The Portland daily press., 1895-12-31
THE ST. CROIX'
Builders Trial Trip To Seguin Yes.
terday.
DELIGHTFUL SAIL ON A SMILING
OCEAN.

The Log Said IL Ia Miles an Hour-Ove1
100 Guests Aboard.-Beautiful New
Furnishings.-She Went to ST. John
Last Night.
The builders trial of the machinery OF
the new steamer st. Croix took place
yesteday, involving sail to Seguin and
return. About 100 prominent Portland
business men accepted the invitation
ard enjoyed an ocean sail in December
such as could very rarely happen off this
coast at this time of year. The ocean
was calm, so that there was not enough
motion to make even the most suscepti-
ble sea-sick. The sun was bright and
the air so mild that it was possible to re-
main on the fowrard deck and be COM
Portable with no covering for the hands.
There was no sign of snow along the
coast, no suspicion of winter in the air
or on the ocean. Many day in mid
summer it is colder on the ocean off Se-
guin than it was yesterday. The noble
new steamer, proud possessor of the larg-
est engines ever built in New England,
moved slowly from the International
Steamship Co. Is wharf at about IL a. m.,
and sailed majestically down the harbor,
uttering a continuous shout of triumph
from her hoarse whistle and receiving
congratulations toots and screams and
roars from all the crafts along the water
front, both great and small. A cannon
doomed from one of the English steamers
and the stars and stripes shot up to the
top of the great shears at the Portland
Company's works and dipped gracefully
in salute as the steamer went by.
Out through the ship channel and
straight for the distant horizon the hand
some new ship plowed her victorious way
with ever increasing speed, as If she knew
that old ocean was to be her home in the
future and was determined to sho W her
self worthy OF such grand domain. And
the ocean's welcome was cordial one.
Thore was nothing but smiles and gentle
courtesy, where nearly always the winter
storms are threatening or raging in De-
cember. Even the ground swell was sup
pressed for this special occasion. A row.
boat might have passed without discom-
fort away out te Seguin and far beyond.
The fifteen miles to Half Way Rock
was made in so minutes and beyond there
the log showed a speed of IL IA miles an
hour.
The steamer did not turn ii IL she had
gone some distance past Seguin. At
about that time a delicious lunch was
served by Caterer Robinson. The return
trip was quite as smooth, but not SO
and the temperature had become a little
colder. The wharf was reached at just
$50 p. IN.
b This pleasant trip was given by the
Portland Company. Manager Greensmith
said that they had iss ued about 200 inyi-
tations. He expressed himself as entire
ly satisfied with the working of the ma
ohinery. There was not a warm bearing
anywhere.
General Manager John B. Coyle, of the
International Steamship Co., expressed
himself as much pleased with the steamer
According to contract she was to make
Is statutes miles an hour. If the log
make the required sixteen.
The furnishing Of the dining room and
saloon has been done by Walter Corey &
Co. and was completed last Saturday
night, having been begun )ast Thursday.
rs soon as possible after the return o the
ST Croix from Boston, where ner bottom
was coppered.. The saloon is furnished
in mahogany and the dining room in oak
after designs by Mr.. Arthur j. Mitchell
of the Walter Corey Co., who has had en-
tire charge of the work. Everything is
very handsome and tasteful. Mr.. Mitchell
explained special method of protecting
the wood of the silver service cabeinets in
the dining room from the heat of the
radiators below by means of layer Of
non-eonduoting mineral cotton, enclosed
in ornamental metal cases.
The electric lighting apparatus was sup
piled by the Belknap Motor Company.
Mr.. Geo. W. Brown, the general manaa-
er. said that the ST. Croix is the best
lighted of any Of the steamships that sail
from this port. She has two 300-light
dynamos. She is lighted by 260 incan-
descent lights. In the staterooms they
have clear glass In the saloon and else
where they have frosted glass. The light
ing of the main saloon is particularly
beautiful and artistic. Around the mast,
which forms an ornamental pillar in the
center of the room, hugo vine of gold
twines itself again and again in graceful
curves. 1t is blossoming with fifteen in
candescenJ lights, the frosted glass of
which sheds soft glamour, so delicate
light as to be suggestive of the frag-
rance of the flowers which the globes are
made to represent. Besides this there
are two clusters of five large, frosted
globes at each end of the saloon.