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February,. 1923 lack of buying However, 6d:> This: 3s. due™. to power in foreign markets. considerable grain still is to be shipped from north Pacific ports and the in- dications. are. that early in the year this movement will be resumed. Canned goods, copper, flour, dried fruit, fish and some lumber are being shipped at present. The intercoastal berth. continues the most active of any. New services are being announced almost weekly and now 18 American lines are operating between Atlantic and Pacific ports. In both directions, the movement of cargo is. brisk. Lumber exporters have as yet been unable to get the space they require and lumber freights have firmed more than $2. within the last 60 days. An increasing vol- ume of iron and steel products and manufactured goods is noticed in the westbound movement. Some of the smaller lines on this route are mak- ing plans toward the reorganization of the intercoastal conference but the larger. companies are not inclined to join at this time. Lumber is being shipped to south- ern California in steady volume, the customary lull experienced during the holidays not having appeared this year. Steamer space is in urgent de- mand and rates are holding firmly at $7.50 to $8. .Many coasting vessels are chartered for months ahead. Sales of Shipping Board Vessels Dix, army transport, 7212 gross tons, sold on Dec. 11 to the Robert Dollar Co., New York. LAKE GuNNI, lake type cargo, 4230 deadweight tons and 2686 gross tons, to the Rajah Steamship Co., New Orleans. CuaRLes H, COramp, steel cargo, 9412 dead- weight tons and 6220 gross tons, to Carey T. Hunter, Baltimore. Henry S. Grove, steel cargo, 9395 deadweight tons and 6220 gross tons, to Carey T. Hunter, Baltimore. BARRENFORK, steel ocean-type tug, 418 gross tons. Purchased Jan. 2 by S. A. Guilds, Charles- ton, S. C. BuTTERFIELD, steel ocean-type tug, 418 gross tons. Purchased Jan. 2 by Newaygo Tug Line, Ine., Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. LakE Gera, lake type steel cargo, 4155 dead- weight tons, 2637 gross tons. Purchased Jan. 4 by the Lone Star Steamship Co. Inc., Galveston, Tex. LAKE PEPIN, lake type steel cargo, 2989 dead- weight tons, 1997 gross tons. Purchased Jan. 4 by the Hammond Lumber Co., San Francisco, A. Melville Dollar, formerly managing director of the Canadian Robert Dollar Co., has incorporated the Universal Ship- ping Co. with headquarters at Vancouver, B. C., for ship chartering and brokerage. Capt. Benjamin W. Lewis, 75 years old, one of New England’s oldest and best known sea captains, died recently at his home in East Boston, Mass. MAR ENE. REV EE W New Method of Using Gas To Preserve Fruit Owing to its perishable nature, ship- ments of fruit by water over long. dis- tances and through widely varying de- grees of temperature have always re- quired refrigeration in order to deliver the cargo in good _ condition. Conse- quently an _ ordinary vessel has not been suitable for this trade. -G. S. Lane, San Francisco, has recently de- veloped a process for the proper preser- vation of -fruit cargoes which is now being tried out in a practical way by the Williams Steamship Co. Two shipments of grapes, the first on the steamer Wriipoto and the second on the motorship KENNeEcoTT, from San Francisco, using this process of preser- vation have been delivered to Atlantic coast. ports. The first of these ship- ments, according to A. C. Coleman, su- perintending engineer of the Williams Steamship Co. in New York, was not delivered in good condition, while the second was delivered in much better cargo 14 13 Net Tonnage Panama Canal Measurement WY Tons Of Cargo Carried Tolls Paid Dollars—Hundred Thousand—Tons : on F XXX w 5 A SN «WG CC Mg — EERE PS AEA Le ET Canal closed by slides entire month WSS g 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 45 condition due .to -improvements in. the design and, construction of. the appara- tus. In Mr. Coleman’s opinion; . con- templated improvements. and the expe- rience gained: in. using. the apparatus. :in a. practical. manner, will make it pos- sible to carry fruit cargoes. in good con- dition. Grapes are recognized as most readily perishable of all the fruits and, therefore, this test will completely dem- onstrate the: practicability of the new method. The underlying principle of the pro- cess may best be’ stated in the words of the inventor, “All fruit carries para- sitic bacteria, some of which cause mold, others decay, and others fermentation. These. bacteria require oxygen, and when deprived of it as when surrounded by gases containing no oxygen, (no free oxygen is meant) they become dormant, their work is halted, and the’ fruit re- mains in the same condition as when packed.” This process is applicable to any cargo vessel. Carbonic acid gas is produced — by means of a stove burning a good qual- —_ | —_ —_ _ suo]—pursnoy] peipunpyj—siejjog nee Oe Meee NEN ee GE NGS Geshe gS hes pe eee so cae te te ice ed Seana ean fay ORE OY, ES i \ ees CHART SHOWS PANAMA CANAL TRAFFIC RECORD IN NOVEMBER OF EACH OF THE LAST NINE YEARS. DIAGONAL LINE REVEALS GENERAL UPWARD TREND OF FREIGHT TRAFFIC THROUGH CANAL