The morning call., 1893-10-27
BOUGHT Ell CID.
Peixoto Has Purchased a Steamer
for War Purposes.

NEW YORK. Oct. 26.-The Rig American
coastwise steamer El Cid has been sold by
c. P. Huntington, and there is every Tea-
sonto believe that she has been purchased
for use as a warship by the Government
OF Brazil. 1t is reported that the purchase
was effected through the medium of Flint
6 Co. of New York City.
Flint & Co. have Intimate relations with
the Governments of Chile and other South
American states. Charles R. Flint is
Consul General here for the Government
of Costa Rica. and the firm is large i'm
porter of rubber from Brazil, and one of
the most likely in America to receive
orders for war material from any Of the
Latin-Amerlcan states.
The reports recently circulated that
Flint & Co. were engaged in the purchase
Of munitions of war for the Brazilian
rebels is positively denied. as such pur-
chases would be in direct violation Of the
neutrality laws. At the same time the
purchase of an American merchant ship
for the constitutional Government Of Bra
I'll is thoroughly legitimate.
During the last four days Rear-Admiral
j. Maurlty, one of the most distinguished
naval officers of Brazil, has been staying at
the Hotel Brunswick. he is president of
the Brazilian commission to the C0lum-
bian Exposition, and it is said that he per-
Sonally conducted the selection and pur-
chase Of Ell Cid.
Huntington was seen at the Fifth-avenue
Hotel tonight and was asked if he had
sold the FL Cid to the Brazilian Govern
ment. and he said:
~ have not" Then in few moments
he added: 81 have not sold her to the
Brazilian Government, but did sell one
of my steamers to number of merchants
and they have taken the Ell Cid"
When asked what the purchase money
was he replied: well. they paid about
100000. She cost $3.50 900 when new, and
she is as good as new now"
When Mr. Huntington was asked if the
merchants 10 whom he had sold FL Cid
might not have bought her for the Bra
lillian Government he replied that if the
vessel had been purchased for the Bra
lillian Government he knew nothing
about it.
He said he did not care to give the
names of the purchasers of the vessel be-
cause he had been asked not TO do so. He
expects to build another steamship to take
the place of FL Cid.
The FL Cid arrived last night in this
port from New Orleans. The big ship is
the latest addition to the feet of ship op-
Grated by the Southern Pacific Transpor-
tation Company.
She is the fastest American built mer-
chant steamer afloat and she is also the
fastest vessel of her class in the world.
For long cruising at continuous high speed
she has yet TO be beaten by the production
of any American shipyard. This fact Is
all the more noteworthy when il is known
that she was designed without special re-
gard to speed.
FL Rio and FL Cid made their advent in
the American merchant marine within the
last twelve months, and they are the larg-
est coastwise steamers afioat flying the
American flag.
The bunkers of El Cid will held 10000
tons of coal. and fully 2OO0 tons add.
tonal coal can be carried in the cargo
space On her maiden run from New
Orleans to New York she did
coal day. With supply
OIL oUUU TONS she WOulu % aDio 10 Keep Al
sea for an almost indefinite time. Even
after the storing of 1000 tons of coal in hei
cargo carrying space, there would still be
left sufficient room ot to cause crowdne
In those portions of the ship allotted tC
open stores.
On the advent Of FL Cid in the merchan
marine of the United States she was in
sDected by an official Naval Board Of tht
United States Navy Department, which
determined her fitness for service as {
vessel Of war of the United States in al
emergency.
The inspection showed the vessel to bt
wonderfully strong in the hull. Her mali
deck was found SO strongly braced fol
carrying heavy deckloads as to leave nj
question of its ability TO support a battery
of 5-ton 6-inch breech-leading rifles.
To place these guns in position would
hardly neeessitate the cutting OF ports. as
the cargo-Cpenings are deemed adequate
for surh work.
On the spar deck the forecastle deck wa
found sufficiently strong to support 6-incl
rife on either bow.
The bow was cut we'll away forward ant
would readily permit from the gun posi-
tioa on each bow a dlrect-ahead fire, ant
by stripping off the steel deckhouse cover
lag OF the after wheel an uninterrupted