New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-14
PACIFIC MAIL
SELLS 5 LINERS
TO SHIP TRUST
La FOllette's Seamen's Act
Drives Ships from ORR
entail Service.
BOATS FLY u. S. FLAG
WHILE WAR LASTS
Two Will Run to England
Three for Canal Trade-At-
lantic Transport Buyer.

/
The Pacific Mail Steamship Company,
! the largest transoceanic line under the
Stars and Stripes, announced yesterday
/ that il had sold its splendid fleet of
/ five big ships to the Atlantic Transport
Company, a subsidiary corporation Of
the International Mercantile Marine.
On August 25 the Mongolia, the larg-
est and finest steamer in the Pacific
/ Mail service, will start on her last voy-
age to the Far East. Thereafter the
flag Of the Pacific Mail Steamship Com
pany will be missing from Oriental
tional flag will rarely be seen in Asiatic
waters except on men-of-war. Respon-
sibiity for this disappearance of the
flag from transpacifc trade is laid at
the door of the seaman's act, fathered
by Senator La Toilette in the last ses-
sion of Congress Months ago the Pa
cific Mail Steamship Company an
nounced that if the bill became a law
it would be obliged to avoid bank
ruptcy by disposing Of its vessels and
going out Of business. Yesterday it
made good its prediction by the fol-
lowing:
The Pacific Mail Steamship Com
pany announces the sale of five steam
! ships of its transpacfc fleet, namely,
Manchuria, Mongolia, Korea, Siberia
and China, to the Atlantic Transport
Company of West Virginia.
Driven Out of Business.
"The last sailing from San Francis
/ co by any of these vessels to Oriental
ports, on account of the Pacific Mail
Steamship Company, will be the steam
ship Mongolia. on August 25, 1915"
Under the terms of the seaman's act
it is declared to be impossible for
any American vessels to compete with
the japanese steamers. All of the Pa
cific Mail Steamship Company's ves-
sells were obliged under old conditions
to employ cheap coolie labor in their
fire rooms in order TO meet their ORR
entail rivals on anything like even terms.
When La Follette's bill became a law
il was necessary for every liner TO EN-
ploy crews rs per cent OF which spoke
English. This provision alone virtual
ly abolished participation by Ameri-
cans in transPaclhc trade.
Although officials of the international
nF "
the Atlantic Transport Company Is
subsidiary, refused to disclose tne
amount paid for the big ships, 1T IS
estimated by those high IN shipp'hg
circles that the price must have been
we'll in advance of s7,0OO,O0O. Philip
A. S. Franklin, vice-president and re-
ceiver of the international Mercantile
Marine Company, said last night that
no bonds would be issued to pay for
the vessels. The funds will be taken
out of the company's surplus and cur
rent earnings. If the present oificers
of the ships so desire they will be al
lowed TO remain in the employ OF the
new owners
Mr.. Franklin also said that it was
probable the liners would sail, for the
present at least, under the American
flag. He pointed this out as necessary,
considering the dangers attendant upon
transatlantic voyages.
For the last few months Mr.. Frank
lin said, the Atlantic Transport Com
pany has been unable to carry more
than a fraction of all the freight Of
fered il. The company already has
chartered several steamers, but even
these proved insufficient for the de-
mands Of exporters, and it was thought
best TO buy the five Pacific liners.
Their addition to the company's fleet
swells its total to 1870 vessels. They
will come to the Atlantic coast IN sep
tember. -
The two crack boats of the Pacific
Mail Steamship Company, the Mongolia
and her sister ship the Manchurla, WILL
it is believed, run between New YORK
and England. These are vessels OF H.
600 tons. with a speed OF seventeen
knots. They were built in Camden IN
1904 bv the New York Shipbuilding
Company The Korea and the SIBERIA
are also sister ships. They were built
in 1901 by the Newport News ShipbuiId-
ing and Drydock Company and have
tonnage of $4,000. The China, lO,2OO
tons. was launched at Glasgow IN 1859.
These will enter the New York-Panama
service. 49,
Mr.. Franklin said that the Atlantic
Transport Company built the Man,
churia and Mongolia and later sold
them to the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company.
1--WE have bought the feet" he ex-
pl ined. because we have place to
use ships TO advantage. While the
Mongolia and Manchuria are too large
for Panama Canal business, the others
are especially fitted for that route.
"All are first class ships in fine con-
dition. The Mongolia and Manchuria
Continued on page 3, column