each came as a- surprise. The statement issued by the ship- ping board said the vessels had been sold for $145 per ton, where it is learned from the officers of the pur- chasers that they paid but $140. The Nacirema Steamship Co. is a new Delaware corporation with a capital stock of but $500,000. The shipping board did not make public the terms of payment granted the purchasers, and the shipping company refused to discuss this feature. It is understood, nevertheless, that the purchasing company has_ been given permission to transfer the flag or to sell any of the vessels pur- chased to citizens of any allied or neutral country when and after the purchase price agreed upon has been fully paid. The Brooks Steamship Corp., New York, a Delaware com- pany with a capital stock of $500,000 officered by some of the directors of the Nacirema company, will operate the vessels. The Brooks company is represented in New Orleans by W. H. Cowley, and in Philadelphia by Megee, Steer & Co. 'The Nacirema Steamship Co. is not without experience in shipping, as attested to by the personnel of its officers and directors. The president is J. M. Marshall, a member of the law firm of Van Vorst, Marshall & Smith, New York. The directors are Amos D. Carver, of the ship chandler firm of Baker, Carver & Morrell, New York; Sheppard Schermerhorn, for- merly vice president of the United Fruit Co. and now president of the River Plate Commercial Co., New York; Pierpont Davis, of the National City Co., New York; F. R. Eaton, of THE,..M ARINE .-REV LEW 299 MUCH OF THE AUXILIARY MACHINERY IS PLACED FORE AND AFT BACK OF THE ENGINES the Foreign & Domestic Transporta- tion <orp.; New... York: 'Capt. W-.. A. Brooks, president of the Brooks Steamship. Co.,. New York, and. F. Bradley Cox, treasurer of the Brooks Steamship Co. The purchasers have opened negotia- tions with the shipping board for the purchase of 15 more vessels of the same type and for immediate deliv- ery. As a matter of fact, at the offices ' of the Brooks company it was learned that the purchasers desire to obtain 30 more of these vessels upon the same terms the first 15 were pur- chased. 'These are the highest type of wooden vessels built for the Emer- géncy Fleet corporation. They are known as the Daugherty type, built by the National Shipbuilding Co., Orange, Tex. They were described in Tue Marine Review, April, 1918. Ten of these were purchased, whereas the other five are of the Ballin type, a description of which was published in Tue Marine Review of September, 1917, The latter were built in the Supple & Ballin yard at Portland, Oreg. These vessels are differently designed from the so-called Ferris and Hough types. They have more sheer and therefore are better adapted to ocean service. They are all coal burners. Some of them are equipped with turbine en- gines. Eight have made several trips successfully but seven are being ac- cepted just as they come from the ship- yard. All restrictions have been removed by the shipping board. There will be no control of the rates charged or of the routes in which they are to engage. The operating company in- tends to put them in service between New Orleans and France, New Or- leans-Scandinavian ports, New York- France, New York-Scandinavia, New York-Roumania, and MHavana-Spain. One vessel has started for Havre and another is leaving. A third sailed on May 10 for Rotterdam. Food, agri- cultural implements and general cargo is being carried, and the operators anticipate fair returns.' More cargo than can be accommodated is. being offered, it was declared and a pros- perous period of operation for at least two years ahead is expected. The five vessels delivered to the company at New Orleans are each 4700-ton deadweight. They are the BEECHLAND, ZAVALLO, CowARDIN, NEABSCO, and Horapo. The five ships to be de- livered at Havana are also each 4700 deadweight tons. They are the NawirKa; Irompa, NATENNA, ALDERMAN, and ArGENTA. The five vessels to be de- livered at New York are each 4000 deadweight tons. They are the DALANA, THALA, ArRLIE, ASHBURN, and BircH- LEAF. The 4700-ton ships are Daugherty type, the 4000-ton Ballin type. The BEECHLAND was the first ship to sail. She left New Orleans for Havre. At present the company is loading ships only at New York and New Orleans. The first of the Ballin-type steam- ets were sold to Gaston, Williams & Wigmore, of New York, to be oper- ated by the Globe line. They have been in service some time now and' have done well according to reports. The shipping board in April stated that 115 wooden ships were in service. Of 703 contracted for, 214 had been canceled. :