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64 The result of this flurry has been the entry into the business of some men who have little knowledge of the building of wooden vessels. New ship yards have sprung up on every hand and numerous others are ru- mored. Idle Thirteen Years It is nearly 13 years since the last large wooden sailing schooner was built on the west coast. In _ the interim, the builders of large wooden vessels have either turned their atten- tion to fishing craft and motor boats or retired from business. Prior to 1904, wooden ship building was in a fairly flourishing state on the Pacific coast. There was a demand largely for four-masted wooden schooners, NN a WY AND JAD nie LA THE MARINE REVIEW schooners which are to have auxiliary steam power. This type is a reversion to the transatlantic vessels of the late sixties, which used sail as well as steam power. In two instances, own- ers of new tonnage have sent their vessels off shore under sail alone, their object being to profit by the experi- ence! of others who have determined upon the internal combustion engine for auxiliary power. There is a well grounded belief among builders on the west coast that the internal combustion engine is the coming power for vessels engaged in such trades as carrying lumber. Sail will be used wherever possible and power will be called to assist in calms and in inland waters where otherwise towing would be necessary. In a brief February, 1917 markable supply of the best raw ma- terial is giving an impetus to ship building which it otherwise could not have. These trees grow to an un- usual size, so that the yards can easily obtain huge timbers for the hulls and great sticks for masts. In proportion to its weight, Douglas fir possesses exceptional strength, making it unusually adaptable for the building of vessels. Its durability, its workability, its small degree of shrinkage, its susceptibility to bend- ing and its ability to take polish and stain are all factors which count strongly in its favor. In fact it is considered an ideal wood for the pur- pose. Consequently, Pacific ship yards have unlimited supplies of excellent raw material close at hand. Furthermore, Fede tea Sores : — get i oom see UPN es i a = = ae \aib St NO 4 W777 VA Sy SU) a B77 per ‘@ p ao ye OG Gx 2) Li A CONSTRUCTION PLAN OF MOTOR SHIP CITY OF PORTLAND adapted for carrying lumber. Five or six five-masters were built at that time also, these big schooners having a capacity for 1,500,000 feet of lumber, about two-fifths of which is. carried on deck. While the lumber exporters built a few barkentines for their trade, the schooner-rigged ‘vessel has been the favorite, although for long off- shore voyages a partly square-rigged vessel usually gives a better account of herself. A dozen lean years, during which ship owners almost ‘faced bankruptcy, lumber freights being at a starvation ebb, brought an end to the business of building wooden ships of large size on the Pacific. Now it is com- ing again into its own. While, with one or two exceptions, the tonnage now building or contracted for, is to be auxiliary powered, not a few wood- en steamers, intended for purely coast- wise service, have either been com- pleted or are now on the stocks. One ship yard is building two wooden space of six months, over 15 large new wooden vessels of various types have been launched from north Pacific yards as indicated by the following: Puget Sound, one; Grays Harbor, six; Ore- gon, seven, and California, one. There are now under construction, or con- tract, 70 wooden vessels, as follows: Puget Sound, 18; British Columbia, nine; Grays, Harbor, 14; Oregon, 24; and California, five. It is estimated that these 85 ships will have required approximately 160,000,000 feet of Jum- ber. Their net~-tonnage will total about 120,000 and their combined lum- ber carrying capacity will be close to 130,000,000 feet. In this great flect will be used approximately 10,000 tons of metal and the investment rep- resented by these wooden ships is not far from $20,000,000. The wood: used in this class of con- struction is the Douglas fir, of which it is estimated there are 450,000,000,- 000 feet on the western slopes of Washington and Oregon. This re- in wooden construction, ship knees are an important item and here again the Pacific builder is well fortified. Douglas fir trees offer some of the largest and best ship knees that can be obtained. Stumps on level ground yield knees of 90 degrees while those on hillsides offer knees at almost any angle desired How Diesel Engines Earn Their Keep Builders and owners. of diesel pow- ered vessels are eagerly awaiting re- ports from the ‘ships of this descrip- tion now in commission. The five- masted schooner City oF PorTLAND re- cently completed her voyage from the Columbia river to Port Pirie, Australia, with 2,008,000 feet of lum- ber in 58 days, including a brief stop at Honolulu. Inasmuch as a _ vessel under sail would be considered making a good passage if she logged this route in less than 90 days, it is fig- ured that auxiliary power will reduce