The Portland daily press., 1881-11-21
STATE OF MAINE.
Launch of the New Steamer of the In
ternational Line.

The steamer State of Maine was successfully
launched from the yard of Goss, Sawyer u
Packard in Bath Saturday forenoon about IL
O'Clock. AS the steamer gracefully glided
down the ways salutes were blown from the
whistles of the ferry boat City of Rockland
and steamer Sebenoa, both being near with
number of persons on board to witness the
launch. From 200 to 800 spectators were in
the ward and all seemed pleased with the
launching of the largest steamer ever built IN
this State. About fifty persons, among whom
were some of the owners, were on board.
Among those present were Hon. VIM. Senter,
Mayor of Portland, Capt S. III. Pike, vete-
ran commander on this line, who christened
President of the company, Capt. J. B. Coyle,
engineer in chief, e. F Clement, of Yarmouth,
n. s., manager of Yarmouth Steamship Com
pany, Joseph Brooks, Esq, of Kennebunk,
and several other prominent steamboat men,
although no formal invitations were given.
VIM. E. Leonard, the senior steward on the
line, provided most bountiful COLLATION..
The keel was laid May 10Th and work on
her has steadily progressed up to the present
time. The steamer will be placed on the line
of the International Steamship Co. between
Boston, Portland, Eastport and st. John in
season for the commencement of summer
travel Her frame is of white oak. 1t is Sc
cured by net work of wrought iron straps riv-
eted through and through and extending the
whole length of the hull and from the gun
vale to the floor timbers The outside plank
ing is of white oak three and half inches
thick. The hog frames are an extension OF
the frames of the hull, running up to the prom
enade deck. No labor and expense have been
spared to make every part of this boat models
of strength aud perfect workmanship. The
floor timbers are filled in solid throughout
The dimensions of the steamer are:-Length
from outside of stem to outside of stern post,
244 feet; length over all, 255 feet; width OF
hull, 81 feet; over guards, 81 feet; depth of
hold, IA feet Z inches; measurement mot
known YETI about 1850 tons. She has eight
keelsons, IA IA inches square fastened.
Her stateroom and cabin accommodations
will be ample for steamer of her class. ALI
of her fittings and furnishings will be of the
first order, to make her one of the most per-
feet steamers ever constructed. She will have
three xater-tight bnlk heads and Providence
steam windlass. The engine and boilers are
being built by the Portland Locomotive Works.
The diameter of the cylinder is sixty inches
stroke of piston twelve feet, surface condenser
under the cylinder, arranged to be used either
as surface or jet condenser; paddle wheels OF
iron thirty-feet diameter and eight face. There
are two boilers, eleven feet diameter of cylin-
drical part, twelve feet six inches width of
'front.' twenty-four feet long, three furnaces to
each. The steamer will be towed to Portland
in few days to receive her machinery. The
ladies' cabin will be finished in hard wood and
will have sixty berths. The main saloon on the
Promenade deck will have eighty-four rooms,
the after cabin eighty berths, and the forward
lower cabin forty-fve berths. The steamer
will have permanent berths for $50 first class
passengers She will probably be commanded
by the old veteran and infallible commander.
e. B. Winchester, who has been thirty years
on the st. John route and never met with an
accident to ship or passenger.
The steamboat men present examined the
steamer throughout, and expressed themselves
with one voice as highly pleased with the su-
perior workmanship exhibited in every detail.
One Portland gentleman remarked that he had
never seen better specimen of marine archi-
lecture.