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March, 1914 No other standard coals sold on a large scale at ocean coaling stations are equal in steaming value to Amer- ican of Welsh coals. The efficiency of several kinds of coal is roughly indicated by .a state-_ ment by the captain of a vessel, who reports that his ship's daily coal con- sumption is 22 tons of No. 1 Welsh, 25 tons of Tyne, 29 to 30 of Indian or Japanese, 24 to 25 of ~Newcastle (Australian), 30 of Chilian, 24 to 25 New River (West Virginia), and 26 of Alabama. Another vessel was report- ed to have a daily consumption of 25 tons of best Welsh as compared with 26% tons of Pocahontas, 26 Welsh run-of-mine, 28 of Lancashire or Tyne, and 30 of Indian or Japanese coal, Pocahontas coal is particularly effi- cient with vessels with forced draught, in which class of vessels its steam value is about equal to that of Welsh coal. Contracts for Coai Contracts for coal stipulate whether the coal is to be delivered & 0, b. (free on board); f. a. s. (free alongside ship); or "trimmed". Prices, likewise, depend upon whether coal is screened or run-of-mine. Coal sold as "Welsh" or "Cardiff" coal without further des- ignation, at Port Said, for instance, has been run over one screen. Double- screened Welsh coal is termed "Ad- miralty Welsh", and _-- run-of-mine, "through and through". Relative fuel expenses of vessels using the Panama canal and _ alter- native routes will depend, first of all, on the price at which coal is sold at the canal. Coal of high grade is to be had at Atlantic and Gulf ports of the United States and at West Indian and Caribbean stations. The Panama canal: can be reached from the Atlantic ports of the United States with low fuel expense. A vessel at New York may take on coal at from $3.00 to $3.25, f. a. s., and at. Newport News or Norfolk at $3.00, f. 0. b. and the quantity required is small. The Pan- ama railroad now sells Pocahontas and New River 'coals to merchant ves- sels at Colon and Panama at prices that, in most instances, yield a good -Profit,: but it will likely not be the policy of the government if it decides to continue the sale of coal to charge prices much in excess of actual costs. The proposed plan of leasing coal docks to coal companies will doubtless result in a competitive market that will insure low prices for coal at these docks, materially benefiting the. traffic of this route. At San Francisco, the _chief coaling point between Panama and Japan, the 1911 price for British Columbia coal was $6.90, but the pros- THE MARINE REVIEW pect of cheaper coal with the opening of the Alaskan fields will still further popularize this highway. The use of the Panama canal by vessels engaged in traffic between Europe and the Orient will depend on the price of coal entirely, as the route via the Suez canal is the shorter and ships will have no other reason for choosing this route than the saving in fuel ex- pense. The cost for coal will also enter into the choice of routes for voyages between Atlantic ports of the United States and Australia and New Zealand. though the time saved and the small coal consumption, with the greater capacity of the ship available for cargo will offset the fuel expense to a certain extent. From Europe to New Zealand, the Panama route is shorter and requires the consumption of less coal; but the Suez route is shorter from Europe to Australian ports. pend on lower prices for coal at Colon than are charged at Port Said to at- tract vessels from another route through the Panama canal. Government contract prices for coal delivered at the end of the ship's tackle at the Isthmus have varied somewhat year by year. In 1906-7 the cost of coal at the end of the ship's tackle at the Isthmus was from $4.30 to $4.40; in 1907-8 the cost was from $4.27 to $4.42; in 1908-9, $4.14 to $4.29; in 1909-10, $3.74 to $3.84; in 1910-11, $3.9414; 1911-12, $3.80%4, and_ since April 4, 1912, it has been $4.09%4. The price now being paid by the Panama Railroad Co. is the same, having been arranged by a contract covering a period of two and a half years. The contract calls for coal at Norfolk at $2.70 and the freight is $1.39% for delivery at the end of ship's tackle. If to this price there be added 50 cents to cover overhead charges, stor- age and depreciation, and 50 cents a ton as the cost of delivering the coal aboard vessels from cars, lighters or barges, the price at which the govern- ment could sell coal without loss, or possibly with a profit at Colon, will be $5.09%. If the colliers carrying coal through the canal for delivery at the station at Balboa are required to pay a toll of $1.20 per net vessel ton, the cost of coal delivered at Balboa will be about 50 cents higher than at Colon or Christobal, so that the government could sell coal at that station at $5.59%. Cammell, Laird & Co., Birkenhead, recently shipped to the Robins Dry Dock & Répair Co., Erie Basin, Brook- lyn, N. Y., turbines intended for the Canadian Pacific Railway Co.'s steam- er St. George. If there is a saving it will de-. 115 The Ill Fated Oklahoma Capt. Gunter, of the oil tanker Ok- lahoma, which broke in two on the Atlantic, has made the following state- ment concerning the accident: "Just after breakfast, Sunday morn- ing, I was standing just off the bridge behind the pilot house, giving our position to the wireless operator to send to the New York Herald. There was quite a sea running, and every now and then a spray of rain or sleet would strike us. We were practically hove to, waiting for the storm to let up, so we could proceed to the Dela- ware breakwater where we had orders to pick up a barge. "Suddenly, with no warning what- ever, a. large wave struck both the operator. and myself. When we got to our feet and the water had receded, ~ we saw that the Oklahoma had broken in two and the stern had swung around sideways and was lying along- side of the bow. We could have jumped with ease from one half of the ship to the other. Then we drift- ed apart. Stern Sank Rapidly "The bow was then floating on an almost even keel, but the stern was sinking rapidly and the propellers were spinning wildly through the air. The wheels kept spinning until the © stern sank three hours later. By this time we- were some distance apart, but when it went down we could see a column of white spray fly up as the boiler burst. . "Shortly after the accident the life- boat containing the five men who were picked up by the Gregory came past. We shouted to them, but they did not heed our call. We did not see the life boat in which Captain Cates and his 20 companions got off the stern. This boat was later picked up 'by the Seneca with but three men in it, two of whom were already dead. . The other died without regaining con- sciousness. I was told by the man who sent me these photographs that the inside of the boat was practically dry, and as proof that it had not tipped, there were boxes of provisions and fishing tackle in the bottom. One of the men rescued by the Gregory tells me that they left this life boat with all hands in it to windward of the bow. At that time they were anchored to a sea anchor, with the lifeboat's head up to the wind, and Captain Cates was sitting in the stern. Whatever happened to the occupants of this boat will never be known. "At about three o'clock the Spanish 'liner came up. She waited around for about an hour, and after unsuccess- fully trying to launch a _ lifeboat