The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-01-12
NEW ship COMBINE
C. w. Morse Heads Syndicate For
Ocean Trade.

Ocean Trade.
New York, Jan 1l.-Charles w.
Morse, ex-banker and head of the
Hudson Navigation Company, is or
ganizing a big shipping combine
which, it is intended, shall be the be-
ginning of a United States mercantile
marine touching all European and
South American ports. The new ship
ping company is said to have the fin
ancial backing OF "A strong banking
syndicate IN Wall Street. All the
ships will fly the American flag and
be strictly American owned
II was learned last night from an
intimate acquaintance of Mr.. Morse
that thirteen ships had been acquired
already at price in excess Of $4,000,
900. Twelve of the ships will sail OH
route from New York to Archangel
for the present The thirteenth
ship has been assigned to coastwise
service with South America.
The Morse plan provides for the in
corporation OF a separate shipping
company for each ship owned. All of
the subsidiary companies are TO be
controlled by holding company, the
name of which has not been decided
The subsidiary companies bear the
names OF the ship owned by each com
pany
Here is 4. list of the thirteen Morse
lcompanios which have obtained char
tiers: The Frederick Steamship Gem
pany, the Oruro Steamship Com
pany, Limited the Ocoma Steamship
Company, the Northland Steamship
Company. the Lansing Steamship
Company, the Huron Steamship Com
pany, the Minneapolis Company, the
st. Paul Company, the William Castle
Rhodes Company, the Owega Com
pany, the Chemuny Steamship Com
pany, the j. G. Mccullough Steam
ship Company, and the zealandia
Steamship Company,
The steamers Frederick, Oruro
Ocoma, Northland, and Lansing were
acquired about six weeks ago. II
vas never before suspected that Mr.
Morse had hand in their purchase.
The Frederick. formerly belonging to
the Merchants & Miners Transporta.
ton Company, is now on the seas en-
route for the Russian port of Ar
changle The Ocoma is nov loading
at Halifax, The Oruro. it is said,
will be ready shortly for her first trip
and so will the Northland. The
Lansing will be used in the coastwise
ssSsice, These five ships. Il was
said yesterday. cost on en-, average of
100000 each.
:. In the second group OF ships pur-
chased by the syndicate under the di.
rection of Mr., Morse were the Owesa
and the Chemung, each costing about
S270,o00; and the j, G Mccullough
$4,000. These were three OF tour
ships sold by the Erie Railroad about
two months ago. Charles w Morse
did rot figure in the negotiations with
the rgi3 The original purchaser, 1t
appe "a was the Staten Island
Stel.. ip Company. and the boats
PASSED from this company to the
Morse syndicate.
The Erie was compelled to dispose
Of It's Great Lakes boats because of
the ruling of the Interstate Com
merce Commission diyorcing he tran
sporting companies on the Great |
Lakes from the railroads owning
them. The Erie boats had to be cut
into sections to get them through the
Welland Canal. The ships were re-
assembled at Montreal and brought
to this city for structural changes.
Two 0 the beats are now ready and
two arc st.ll III dry dock.
A th!rd group OF ships came into
the hands of the Morse syndicate last
Friday. The seller was the Mutual
Transit Company. owned Jointly by
the Erie, the Lackawanna, the New
York Central, and the Lehigh Valley
Railroads This company was also
compelled to sell its ships under the
Interstate Commerce Commissions |
Interpretation of the Panama Act.
ne TOUR SHIPS cut OF us meet u
twelve vessels which were sold to The
Morse syndicate We're the Huron, the
st. Paul, the Minneapolis and the
William Castle Rhodes.
The last OF the thirteen ships ac-
CURED is the Zelanda. This ship
came into prominence early in No
vember when she was searched off
Progreso, Mexico, by British sailors