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March, 1916 1,813 tons net, built in 1887; Laxrwoon, 1,917 tons gross, 1,677 tons net, built in 1884; Lakeport, 1,829 tons gross, 1,669 tons net, built in 1880. Canada’ Atlantic Transit: Co. :° the steamers ARTHUR Orr, 2,745 tons gross, 2,117 tons net, built in 1893; Grorcr N. Orr, 2,872 tons gross, 2,280 tons net, built in 1896; Kerarsarce, 3,092 tons ‘gross, 2,721 tons net, built in 1894. Morse Buys’ Ships Charles W. Morse, as the head of a New York syndicate, has purchased four lake steamers from the Mutual Transit Co., which is owned jointly by the four railroad lines, for $600,000. The vessels which have changed hands are WILLIAM CAsTLE Ruopes, 2,176 tons gross, built in 1900; St. Pau; 2,029 tons gross, built in 1897; MINNEAPOLIS, 2,029 tons gross, built in 1897, and Huron, 1,945 tons gross, built in 1898. All of the four steamers are now at Buffalo and will leave for the Atlantic coast in the spring. They will be re- fitted for ocean and coasting trade op- erations. St. Paut and MINNEAPOLIS are twin steamers. They are each 238 feet long, 42 beam and depth 26 feet. Their net tonnages are respectively 1,221 tons. They are fitted with triple expansion cylinder engines, two Scotch built boilers, and have a speed of 10% knots per hour. The main deck construc- tion of both vessels is of wood. Each vessel has three side ports or freight gangways on each side. Their carrying capacity is fixed at about 2,100 to 2,400 tons. - The steamer Huron has a net ton- nage of 1,309 tons, and was built one year later than either St. Paurt or MIn- NEAPOLIS. She is 238 feet long, 27 feet depth, and is fitted with one Scotch built boiler. Wut~trAm CAstLeE Ruopes is the largest of all four steamers taken over by the Morse syndicate, her net tonnage being 1,340, although her carrying ca- pacity is approximately the same as that of Sr. Paut and MINNEAPOLIS. The steamers Owrco, CHEMUNG and J. G. McCuttoucH, three out of four vessels sold by the Mutual Transit Co. in the summer of last year to the presi- dent of the Staten Island Ship Building Co., were likewise taken over by the Morse syndicate recently. Articles of incorporation have been filed at Albany for the formation seven individual corporations with titles as shipping companies to control the op- erations of the seven steamers taken over by the Morse syndicate. The Norwegian steamer ByYGLAND has been sold for $325,000 to the Skib- saktieselskab Motor, Kragero, Nor- way. The price is almost twice the original cost. The vessel was at THE MARINE REVIEW Boston when sold. Bycranp is of 1,465 tons net and was built in 1905. The old naval collier Justin at Mare Island navy yard, was sold recently to John Rothschild, of San Francisco, for $226,200. The price was more than $150,000 over what the navy es- timated she was worth. Revive Old Ship Yards The purchase of ship yards that have been practically idle for many years, and some of which were gen- erally regarded as obsolete, has been one of the interesting developments of recent months, arising out of the strong demand for steamers and the revival of the ship building industry. It is estimated that at least $100,- 000,000 of new private capital has been placed at the disposal of new ship building and ship repair yards enterprises in the United States, since the war in Europe has placed tonnage on a high level of value. .Not only have scores of new concerns come into existence in the ship building and ship repair trades, but the old- established ship yards on the Atlantic and Pacific seaboards have, within the past 10 months, called many mil- lions of dollars of additional capital into their employ for extensions and improvements of their plant facilities. The Texas Oil Co. a short time ago acquired the old Sewall ship yards at Bath, Me., and will build a fleet of oil barges for its own use. The old plant of the New England Co., at North End, Me., was purchased by the Sewall interests and will be reno- vated. The Newport News Ship Building & Dry Dock Co. has announced that it will expend the sum of $400,000 in extending its plant, while the Wm. Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Build- ing Co., Philadelphia, has recently undertaken to add two new shipways to its ordinary facilities, as well as making other improvements. On the Pacific coast a new ship building concern has been formed by D. E. Skinner and C. B. Lamont, for- merly connected with the Seattle Dry Dock & Construction Co. known as the Skinner & Eddy Ship Building Corporation. A yard will be located by this firm at Seattle and the con- struction of two 5,000-ton steamers will be started at an early date. The old Craig Ship Building Co. plant adjacent to Los Angeles, Cal., harbor, at Long Beach, Cal, at the beginning of the present year was taken over by a new concern known as the California Ship Building Co., which will renovate and enlarge the facilities there so as to be able to 117 contract for new steamers as long as 400 feet. The Scottish Mexican Oil Co., which a few months ago acquired the ship yards located at Newburgh-on-the- Hudson, has also announced that busi- ness in its direction is already good, contracts having been taken for the building of a number of barges, and negotiations are pending with the Mallory Steamship Co. for a contract to build two coastwise steamers. Eastern capitalists are reported re- cently to have organized a new ship building syndicate at Oakland, Cal., with a capitalization of $25,000,000, and having 6,000 feet of waterfront holdings in their possession; they will open up extensive ship repair and building facilities at that point. W. A. Boole, former president of W. A. Boole & Sons, pioneer ship build- ers on the Pacific coast, is to be the president of this new corporation. Permits Railroads to Operate Ships A decision has been entered by the interstate commerce commission ap- proving the operation of the steam- ships Great NorTHERN and NorTHERN Paciric by the Great Northern Pacific Steamship Co. on the Pacific ‘coast. The steamship company is owned by the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Rail- way Co., which in turn is owned by the Great Northern and the North- ern Pacific railroads. The commission held that the “service of the Great Northern Steamship Co. is in the in- terest of the public and is of advan- tage to the convenience and commerce — of the people. A continuance of same will neither exclude, prevent nor re- duce competition on the route by water and should be permitted.” The ships operate between Flavel, Ore., and San Francisco. NortHEeRN Paciric and GREAT NortH- ERN are sister ships. Each is 524 feet in length over all, 63 feet beam, 50.8 feet depth, with a tonnage of 8,225 tons. Each has a carrying capacity of 856 passengers and 2,185 tons of freight. They are triple screw steam- ers, each equipped with 25,000 horse- power turbine engines, and have a guaranteed speed of 23 knots an hour and a maximum speed of between 24 — and 25 knots. The contracts for building them were made in April, 1913, by the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway Co. with the William Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Build- ing Co., Philadelphia. The contract price was $1,945,000 for each ship. Great NorTHERN was completed Jan. 27, 1915, NorTHERN PACIFIC was com- pleted March 25, 1915.