The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-07-17
SUBSIDY MAIL LINES.

WASHINGTON. 1O--1n accOTOauCS Will
the provisions of the act of the last con
gress providing for quickened mail service
between American and foreign ports, the
postmaster general has asked for bids fol-
the construction and equipment OF the
necessary vessels for the projected lines.
| While small part of the service could be
put on Immediately, it will take the whole
term of three years to put on many OF the
| larger ships. Three years Is the limit
prescribed by law. The vessels must all
be beAmerican-built,a and owned and officered
by American citizens in conformity with
| existing laws. They must be of the
highest rating of their respective classes
! known to maritime commerce. The speed
is to be tested by four consective hours
trial, and conducted by experts at places
designated by the postmaster general, and
under such rules as are usually applied IN
| the acceptance of vessels for the navy.
! They must be built for prompt and
! economical conversion ipto'auxiliary naval
cruisers, and those of the first, second and
third classes must be prepared for the
carrying of at least four 6-inch guns They
must afford free transportation of mail
messengers and be fitted up for the ac-
commodation Of the mails, and for the
| first two years one-fourth of the crew
must be citizens of the United States,
next two years, one-third, and last part of
the contract term, at least one half. The
vessels are to be inspected by naval officers
or constructors, and approved by the sec
retary of the navy as suitable fer naval
purposes before the postmaster general
can enter into contract. Each vessel must
carry a certain number of American boys
as apprentices or cadets.
The American ports from which it is
proposed TO start are Boston, New York.
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Newport News,
Norfolk, Port Tampa (Which will serve
Mohilel Naw Orleans Galveston San
Francisco, Seattle and Tacoma. Abso-
lutely new service American ships are in
vited for Transatlantic lines from New
York, Boston and Baltimore; line TO
Buepos Ayres from New York and one
from Philadelphia; line from Port Tam
pa TO Venezuela and TO the east coast of
South America. A line to the same ports
is projected from New Orleans and from
Galveston, and a new line from New Or
leans to Aspinwah. calling at the ports on
the north coast of Central America and
the ports on the Spanish Main. TraDsat-
lantic lines are projected to Liverpool from
New York and Boston and to Southamp-
ton or Plymouth and to Antwerp from
New York. Also from Baltimore to Bre-
men. Bids are also invited for service
from New York and Philadelphia to
Buenos Ayres, Argentine Republic, and to
Uruguay.
A great deal of attention has been paid
to the South American trade, and bids
are invited for service from New York,
taking the mails at Newport News or Nor
folk. Similar service to Rio is asked for
from New Orleans and Galveston and
Port Tampa (Which will start from No
bile). A line is also proposed from Balti-
more to Para, which can be further ex
tended along the east coast of South
America if desired. A new line is pro-
posed from Port Tampa to Venezuela in
addition to the line from New York to La
guayra; also from Galveston to Laguayra,
Curacao and the ports of the Spanish Main,
touching at Colon, connecting with the
steamers at Panama on the Pacific ocean.
A line is also projected from Galveston to
Colon, touching at the principal ports of
Central America, Nicaragua and Costa
Rica. The option is given to start this
line from New Orleans. A line from New
York to Tuxham, Mexico, calling at Ha-
vana and number of ports on the coast
of Mexico, and a line direct from New
York to Havana and return are proposed; |
also a line from New York to the eastern |
end of Cuba, calling at Nassau. Quicker |
service is called for from San Domingo and |
Hayti from New York and a direct line |
from New York to Colon, to become |
regular weekly line, with the time short
ened to six days and u half instead of !
eight, and, after fixed period, the time |
to be cut down to five days and half. |
Bids ara asked for a oricker service be- |
tween San Francisco and Panama in high |
er class vessels, and a new line is projected !
from San Francisco TO Valparaiso, Chill, |
connecting at Panama for the mails from |
New York and touching at the various |
ports in the United States of Columbia,
Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador
Bids are invited for Quickened service
between San Francisco and Hong Kong,
and for new service to Hong Kong from |
either Seattle or Tacoma. A line is pro-
jected from San Francisco to Melbourne,
calling at Honolulu and at Auckland,
New Zealand, and Sidney, Australia. A |
new line on the Pacific coast, from San
Francisco to Chill, and to the west coast of
South America, is proposed, and new
line from Seattle or Tacoma to China and |
Japan, also a new line from San Francisco
TO Melbourne. Provision has been made
to secure quicker service by all the old
lines, reducing the time by one-fourth to
Panama, and as much as six DAYS between
Panama and San Francisco The service
between New York and Brazil is to be re-
1uced to nineteen DAYS. The service else
where is to be reduced to minimum by
requiring new ships, and insteadof irregu-
lar and infrequent service on many routes,
much more frequent and absolutely regu-
lar service will be insisted on. From the
conferences that have taken place there
seems to be good reason to expect that GER
-ain service will be put on speedily. This
lew service, in connection with the en-
argement of the old, will require the
building of number of ships, probably
lot less than five of the first class and
'our of the second class, five of the third
lass and four of the fourth class, with an
aggregate tonnage of 154 900 tons, and at
probable cost of from S27 ,OO0. 900 to $780,
100000. 1t is hoped that the other lines
will invite still further invest
nent of capital.