SHIPS & THE SEA

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 106, 31 October 1914, Page 11

SHIPS & THE SEA

SAN FRANCISCO TO NEW YORK BY SEA. Captain George Knight, of the.Amerioan steamer Nebraskan, was received by a delegation of city officials and Army and Navy men when he arrived at the New York City Hall on Bth September, bearing credentials showing that his ship was the first to carry a cargo of Cahfornian products from San Francisco to New York by way of the Panama Canal. He brought with him a message to the Mayor from Mayor Rolph, of San Francisco, rejoicing that the Pacific Coaafc was io be brought closer to the New York markets, and stating that the West believed that the Nebraskan's first trip was the beginning of a new commercial era between East aoid West. The Nebraskan made the complete voyage in twenty-seven days, in 6pite of delays which will hereafter be unnecessary. The ship is one of the fleet owned by the American-Hawaiian Line, which will maintain a regular service between the two ports. ANCIENT FRENCH LAUNCH. As a token of the goodwill existing between the United States and France, and also in recognition of the services rendered by the latter nation in the building of the Panama Canal, tho steam launch Louise, which was originally used by the French company in its work at the isthmus, is to be repaired and presented to the French Republic. It will be given a place of honour in the procession of vessels passing through the canal at its official opening, and will then be taken aorosa to France. SUBMARINE TELEGRAPHY. _ Through the application of a marine signalling apparatus, which during recent toste has demonstrated material possibilities, it is believed the dangers of great son. disasters will soon be greatly diminished. An electiic oscillator, which announces tho presence of another vessel, locate.^ icebergs, indicates i sea depths, and provides for the transmission of subinarmo telephone and telegraph mos«*age~, is tho invention in question. The dfvico consists principally of a metal diaphragm, attached to a cylindrical case withm which is an electromagnet, which actuates, a copper sounder. The oscillators are placed inside a. ship's hull,, beneath the water line, on both the port and starboard sides. Vibrations caused by the oscillators throw out sound waves under the water, which are caught by the leceiving apparatus on another Bhip. Signals of this kind havo been heard at a distance of 30 miles, and in one instance experimenters actually talked between two ships. A DIVING RECORD. Without a- diving suit or any means of proteotion against water pressure, a Greek sponge fisher recently dived to a depth almost as great as that reached by tho submarine "F 1," which went 283 foot below the surface of the water in 1912 Tho feat was accomplished when a <liver was employed by the Italian Admiralty to recover an anchor lost from a battleship in the Aegean Sea. The anchor rested on tho bottom at a distanco 1 of 252 feet. Tho diver's task was to place a cablo round tho anchor in order that ifc might be hoisted on board. In all ho made 21 plunges, descending by clinging to a ropo tied to a 331b stone. On one occasion no remained under water for 215 seconds. WORLD'S SHIPPING CAPACITY. According to figures compiled by tho Department of Commerce, the world's ocean carrying power of, approximately, 31,000 vessels, has an aggregate capacity of 47,000,000 gross tons. This {says the Exporters and Importers Journal), is nearly double its capacity twenty years ago. In number, however, tho commorco fleet has decreased slightly in tho last score of years, thus showing the growing tendency toward larger carrying units. All I the larger steamships of the fleet havo 1 I been constructed within the last twenty years, and each addition to tho ocean Titans has been more massive than its predecessors. The figures are based on the tonnage of all vessels of more than one hundred tons engaged in trade, whether d«m««Mo or foreign, or ocean, river, or l*kt. According to % recent

statement of Lloyd's, out of an aggregate tonnage of 47,000,000 gross in 1915-14. forty per cent, was credited to Great Britain, eleven per cent, to the United States o America, olovon per cent, to Germany, about 5 nor cent., each to Norway and France, t-urco per cent, each to Italy, Holland, and Japan, and threequsirtors por oonfc. to Russia, Sweden, Aus-ria-Hungary, Denmark, and SDain. ' GERMAN SHIPPING MATTERS. Tho Kolnischo Zeitung states that the Hamburg-Ameriko, Lino has orderwl from tho Vulcan shipbuilding yard a sister ship to the Konigin Lj.ugo, " which was loet in so honourable U. manticl- at tho mouth of tho Thames." Nothing t is known, tho journal adds, in alithoritatiya quarters in Hamburg of tho reports in tno Now York papers of tho alleged salo by tho Ha.mburg-Amorika Line of, 18 cargo steamers for use as grain earners. If any of the company's vessels have been sold to America the transaction must have been completed by the New York branch of the Hambnrg.Anl&rika Lifto independently ; but this is scarcely probable. THE G.A. LINER ELMSHORN. Tho G.A. Liner Elmshorn, well known in Australia-, is one of tho 'vessels of the enemy fortunate enough to find shelter in neutral water, but she had a harrow escape from trouble last month (says the Sydney Shipping List). She was ufe Manila, and on 26th September, cleared at the Customs with 6000 tons of coai under hatches in 2000-ton lots' for Siam. The whole affair, of loading and clearing was kept a profound secret, so it uns thought, but on tho afternoon of iho date named, when' the Elmshorn was about to sail, one of tho Allies vessels was lying about throo milei oft tho port. The letter's presence was unfortunately revealed by her firing a shot acrfcss the bows of an incoming vossoL that had disregarded the signals to stop. Otherwise tho Elmshorn may have met with trouble. As it. was she remained in port. A MODERN CORSAIR. It is impossible to over-estimate the importance of the sinking of the Norddeutschor Lloyd liner Kaiser Wilhelm dor Grosse (enys a London shipping journal). Her career as a "corsair" has Men fortunately short, but she has been™-espon-siblc for the sinking of at least thrco vessel. As was expected, sho intercepted (ho Now Zealand Shipping- Company's steamer Kaiparn, homoward bound From New Zealand via Buenos Aires, and 6ank her after taking off her . crew. Except that the Kaipara is a serious Joss to tho owners, ship and cargo— and, it may be, to some underwritere— she did not become a useful prize to her captor. Of course, tho owners of her valuable cargo, estimated as worth £250,000 or mote, will be the losers individually, which may mean ruin to some. Another capture was the Nyanga, owned by Messrs. Elder Dempster and Co. ; this steamer w«« treated in the same manner. Her third known exploit was the capture and sinking of the small steamer Tubal Cain. Taking the values of the hulls— that of the Kaipara was insured in London for £91,000— the total amount of damage done will probably be between £600,000 and £700,000. Owners both of hulls and cargoes will naturally hope that the Government will shoulder part of tho loss, but. it is not expected that they will. Underwriters will, of course, hold to their premiums, but inasmuch as they nre relieved of part of their marine risk by the premature and unexpected end of the voyage, they may make a rebate on the premiums received by them. To find _ a similar caee to that of the KaiMJr Wilhelm dor Grosee it is necessary to go back some, fifty years to the time of tho Civil War between the North and South American States, when the celebrated vessel the Alabama was, by an error, allowed to leave a British port, and preyed with great effect on vessels; carrying the Stare and Stripes. It will be recollected that Britain paid the Americans five millions sterling as an indemnity practically to prevent war, and incidentally it may be noted that.thero could not be found bona-fide claimants for the wholo amount. Still, the balance went into Uncle Sam's treasury The amount of th<s claim made before the arbitration court was greatly in exoesa of the award.