The San Francisco call., 1896-11-16
ALL READY NOW
FOR LAUNCHING
The New Steamer Hum
boldt Built for the
Coasting Trade.
To Take the Place of Her Name
sake Wrecked Over a
Year Ago.
Tie N w Craft Will Engage in the
Passenger and Freight Traffic Be-
tween This Port and Eur, ka.

II. d. Bendixsen. the shipbuilder, at
Eureka on Humb boldt Bay, will soon add
another vessel TO the coastiEg fleet, max
ing the fif h from his yard this year. The
new vessel, the hull of which will prob
ably be launched on Thursday next, is
wooden screw steamer built for the Hum
bcldt Steamship Company 10 replace the
Hum boldt, which was wrecked on the
rocks at Point Gorda in a fog early on the
mo rning of September %, 1895.
The Humboldt was probably one OF the
best known of the many vessels engaged
in the coastin trade with this port.
Launched on Humboldt Bay Ootober 2.
1875, for twenty years, lacking only four
days, the steamer continuously and sue
cessfully braved the dangers of Hum boldt
bar and the ocean on the route between
this port and Eureka. The stancb old
craft, which was acknowledge to be one
of the best bar boats on the coast, also en-
joyed the reputation of being one OF the
luckiest and most profitable. She had
experienced more than her share of the
| mishaps incident to ocean travel, but
from all had EN- erged fright side up" and
without the loss of a single life. At one
time coming into port here with a great
gaping hole in the port bow, received in
collision at sea with the steam collier
Arago; at another time coming down
from Hum boldt under sail, minus the
rudder and with a disabled propeller,
caused by humping on the bar the vessel
nevertheless landed her freight and pas
sengers unlnjured. Even in the last mis-
hap. which closed Ter career and laid her
bones on the rocky coast of Southern
Humboldt, the vessels lucky star vas
still dominant, for of the sixty or seventy
people board not one was lost or even in
juIed.
In view of this excellent record and
possibly with little of the sailors SUPER
sutton in the hope that this good fortune
will be perpetua ed in her successor, the
new vessel will also be named the Hum
boldt.
However, except in name, the new
Humboldt will be as much unlike the old
as is the Pacific Coast Steamship Com
pany's steamer Pomona, which has pl ed
on the same route Tor years. In fact the
new steamer, except that it is built of
Humboldt pine instead OF iron, will
greatly resem Dle the Pomona in general
appearance and interior arrangement. In
com parison of size the new HUMBOLDT
Will have about 300 tons less register than
the Pomona and about $50 tons more than
the old Humboldt The dimensions of the
new Hum boldt are: Length over all 22O
feet, beam 81 feet, depth 1877. gross ton
mage, wnen completed, about $50.
The model is yacht-like and very pretty,
with high counter and light stern, and
apparently with every requisite for speed.
However, although turning out a very
pretty vessel the builder has not sacri-
feed strength 10 beauty, and special at
tention has been paid TO the requirements
OF q good bar boat-one that can with
stand the shock of an occasional bump on
the shiftng sands.
| The machinery for the steamer is now
being built at the Fulton Iron Works IN
| his City, and is expected to give tue ves-
| sci a speed of ii knots under natural
draught. In fact, forced draught will not
| be used at all. The engines are com pound,
with cylinders 22al incnes and 90 inches
in dia meter, respectively, and with a
| stroke of 36 inches. They Will be supplied
with steam from two Maxim boilers, each
IL feet inches by Is feet, giving an indi-
| Gated horsepower of 1400, under pressure
OF 160 pounds. Besides these there will be
two donkey boilers, each 6 feet by 8 feet,
to operate the steam capstans, forward and
aft, the steam winch at the forward hatch
on the upper deck and other auxiliary
machinery.
In interior arrangement the steamer will
be up 20 date in every particular, and will
have accommodations tor 130 passengers.
Electricity Will ii. hit the vessel through
out, while powerful searchlight will be
part of the plant, to enable her to cross
Hum boldt bar at night if necessary.
Captain S. Bonnifieid, formerly in the
steamers Lakme and Faralon, will have
command of the new vessel, and James
Foord, formerly chief-engineer of the old
Hum boldt, will fill the same position in
her successor. Both the captain and chief
are stockholders in the new COMP pany,
which was recently reincorporated with
the same principal stockholders.
As in the old company. Richard Sweasy
of Eureka is the managing owner, and
NJ. Kalish of 400 From street, this City, is
the resident owner and agent.
1t is expected the new Humboldt will
be ready to take her place on the route
about the first OF the year, and to this end
the vessel will be brought here iinm edi-
ately after launching TO have the machin-
cry put in and the housings and cabin
work com pleted. This work will all be
done at the Fulton Iron Works at Harbor
View, Mr.. Bendlxsen, the builder, comm
here to superintend the carpenter and
finishing work.
A cargo of 200, 900 feet of redwood lum-'
Der. principally shingles and shakes. is
now ready at Eureka TO put in the unfin-
lshed hull, and as soon as that is loaded
me red-stack tug Rescue will be sent from
here to tow the vessel down. Agent
haIlsh Will leave on the Pomona NOR
row TO be present at the launching of the
new vessel
TLDHIXyh EnOnH ~An