New-York tribune., 1902-09-08
BIG OIL FLEET'NEARLY Y READY
TWENTY FIVE STEAMERS. WITH SIX
HUNDRED THOUSAND BARRELS
CAPACITY, SOON TO Re RUN
MING TO TEXAS

Within the course Of few months there will be
engaged in the transportation trade between this
port, Philadelphia. Baltimore and Texas about
twent y-fve steamers with a capacity of nearly
100000 barrels This exclusive Of barges of which
the Standard oil Company is using a number with
a capacity equal to that of several Of the steamers
The delivery of Texas oil here has been greatly
hampered by the difficulties encountered in equip
ping vessels for carrying it in bulk. This delay has
been caused by the inexperience of the mechanics
in the shipyards IN this kind OF work. All the
steamers which have been chartered for this class
OF freight have not only to be equipped to carry oil
in bulk, but their boilers and furnaces must be
fitted with apparatus for burning oil. which is
economical than coal for their purposes. Because
of this delay in equippng the steamers the number
carrying oil TO this port from Texas is not
large it was expected it would be two or three
months ago.
The steamers now running are the Maverick the
Atlas and the City of Everett, owned by the Stand
ard OIL Company; the J. NJ Guffey. owned by the
J. NJ. Gufey Company. and the Roma, owned by
the Michigan Steamship Company The Roma is
the English tramp steamer which was driven
through the railroad bridge in Galveston Harbor
at the time Of the hurricane. and after lying
shoal for year foated and converted into
oil carrier. Her capacity Is $500 barrels The COM
pany which her has just opened offices
in the Maritime Building and is preparing TO
put steamers in the oil trade. They
will be the Saginaw, the Progreso, the Wash
tenaw, the Lansing. the Argyle. the British
Il
Newport News shipbuIldng Company. which will
be named the Michigan ard have a capacity of
about 5000 barrels. She will be ready for service
IN February. The total capacity OF this fleet will
be considerably than 10000 barrels. The
Michigan Steamship Company is a combination OF
two steamship companies. the Saginaw and the
Progreso Steamship companies. These companies
operated the Pacific Coast and handled coal
until the discovery OF oil in California made the
coal business Improbable. Two OF the steamers
by W he "a
cc Coast engage in carrying oil. for which busi-
they have been chartered. The others will be
brought around to this port. The Washtenaw ar
rived here only a few days ago. and the Progreso
Will be brought here. The company has also
bought the British steamer British Queen.
which partly destroyed by fire as she lay at
the pier of the Phoenix Line. in Hoboken. few
months ago. She will fly the United States flag
when she sails the seas again
Another company which has been organized by
several local business transport oil from
Texas is the Southwestern OIL and Steamship Com
ready for service in about two weeks The vessel
IS being transformed into a tank steamer at the
use four steamers-the Northman. the North
These We're q 6D for the freight line which Was to
he operated between chicago and Liverpool. This
be turned into oil carriers; They will have a ca
pacity OF 22 800 barrels each.
The American Navigation Company Of Cleveland.
is intending engage in the oil carrying business
ton steamers the Mnnetonka and the Mnnewaska.
through the Weand Canal in sections for this pur-
40 cents u barrel
The j NJ Gufey Company has three, steamers
which are to be used for transporting oil. One of
these the j. NJ. Guffey as mentioned above. is al
ready running She has been running for some
time. The others. the Winifred 10000 barrels, and
the Catania. 2Ooo barrels are being altered 1, for
operate two steamers. the Paraguay and the To-
led0 and the Texas oil and Transfer Company has
the steamer Florida which is being altered for the
eqSpen qSpeTS at for this business They
have not been put into commission yet.
These vessels will carry oil to this port Balti-
more and Philadelphia. One company has con-
tract to carry more than million barrels of Texas
oil to Philadelphia for the United Gas Improve
Tnent Company Gas companies are using oil for
the PRODUCTION of gas, which is extracted from the
oil.
Ii is the opinono of shipping men who are engaged
in the oil transportation business that there Will be
n market for all the oil which may be brought
here The cost OF transportation to this port will
he ahont 40 cents a barrel. Most of the steamship
charters have been made at this rate: The steam
shin men like oil as cargo II be handled so
easflv and economically. The Roma, a few days
ago took on board a cargo in half day. and on
reaching her destination was able to discharge it
in thirteen hours 1t was pumped a distance OF q
mile from the ship. Not only was it possible to
take ahoard and discharge the cargo without the
aid of sfevedores the services of twothirdS of
the fremen were unnecessary because the oil was
f,,AI