The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-09-12
VESSELS in DEMAND
The Increase In Grain Shipments Has
Caused Scarcity Of Ocean Tonnage.
FEW IDLE SQUARE RIGGEO VESSELS
In Any OF the Atlantic Ports-schoon.
ers Load Petroleum for Trnnsnt.
lansic Voyages, Also for south
American Freight Rates Firm, in all
Directions-Garain Busincss II cnSy.

The recent phenomenal increase In the
gra.n trade OF Norfolk and other Atlantic
ports, has had the effect of greatly
for prompt loading at all ports on the. At
iantic and Gulf. In New York, on Satur-
day last, aside from the engagements of
grain berth room on the regular trars-At-
lantic. steamers. grain charters were re-
ported with an aggregate exceeding one
were chartered to load ut New York. New
York grain charters, according to the New
, ork Journal OIL commerce, are becoming
a comparative rarity, the regular trans
Atlantic lines. as a rule, having sufficient
room TO accommodate all the grain offer
ing. The regular lines, however, have now
nearly their full grain capacity engaged
ahead FOR uil sail:ngs up to the middle of
October. anu hence shippers find 1t neces-
sary TO charter steamers.
Rates for sruiE steamers have naturally
strengthened "a y result of the urgent de-
about IS vi per Quarter for prompt load
ing; This rate. while II cannot be called
high In comparison with As I'D a rs Cd per
quarter for sailing barks few years ago,
Is much better than have existed for some
time \ month ago, for instance. the
QUOTATIONS was only IS Cd.
The Improvement In the market which
has thus fur shown itself most vigorously
In the grain charterng and berth room
TO the general market for snil tonnage for
cross-sea VOYAGES, for which there is a
available. The demand for sailing Vessels
has been largely for deep water vessels
Doth Tor case oil and general cargo AS fa,.
as case OIL Is concerned, there appears to
be an actual absence of sufficient tonnage
ana shippers have been CONF, lied 10 en-
gage vessels TO arrive. In fact several
CHARTERS are reported In case petroleum on
the Standard Oil Compnnys account for
uispatch after the turn OF the year The
opportunity for obtaining return Carcocs
from the East is so poor ut present that
even the increase In the freight rates that
has taken place OF late is not drawing
much available tonnage here. The Ameri-
can snip st. James, for Instance, is now
on on us way back from Macassar in ballast,
having been unable to obtain a cargo
me vessel Will go to Barbados for orders
~ rs IL long while since the port of New
York has been so bare of spuarp-rigged
vessels
Large sailing wood vessels have for
some years been II very poor Investment
the British ship yards have turned out a
ialr amount of Iron sailing vessels and
Ihese nave, as Il rule. lA1en able to WELD
fair returns, but conditions have been So
,uniaVorable that the old wooden vessels
nave; II Us generally alleged, been worked
at Il loss. There are some members of the
local shipping trade who believe TINT the
current scarcity of sailing vessels is nor
temporary, but that the actual supply has
Srauuaiiy been reduced untIl II is now be-
SO, but II Is rather hard to reconcile Such
condition with tile fact that rates for
ionS voyages have not ut most advanced
more man ten per cent since the improve
ment began.
a striking Improvement of the scarcity
OF large sailing vessels is the employment
| OF schooncrs In their legitimate field The
schooner Lucy FL Russell, for Instance.
mas been chartered to load GOOO barrels
Grude petroleum at Philadelphia for St
Der or schooncrS have recently been char
tered FOR South America.