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g ie = = = ee EI OTWITHSTANDING the gen- N eral uncertainty in business cir- cles, and the doubts aroused by shipping board regulations and by inti- mations of other governmental action, more sales of shipping in north Pacific centers have been recorded since the first of the present year than in any previous period of similar length. In the same time the price of tonnage, both that in. operation and under con- struction, has advanced in much greater degree than in the two and _ one-half years preceding, or from the beginning of the war to Jan. 1, 1917. Vessels purchased less than 12 months ago at what were thought to be prohibitive prices are worth today from 50 to 100 per cent more. When values will reach the zenith no one will venture to predict. The action of the government in fixing charter rates will without question affect the price of some tonnage but whether it will weaken the value of sailing vessels and steamers of less than 2500 tons is a question for the future to decide Last November, Norwegian interests purchased four wooden auxiliary schooners then building in Seattle for $260,000 apiece. -These ships are of 2600 deadweight tons each, equipped with twin internal-combustion engines. They are four-mast schooners, of mod- ern type and well constructed. The price was then the record and the Nor- wegian purchasers were believed to be taking a long chance in acquiring fon- nage at such a’ figure. Today vessels of the same type are firmly held at $406,000 each. One of the most spectacular deals in sail tonnage involves the iron, four- mast bark Australia, built in England in 1886 and operated later under the German and Chilean flags. This vessel of 2115 net tons, was purchased in the spring of 1916 by a lumber exporting firm for $70,000, as it was deemed cheaper to purchase the vessel than to pay the going freights. this vessel, since renamed PHYLLIS, was sold to the New York Star line for $275,000. The Chilean (formerly Brit- ish) full rigged, four-mast ship County or LrintirHcow was purchased by the A Review of the Month on Coasts for the Men Who Get the Business ee i Record Prices on Pacific In May, 1917, ee Yi anager’s and Lakes—Useful Pointers same Pacific firm at the same time for approximately the same price and has since been resold under the name of KATHERINE to Spanish buyers. This vessel is of iron, 2205 net tons, and was built in England in 1887. Although the figures are not avail- able, considerable interest attaches to the’ steamship LirzuteNANT DeEMissiEs- sEY, built at the Skinner & Eddy yards, Seattle. This vessel is of the standard 8800-ton type. She was ordered by Mitsui & Co., on their own’ account and, prior to launching in August, was purchased by the French. Although some well authenticated reports state that the vessel brought $3,000,000, it is more reasonable to assume that she changed hands for about $2,500,000 and at that returned her first owners a suffi- cient profit to pay for a large portion of another steamer of similar type or- dered by the big Japanese firm. Of new tonnage recently sold, the wooden steamer Rosrewoop. built at Bellingham, Wash., for owner’s§ ac- count, carrying capacity’ about 2700 tons, was taken at a figure said to be $150 per deadweight ton. The auxiliary schooner May, built at Astoria, Oreg., brought $130 per deadweight ton, or $300,000, but it is not likely that vessels o fthis type could be obtained today at this figure, $150 per ton being about the figure asked now. The _ five-mast wooden schooner SEABORN, equipped with auxiliary steam engines, is said to have been sold at $170 per ton, the higher figure being due to the _prefer- ence given steam over oil engines. The SEABORN carries 2100 tons. The old steamer ZAErIRO. which fig- ured as a collier with Dewey at Ma- nila in 1898, is being rehabilitated and her recent sale therefore commands considerable interest. Ten years ago this vessel was sold by the navy ‘for junk, and the engines removed and the hull dismantled. For several years she has lain neglected at Vancouver, B. C. Now she is being rebuilt as the Bow er, with wood and composite and will have Atlas semidiesel engines installed. The vessel’s deadweight will be 2000 tons and she brought $130 per ton. The British steamer Turret Crown, 411 i | Hiss SY WS (| Quy SS SSS SQ CW AA cil purchased on the Great Lakes by James Griffiths & Sons less than two years ago, has just been sold to French in- terests. This vessel is a whaleback of about 3100 deadweight tons, 253 feet in length, registering 1142 tons net. She - was built in England in 1895. While the price paid for this vessel was not made public, there is reason to believe that she brought between $450,000 and $500,000, which is supposed to be about twice her cost two years back. There has been an active demand for tugs on the west coast, particularly for seagoing craft. The big tugs SAMSON and Henry J. Brppie have been sold at prices not made public. The Tatoosu, a wooden tug, 119 feet long, 154 tons net and built in 1900 is said to have brought close to $300,000. This vessel has a steaming radius of 14 days. The steel tug KincFIsHER, 130 feet long, 141 tons net and built in 1902, is now enroute to the Atlantic for delivery to new owners. She was sold by James Griffiths & Sons for a price said to be about $125,000. The wooden tug ArcTICc, since com- mandeered by the government, was sold for about $75,000. This vessel is of wood, was built in 1913. is 111 feet in length and registers 69 net tons. The GoLIiAH, one of the best steel ocean- going tugs on the Pacific coast, is said to be held at $357,000. Probably the record price paid for old sail tonnage on the west coast was realized for the four-mast, wooden barkentine AMAzon, said to have been sold to Mobile owners for $160,000. The Amazon registers 1105 tons net, is 209 feet in length, was built in 1902 and carries 1,400,000 feet of lumber. This price seems entirely out of propor- tion but it is understood the new own- ers had several charters which assured them a return of their investment within a short time. Gulf of Mexico buyers have acquired the schooner Stimson, 17 years old, with a lumber capacity of 1,000,000 feet, for about $75,000 and the schooner SEHOME, 621 tons net, built in 1899 and carrying 850,000 feet, for $50,- 000. Barkentine Benecra, 18 years old, 653 tons net and carrying 850,000 feet, changed hands for $57,500. Schooner CHurcHILL, 17 years of age, 600 tons