Delaware gazette and state journal., 1884-06-05
CAPTAIN HOFFMAN INrsRVrEThp
Wilmington Built steamers and
Nauixafiau nm lha Aulaxnu


Four iron steamers of somewhat peou.
liar construction are being built by the
Pusey 4 Jones Company. They are ir-
terdsd for navigation 8 org the Am z,n
and Its tttiuents. The Compsnhis de
Nsvigaoao Para 9 Amszonss, the parties
for whom they are being built, have
their headquarters at Para, Brazil, at the
mouth of the Amszon. The Yaca, Apuri-
nan, Paumary aud Aripusua, the tour
new boats, are ali Of similar dimensions
-l60 feet In length, 80 feet
beam and 81 feet depth of hold,
with draft of water when laden OF seven
feet. They have capacity Of 800 tons
esch, are iron built. with independent
engines, which are placed on deok. The
side wheels are Of the new patent, and
speed of 13 knots is calculated Oh. Cap.
tain Hoffman, who represents the COM
psny, and who is experimenting the
construction of the boats, expects them
to be finished by August.
In reference to the condition of COM
merce on the Brszilisn rivers the captain
says: "There is an immense traffic upon
the Amazon, which Is however, mostly In
the hands of the English. The Amazon
Steam Navigation Company, limited, OF
London, established some IL years ago,
has az large steamers in constant traffic
upon these rivers (ths Amazon and its
tributaries) alone. This single com.
pany netted 81 100000 in the year
1882 exclusive of 100000 earned
as subsidy from the Brazilian govern.
ment for carrying mails and keeping
navigation open. The principal business
ia the rubber traffic, which, in 1883,
reached the large figures of SIS, 900, 900.
There are 100000 of the natives daily
employed in gathering this product.
Other industries along the banks are the
COCOA (Which in 1882 reached SO, 500, ,00O),
quinine, live cattle, hides, 60. The
passenger traffic is considerable. There
is open steam navigation on these i'm
mense rivers for 2,400 miles inland from
Para, and along the Amazon itself un-
impeded travel for 5000 miles by steam.
During the rainy ssasop, for about eight
months, when the rivers are high, there
| js. nf course, some impediment on account
of floating logs, but not sufficient to in
jure the large steamers now in use. As
| may bs imagined a steamer will be
many months on q trip, for thousands of
miles penetrating the forests to the very
foot of the snow capped Andes" Captain
Hoffman, who is naturalizsd Brazilian
and has spent some years in
these excursions, states that there are no
difficulties with the natives, they being
inofisnsive.
OF the four boats under construction by
the Pusey Jones Company the Yaoo is
almost finished, and the Apurinsn has
her boilers aboard. Four years ago the
Amazon Steam Nayivation Comnany mr.
dered one boat of the Pusev & Jones Com
pany, and ten in England. The latter
upon trial were faster than the American
boat on account of using the English
patent wheels. Captain Hoffman is now
supplying the four boats being built by
the P. Il ]. Company with the
patent wheel, result OF which is that
the product of the Pusey & Jones ship.
yard is declared ahead Of four boats
which have just been constructed in
England for the same company, being
superior in accommodation and equal in
bpaed,