The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-04-09
HUGE PROFITS
OF SCHOONERS
interesting Statistics OF All the
Great fore.and-Afters
Now Afloat.
Especial to the Advertiser.)

SAN FRANCISCO. March 2s.-The
great four, five and six masted schoon-
ers of the Atlantic coastwise service.
even in these times, of sharply reduced
freight rates, are the most profitable
floating property in the world. One
schooner, with a gross tonnage of 1904
and a carrying capacity of 5000 tons
has made u voyages in So days, and
paid a dividend on the II trips of $442
for every one-sixty-fourth share, or
nearly 80 per cent on her cost of S72,96o.
Thirty-nine per cent is a profit which
not even copper mines equal, and the
owners of this successful schooner now
have their ship quite as good as ever,
for these modern coasters of massive
construction keep their Al classical
ton for a dozen years. Three other
vessels paid an average dividend of sS3
for every one-sixty-fourth share each
trip. and an annual profit of 27.5 per
cent OH the investment, Their net
earnings were 42.9 per cent or their
gross receipts, and the profit repaid 10
per cent Of the total cost of the YES
sells.
OF course. these instances were more
or less exceptional. There were many
hard luck or smaller size. made far
less favorable, showing. Yet IL is
fact that. as things now stand, the
great sailing schooners of the Ameli-
can merchant marine are as safe and
attractive an investment as can be
found in the United States. Their bus
ness is absolutely guaranteed to them.
Cheap wage, subsidized foreigners can
not interfere with il. No alien vessel
under any circumstances is permitted
to enter the United States coasting
trade. On the other hand, whenever |
freights are good. these huge fore-and- |
alters can take a charter over seas.
Many OF them have voyaged to South |
America or Europe. Some have gone
to the other side of the world. They |
have proved that they are well adapt |
ed to deep-Sea service.
Twenty-Five years ago a full-rigged !
ship of 1000 tons was considered very
heavy vessel. But there are now afioat |
schooners or above 1000 |
tons. The following facts show some |
points in the Atlantic |
coasting trade:
There are 377 schooners of over 500 |
tons gross register owned on the Allan |
tic coast.
The largest two-masted schooner is |
the Oliver Ames, 465 tons gross.
The smallest four-masted schooner |
is the Massachusetts, 591 tons gross.
The largest four-masted schooner |
ahoat is the Frank A Palmer, 2,014 /
tons gross.
The largest three-masted schooner
on the ocean is the Bradford c.
French 96S tons gross.
The smallest five-masted schooner |
on the high seas is the Gov. Ames, 177S |
tons gross.
The largest five-masted schooner in
the world is the Prescott Palmer of |
Boston, which registers 2,S11 tons.
The largest schooner in the world at
the present time is the Eleanor A. Per-
cy of Bath, Me. She registers 3,410 |
tons gross, and has six masts. The
only other siX-master afioat is the |
George w. Wells of Boston; she regis
ters 1870 tons gross.
The new seven-masted schooner
building for John c. Crowley will be
the first steel schooner ever built in /
this country and the first seven-master
ever built in the world. She will carry |
a cargo of $500 tons. spread $4,000
square feet of sail, and be handled by
a crew of only 16 men, owing to many
devices for saving labor.
The following table gives the name
and gross tonnage of the 20 largest |
schooners in the world:
Names Gross tons,
Eleanor NJ Percy, six masts ....3, 401
George M. Wells. six masts.. 1870 i
Prescott Palmer, five maSts 49,. ..2,S1l |
Baker Palmer. five masts -..-....2,792
c. Carnegie, five masts 1858
Palmer, five masts 49,. ..2,556
John Il. Prescott. five masts 2454 |
Nathaniel T. Turner, five mastS. z, 40
Oakley c. Curtis, five masts .......2,374
Helen w Martin. five masts .2255
Fannie Palmer. five masts 2254
Louise y. Crary. five masts 1890. .2,231 |
Arthur Seltz. five masts 2207 |
b. Small, five masts ......2,17S |
Mary w. Bowen, five masts -. LIB |
Van ALIENS Boughton, five masts. 2, 120 |
NJ D. Cressey five masts .2,11i |
Frank A. Palmer five masts ......2.614
Jennie French Potter. five masts. L. 1893 |
Marie Palmer, four masts ....-...1, 904 |
Mary NJ. Barrett. five masts ......1.S 1898 |
James w. Paul. Jr., five masts Isis |
Henry o. Barrett, five masts ......1. S07 |
b Palmer, four masts I,S05 |