The morning call., 1894-11-27
The Great Northern Will
Reach This City.
FAST BOAT TO PORTLAND.
One That Will Make the Dis
lance in Twenty-Six Hours.
LESS THAN HALF PRESENT TIME.
A Similar Boat to the Northwest,
Now Plying Between Buffalo and
Duluth, to Be Built.

The officials of the Great Northern road
have recently affected an arrangement
whereby they will secure direct entrance
TO San Francisco for both passengers and
freight via the o. +. and y. from Spokane
and the Shasta route. The passenger SER
vice has been in effecs several weeks and
the freight service will 90 into effect in a
few days.
But the Great Northern has in view a
project by which it Will not be dependent
upon the lines of other roads for reaching
this city. President Hill has had several
experts here recently who have been look
ing into the matter, and although no de-
cisive steps have been taken as yet it is
understood that Mr.. Hill has determined
to put in a steamer service between here
and the north.
For this purpose, it is said, new vessel
will be built, an exact counterpart of the
now famous NOrthwe which makes
weekly trips between Buffalo, n. Y, and
Duluth, Minnesota, and which is owned by
Mr.. HIPS line. The Northwest is de-
voted exclusively TO passenger service and
has a capacity of 500 persons. she is said
to be, taking h er speed. appointments and
general construction, on of the finest yes
sells afoat, ard 10 in fact a yeTitable palace
on the water.
The success which has attended the To-
PRODUCTION of the Northwest has EN-
courageG the Great Northern people so
fOllew up the advantages her use has
suggested. When it was first proposed TO
place steamer costing over half million
dollars into service between the points
mentioned and devote her exclusively to
passenger service the railroad people
laughed at the project and predicted that
the experiment would not last six months.
But the result fully justified the faith
Mr.. Hill and his assistants had in the
plan. as the season Just closed has been
remarkably successful one, and next year
it is expected that the addition of certain
advantages not possessed during the season
just closed will further insure the perma-
nency of the new line.
When the Northwest was desgne
Mr.. Hill gave explicit instructions that TWO
thing should be kept constantly in view
first tue comfort of passengers, and seq
ond the greatest possible speed Obtaina bic.
The perfection of steamship construction
seems TO have been reached In the result,
and q maximum speed obtained which
places the traveller by boat almost on a par
with the tourist who utilities the rail line,
while the former enjoys those advantages
which are an impOssibity On railroad
cars.
A gentleman who is thoroughly familiar
with Mr. H1lrs plans said yesterday that
he thought if present plans did not mis-
carry the new steamer would be found in
service sometime next year. Under
favorable conditions, by the present steam
er route TO Portland" said be, cit takes
filty-six hours to make the trip. That is
the schedule time, and as the distance is
$40 miles, it will be seen that the rate OF
speed is less than twelve miles per hour.
In other words, it takes practically three
nights and two days now 10 go from San
Francisco to Portland. The new boat
will have a speed capacity fully equal TO
that Of the Northwest, and certain changes
which have been suggested by expert
ence Will he made in her which may in
crease the rate of speed materially. AS it
is, the Northwest makes about twenty-five
miles an hour on deep water run.
and, at this rate, which she can very
readily sustain, it will require but twenty
six hours to make the trip between toe
ports sntiOned, or but two hours over a
day ana a night. The steamship could
leave San Francisco at. say, 6 o'clock one
day and be in Portland al o'clock the
next morning, saving thereby thirty hours
ID time to the passengers. These are not
wild expressions, but are figures which are
sustained by results secured bv the North
west. BY the all-rail line. or Shasta route,
lu0 Tip lIOuN mere TO 1OEIlaDu at present
consumes over thIrty-siX hours, ten hours
more than by steamer, so, taking every
thing into consideration, II will be seen at
once that the trip by boat will present by
far the greater attractions.
During a ride | recently took on the
Northwest from Detroit t. Buffalo | wit
messed the extraordinary ease with which
she moves in high sea. We struck very
heavy gale, and the compartments provided
In the boat for that purpose were nlled
with water, so that she simply pl9wed
through the immense waves like a sharp
knife through green cheese.
1.-The machinery and boilers of the
Northwest are exciting great interest
among engineers and vesse!-U wners using
them, and are up to and beyond the pres
ent equipment of large steamers on the
ocean. The pressure of $50 pounds is car
ried in the boilers, and the engines use
from 30 to $50 pounds, as may be re-
quired. This great pressure is made pos
sibe and practicable by :he adoption of
the Belleville water tubular boilers, while
the TWO Quadruple expansion engines on
the twin screws are constructed upon the
latest and most improved devices. These
engines have been examined by engineers
both foreign aud native, and the general
opinion Is that they are IN design and per-
lection or detail of the highest type.
There will, of course, be some changes
made. l presume, in the new steamer from
the model of the Northwest, as the latter
was built exclusively for lake and river
navigation, but / am assured that If the
designs al present contemplated are car
RED out the new steamer will far excel
anything OF the kind ever seen on this
coast"