Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-02

The recent sale OF the hull of the steamer
Senator for coal hulk TO New Zealand
finishes the active career of one of the
most successful vessels aflOat. She was
quilt at New York in 1916 by W. II. Brown,
and ran for short time on the Eastern
coast, but during the gold eXcitemen of
California she was sent to San Francisco,
where she arrived in September, IS49,
with over 800 passengers. Soon after
arriving here she was placed on the Sac
rament0 river, making three trips week,
and, with $50 cabin passage and SIS tor
standing room on deck, she soon paid for
herself ten times over. In fact, her re-
ceipts averaged ose to $4,000 a trip,
and tor four months, or until the steamer
New World arrived, fully $4,000 a week.
Her first Captain was Lafayette May
nard, who was succeeded by Van Pelt,
and he in turn by the famous old Edgar
/ Wakeman, who continued in her until
superseded by Sam Seymour. The Sena-
tor ran on alternate days with the New
| World. and this continued until 1854,
when the combination known for many
years afterward as the California Steam
| Navigation Company was effected, and
the Senator, drawing more water than
necessary tor the safe navigation of the
river, was withdrawn, and, after be-
ing laid up at Sacramento for
several months, was brought down
and fitted out for outside business.
She ran to San Diego under COM
mand of Tom Seely for several years. He
was killed by an explosion at San Pedro,
and Captain Buffers took charge, and
continued so until old Bob Haley, who
atterward lost the Brother Jonathan, took
her. She was afterward purchased by
/ Ben Holiday, and continued on the
Southern route until purchased by the
Pacific Mail Company, which subse-
0Iuently sold her to GOOdal, Nelson &
Perkins, who afterward incorporated the
Pacific Coast Steamship Company, and
sue finished her days of steaming with
that company.
Although she had new boilers on sew
eral occasions, her engine, a vertical
| beam, continued in her from first to last,
and her after-cabin through all changes
was never touched. as the jOiners on all
occasions declined for the reason that t. e
hlghly-pOlished rosewood and mahogany
could not he improved on. She was built
OF the choicest Eastern oak, and an eX-
animation recently made shows that the
old tImberS are as sound now as in 1913,
when they were first put in. Estimates
have been made frequently as to the num-
Der of people who have Travelled on
her, and the lowest calculation places the
figure at over a million, and some idea
of the money made BY her on the Sacra-
mentD may be formed when it is known
that over 10000 passengers travelled on
her in that trade, ana with passage at
from $50 to 500 the proceeds would buy
her many times over. She has made more
gold than she could carry, and has out
lived scores Of the finest steamers afloat
which were engaged in business here,
which We're wrecked or went to decay,
while the old Senator, one Of the few re-
naming links that bound us to the ..daVs
OF old, the days of gold, the days of 40. :"
plOdded along successfully, until she
finally had to give way to the march of
improvement and II the new and more
economical style of craft, the steam pro-
heller