SHIPS AND THE SEA

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 63, 11 September 1909, Page 12

SHIPS AND THE SEA

SALE OF OBSOLETE BATTLESHIPS.

At a sale of old' warships reoently held at tho Portsmouth dockyard three unusually interesting lots came under tho hammer. Tho first was the obsolete battleship Thunderor, 9330 tons, .which is thirty-three years old, and has long been off the active list. The original .cost of tho Thunderer was £358,000 and- she was sold for £19,300 to Mr. Garnham, London. A slightly better figure was obtained for the obsolete battleship Anson, 10,600 tons, which, twenty-three yoars ago, was built at a cost of over £700,000, and was sold to Mr. Clarkson, London, for £21,200.. Tho old battleship Benbow, 10,600 tons, once famous for the 111-ton guns she carried, and which originally cost about £800,000, was sold at the same prico as the Anson to Mr. Ward, Newport

A FLOATING EXHIBITION.

"Since the time of the Ark," writes Syren, there have been various attempts to establish another floating exhibition, but we have not hitherto heard of success attending any of the endeavours. Better luck may be in _ store for 'The World's Commercial Exhibition,' but wo doubt it. We gather from a folder sent to _us that the promoters ot. this enterprise intend to charter or bUy_ 'a firatclass ocean btoamer,' which is to be fitted up as a kind of perambulating sample-room, "with a view of establishing _ new mercantile relations between British manufacturing firms and foreign markets, and extending the commercial in. terests of this country.' Only firms of the highest class are to be permitted to participate, the number is limited to 120, and aa but one representative of each branch of _ trade will bo admitted, 'undesirable rivalry will bo obviated.' There is to be an interpreting staff and a corps of shorthand clerks and typists."

The annual report of the International Mercantile Marino _ Company (Morgan combine), which jointly owns with the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company .the well-known steamers Aotea; Arawa, Athenie Corinthic, Delphic. lonic, Karamea, Kumara, Mamari and Tainui, says — "The general trade between Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand has suffered in conjunction with ail other trades, and therefore the earnings of your steamers in that trade have not been as satisfactory as previously."

In the six months ended 30tb June, 18,781,373 tons of shipping entered tho United Kingdom with cargoes, being a decrease, of 4,09,871 tons as compared with the corresponding period of test year, and a decrease of 826,388 tons on the first half of 1907; 27,581,699 tons of shipping cleared with cargoes, being 'an increase of 192,966 tone on the total f6r the first half of 1908 and a decrease of 139,314- tons on the total for the first half of 1907.

The Monitoria, a steamer built on novel lines, was recently launched from the Wea<- shipbuilding yard of Messrs. Osbourno, Graham, and pompany. Sho is fitted with wave-like sides, which, it is claimed, will make her swifter than vessels of a similar size built on ordinary lines, and will enable her to carry more cargo at a lessened coal consumption. The chairman of the Ericson Stetfm Shipping Company of Newcastle, for which the Btoamer has been built,- said iii a speech at tho launch that the principle might in time bo applied to war vessels.

An interesting story of the sea was told by the captain of the Btoamer Tamßui on arrival off Shanghai some time ago. "While the Tamsui was steaming along the China coaet Bhe 1 was asked to take on board three dark-skinned fishermen who had been handed ovor by a Chinese fishing junk. All that could be 'learnt of then history was that. they were found in a canoe, in an emaciated condition, by a Chinese junk off Chusan. They were taken to an island and given food and shelter until they had sufficiently recovered. As soon as tho Tamsui arrived in Shanghai the police were informed, and castaways' effects were examined to "ascrtain, if possible, where the men had come from. The search, however, revealed no definite clue. The boxes contained a heterogeneous collection of clothing, some of which was probably the gift of Chinese fishermen. Several fishing hooks beautifully fashioned from mother-of-pearl were found enclosed in stout wooden cases, and these,- and a quantity of twine and steel hooks, showed that the mysterious strangers wore 'fishermen by craJt. A map was produced, and various places wero mentioned to them, including Saipan. Immediately Salpan was mentioned the three at once indicated that this was tho locality thty had drifted from. Saipan is in Chamcrra, a German possession in tho South Sea Islands,, probably not less than 2000 miles away. Tho German Consular authorities clodded to send the men bock to their native land, and they were to leave Shanghai for Hongkong in a. few days to bo placed on the first outgoing steamer bound for Saipan. It is stated that tho Chusan fishermen who picked the drifting fishermen up told tho pilot that originally there wero five men in tho canoe, but two of them had died from exposure.

The Marine Journal, New York, is not quite happy that it should have been left to the Germans to name a noble ship after the first President of tho United States. "Tho name of George Washington," it says, "is so intimately connected with everything American that there ia certain incongruity in its association with the German or any other flag. The Germans, however, have chosen it in a spirit of friendliness, and this vessel will no doubt be a, gieat favourite with American tourista; _ but upon beholding her no true American, as long as our oversea shipping is in as deplorable a condition as at present, can fail to realise that in some way as a people we have missed one of tho most important features of our national life that the work of Washington stood for. That is, instead of being a leading: nation on the sea, as we onco were, we havo been content to remain chut out from it for a generation or more, and with little immediate prospect of the restoration of our flag to a foreign-carrying trade."

On the arrival of tho destroyer Avon at Plymouth recently, a remarkable shooting achievement by Petty Officer Owens, of the Avon, was reported in Brodrick Bay, Scotland. When the Avon was steaming at full speed, Owens, firing with a 12pound er at a target 16ft by Bft, at a range of 1000 yards, made twelve hits in fortyfive seconds, firing only twelvo Bhots. This constitutes a world's record.

A magnificent ship of 8000 tons has been chartered by the directoi of the Plaza Hotel, in New York to carry none but millionaires to Europe. Every luxury that wealth can suggest is to bo stippbed. The object of the move is that for an extra 15 per cent, over liners' fares passengers will "avoid the hustlo for state-rooms on the crowded liners."

Particulars to hand from Yokohama of the burning at se«. of the Japanese steamer Nihonkai Maru at Aomori, Japan, on 14th June, when over 140 lives were lost, show that ith& vessel w»a so close to the shore at the time that there need not have been any fatalities but for tho fact that fog obscured the burning vessel.

The taste for sailing in small boats declines as a man advances in years. At twonty, any crank centre-board gig is a, thing 1 of joy ; • but at forty one prefers a ten-ton yacht, and at sixty a mail eteamor. — Country Life.

The construction of the new canal dock and the two auxiliary dooka at Antwerp, for which a' oredit of £800,000 has been voted by the Belgian Government, haa boon entrusted to a Brussols firm. The new docks, which are to bo completed In the year 191*, will represent a ' total length of quays of 5796yd5, and then Antwerp will altogether have at its disposal 29,581 yds of quays.

For carrying between Brighton, Hast* ings, and JFolkastone "on Whit Monday 19* passengors more than his ship, tho Glen Ro»a, is registered for, Captain John Wbitloclc wm reowitly flnod £H S« at Folkestone,