The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1913-01-30
SHIPS AND SAILORS.
PRESSING OLD SAILING TONNAGE INTO
SERVICE.

PRESSING OLD SAILING TONNAGE INTO
SERVICE.
! An illustration of how greatly tonnage
Is in demand was furnished recently,
when the old Russian bark Clan MacFar-
lane left the Columbia River bound for
Durham, South Africa, with cargo of
| lumber. This vessel was originally built
at cost of SIS, 900, but with the decline
in sailing-ship tonnage she was pur-
chased some time ago by her Russian
owners for $4,000. She now has on
board approximately 1,4OO, OOO feet OF
lumber, and the charterer will pay about
$26, 900 for the run, or nearly twice as
much as the owners investment in this
vessel. 1t is estimated that her expens-
es for the trip will be about Sc, 900, !eav-
ing clear profit of $4,000 to her own
erS. .
THE TEHUANTEPEC TO DISCONTINUE!
1t is believed that the opening of the
Panama canal m ay mean the end of the
existence of the Tehuantepec Railway,
which runs from Salina Cruz to Puerto
Mexico, with up-to-date facilities for
handling cargoes in transferring same
from trains to ships at both terminals.
This is the railroad by which at present
cargoes are transshipped by the Ameri-
can Hawaiian Line, which runs steamers
on the Atlantic to Puerto Mexico AM. on
the Pacific to Salina Cruz, and whose
vessels will use the Panama canal when
it is open The Tehuantepec Railroad is
1872 miles long and was built at great ex.
pense with British capital.
AN ENLISTED MANS MENU.
A sailor of twenty years ago, more or
less, would surely have considered he had
occasion for unbounded gratitude if he
had been invited to sit down to the Christ
mas Day dinner provided by the Navy
Department this year to about 10000
enlisted men on the battleship fleet of
the Atlantic. The menu on that day
consisted of oysters, turkey with green
pepper salad. roast leg of lamb and brown
gravy, lettuce, salad, maple dressing,
stewed tomatoes, cranberry sauce,
picked olives and chow chow, pumpkin
pie, apple cider, fruit, nuts and cake,
and was said to be the most elaborate
ever prepar d by the navy.
THE BEST NAMES FOR SHIPS.
To name new ship appropriately is
not always an easy task, and yet, strange
as it may seem, the name of ship often
has much to do with her success. Pas
senger ships, for instance, require diff
| ferent names from freight ships; that is,
a name that would be suitable for a
freighter might be quite detrimental to
vessel intended to carry tourists on
pleasure bent. There are some names
that seem to be particularly unlucky,
while others carry with them the op-
posite effect, and there are one or two
names, for instance, that could be men
toned which no British shipowner is
likely ever to employ again. 1t used to
be the custom more than it is now to
name ships for people, but that was in
the days when they were owned more by
individuals. Corporation ownership has
done away with this practice to a large
extent, and vessels are now named more
with the idea of conveying a sense of
strength, power, greatness, and the
routes that they serve.
In transatlantic vessel nomenclature,
however, the German lines have in re-
cent years named some of their big new
vessels for American statesmen, such
as George Washington, President Lin
coin and President Grant The United
Fruit Company followed this course too
in naming four of its vessels for Ad-
mirals Dewey, Schley, Sampson and Far
ragut respectively, but it is not common
practice now. In naming ship it has
come to be regarded that the ideal de-
signation should be emblematic of the
best there is in the vessel. that name
should not contain more than ten letters,
and that it should be distinctive.