EXCITING MOTORSHIP RACE.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17106, 30 March 1921, Page 8

EXCITING MOTORSHIP RACE.

SAVED 120,000-DOLLAR CHASTER. (moil OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) VANCOUVER, February 24. One of the most interesting races witnessed on the Pacific for some years was that \yhich was successfully completed by the British Columbia Marine Engineering and Shipbuilding Oompany of Vancouver, and the Danish motorship Siam. . The prifce was a charter of a cargo of bulk grain that would yield about 120,000 dollars gross to the ship, .and was well worth striving for in these days'of fight freights.' Some time ago the East Asiatic Company took a charter to carry 6500 tons of bulk grain from Vancouver .to Europe, and agreed to have the ship oh berth and loading by midnight of February 15th, and there was plenty of .time, because the ship on her ordinary t schedule would reach Vancouver with about a fortnight to spare. Accordingly, matters went along in the usual way and freights dropped lower, and lower,* hut the Siam was not hurry-.. ing, for her chafter was. safe. Then the old Atlantio kicked up a fuss caught the Siam, and twisted* lier until a couple,of rivets broke off and let water into the hold. This would be poor for carrying grain, so she went into dry. dock at Colon, en route to -Vancouver via the Panama. The repair job took longer than was thought, and the operators of the vessel awoke at last to the serious fact that the char> ter was imperilled. The ship could not reach Vancouver by February 13th at the best. ' - . Now,'in the last two months there has arisen among operators of ships who loaded bulk grain at the Vancou-ver-Government elevators a complaint thatjt required mnch time to flt ships With shifting boards in the Vancouver harbour. Mr Innes Hopkins, of the B.C. Marine, was called in, when it was discerned that there was a chance that the Siam might be further delayed in loading. He engaged a skilled foreman, collected a gang of .sixty-five _carpen-ters,-arranged with the United States immigration authorities for uninterrupted travel to San Francisco, and shipped his flying squadron of "'Knights of the hammer" to Seattle, th-nce by the fast Pacific Coast S.S. lite* President' to the California poire. The -Siam v was coming up-the coast from Panama. fhe carpenters played "rummy" and er and cribbage, talked politics, enJoyed the scenery and the ocean voyage, and drew wages all the time. They reached the Golden Gate of ban Francisco harbour before • *he Siam, looked over the city, sSill under wages, and on Friday, February lltb, chey boarded the ship after she had slipped •through the Golden Gate, donned their overalls, unlimbered hammers and saws, took lumber and timber aboard, and started the merry tune of the saw and the nail. ■ „ ._.-'■ J Then'tße ship, with the sixty-five carpenters making turmoil in her nold, turned northward again and fled at the full drive of her bronze flukes. The officers prayed for fair weather, for they needed sbeed to reach Vancouver, and thev also" felt the landsmen carpen.-ers woiild not be able to" maintain their pace should sea-si,ckness grip them. had been raging on.the Pacific Coast for several days, but fortune sent them sunny days, moonlight nights, and smooth waters. They ar-» rived on Sunday,' February 13th, but onlv with two hatches completed, and tliree vet to finish. Monday morning there was fear that the vessel would* not be ready in time even with the extra efforts put forth by the B.C. Marine cangs, but on the fateful morning of February 15th Mr Hopkins announced definitely that his men had won the race and the ship womd le .under the grain spouts, ready and waiting, some time in the cftsrh'jon. He was as good as his word, and the Siam commenced loading a few minutes before the expiration of the ship's chartered time. ,-,■,•,. The grain was hurriedly 'oadei into the big motor-ship and speadod out .if Vancquver har.bour. on its <» ay to England. '