The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-01-12
TOWARD A DAILY LINE.
TIE CITY OF BIRMINGHAM TO BE
MADE A PASSENGER SHIP.


The Ocean Steamship Company to
Increase It's New York Schedule to
Four sailings a Week The Keel
of the New Ship Laid at Roach's
Yard-The Vessel to be Completed
Nov. and to be the Largest and
Finest of the Fleet-The Proposed
Changes at the Wharves.
The Ocean Steamship Company is about
to take the initial step towards daily line
of ships between Savannah and New York.
The rapidly increasing business of the com
pany, which necessitated the building of the
City of Birmingham and the ordering of
the new vessel which is under contract to
be completed next fall, has necessitated the
adding Of another sailing to the present
misunderstanding four sailings week in
stead of three.
The City Of Birmingham, which was
built as freight ship, but with the view to
adding passenger accommodations, will be
remodeled into a passenger ship, with &C
commodatiOns for sixty first class passen-
gers and thirty to forty Storage, and will
be placed on the regular schedule. Hereto
fore the City of Birmingham has been run
ming an irregular schedule between Savan-
nah and New York, except two or three
trips which she made to Philadelphia with
pig iron. The company has found it neces-
sary through the demands of increased
passenger and freight busines s, to increase
the schedule Of sailings, aId TO accomplish
this it viii be necessary to place the Birm-
ingham regularly on the New York line as
a passenger and freight ship.
SIX SHIPS TO NEW YORK.
This will give the company six ships on
that line-the City of Augusta, City Of
Savannah, Nacoochee, Cnattahoochee and
Tallahassee, and the City of Birmingham.
The proposed schedule will give four sail
ings a week-on Mondays, Wednesdays,
Fridays and Saturdays, both from Savan-
nah and New York. By this schedule there
viii be no arrival on Sund tys. The add
tons necessary to be made to the City of
Blrmingh ham to transform her into first
class passenger ship will necessitate her
withdrawal from service for about four
weeks. The work will require at least ten
weeks for its completion, but the
greater part of it can be done
while the vessel is on her route The ad-
vantages to merchants and shippers of the
increased schedule and four sailings week
can readily be seen.
General Manager Sorrel said yesterday
that the company's business is increasing SO
rapidly that it has found it necessary to en-
large its carrying capacity. The incon-
veuience Of a ship without passeng accom-
modations on the regular schedule and the
disadvantages of an irregular schedule, such
as the City Of Birmingham has been run
ming, have necessitate1 the proposed chang
in the Birmingham and the additional sail
ing.
THE NEW VESSEL.
The keel for the new shtp-the eleventh
Of the Ocean Steamship Company's fleet
has been laid at Roach's yard at Chester,
Pa. The vessel will be completed by Nov.
l, and viii be the largest and finest of the
fleet A name has not vet been decided
upon. 1t NAV be the Kansas City or the
City of Memphis For the present the yes
sci will be known as No. PSI, the builders
number. Her dimensions, according to the
builders plans, are $40 feet length over
all, - feet beam, and depth of
hold ~ feet. She will be steel plated
with three decks, and will have triple ex-
pansion surface condensing engines, work.
ing up to nearly 1900 horse power. and
capable of giving the vessel speed of 10
knots an hour at sea, in average weather.
The vessel will be finished in the latest
style of nautical architecture, with elabor-
ate furnishings and the most modern i'm
provements. She will have accommoda-
tions for 236 passengers, 1l6 first class,
90 intermediate and 90 Storage. Her cargo
capacity will be greater than that Of any
other ship in the fleet, and will be equal to
5000 bales of cotton. Sle will be built
under the highest class of inspec ion and
rating, and will be the tenth ship of the
fleet that has been built at Roach's yard.
THE ELEVENTH OF THE FLEET
AS soon as the new ship is completed she
" i'll 20 on the New York line, relic wing the
City of Savannah, which will probably be
transferred TO the Boston line. The Boston
line has now two ships, the Gate City and
the City Of Macon. The addition of another
would allow sailings every four DAYS,
instead of once a week, as under the
present schedule. The City of Savannah was
run on the Boston iue for awhile last sea-
son, but was withdrawn and placed on the
New York line in order to more satisfacto-
rily handle the heavy business. The bust
ness of the Boston line has iucre ased so
rapidly that another ship is required. and
the City of Savannah will fill the demand.
The addition OF the new ship, now build
ing. to the fleet will necessitate Increase
terth room at the company's wharves,
to provide for which the Boston ships
will be withdrawn from the
river front and will be given berth in the
slip just forward Of the Philadelphia ships
The New York ships will then have
three berths on the river front. General
Manager Belknap is already arr 3ngiug for
the necessary trackage and connections to
sary to make tbs change will begin in