The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-09-29
THE FIRST DEEP
SEA VESSELS
To Dock In the Lower HarbOr Are
Pine Specimens Of the Ner-
chant Marine.
CHELMSFORD AND FULwooD
Brought tho Steel Rails for the Rail
road. ana Their jolly Shippers Have
Made Many Friends in Port
Short History Of the ships

Six months ago Il would hardly have
been thought possible that deep sea
vessels would this fail bee docked In
IA, tower harbur Yet such ls the fact.
The two immense steel shlps-stecl
outside and steel insidc-the Chelms.
| ford and Fulwood now lying at the
railroad wharf at F'laycl. make hand
some as well ns prophetic picture
worthy the consideration OF every Asto-
rian, Their shippers. Captains Thomp-
son aud Lewis are two Of the Joilicst
sea dogs who ever entered this port.
Young. stout and handsome. they are
the lords OF all they survey in the
lower hArbor
Sunday Captain Thompson. OF the
Chelmsford. entertained a few friends
during the afternoon on board his
stuunch ship, From him IL was learn
ed that the Chelmsford was built by
the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engin-
ccring Co. Limited. Govan. Glasgow.
In 1898. She was numbered 272. built
/ by that firm. and measures. Length.
between perprndiculars. 2s6 feet; ex-
trcmc breadth Of beam. a. feet. mould
ed depth OF hold, 20 feet inch. round
OF beam. io's inches. net register 200
tons; carrying capacity. $3.50 tons dead
weight exclusive OF stores. She Is
built on regular yacht lines. and each
Of the large steel plates In her sides
contains over 500 riyets. She is steel
dccked. steel masts and sp0rs. and steel
rigging on her main deck there is a
clear space covered with magnificent
flooring laid on the steel OF 200 feet,
NJ place Tor grand ball. She has four
masts. the main mast being 1856 feet in
height She Was launched on the nth
OF November, 1923, and Captain W. Il.
Thompson took her from the yard. She
has two steam winches and large hori-
zontal steel boiler for working cargo.
She is now on her second voyage.
Captain Thompson's log book shows
that the Chclmsforl's first voyage was
made from Glasgow TO Cardiff, and
thence to Santa Rosalia. from there to
Portland. oregon, and back 20 Hull
with wheat. While in Hull her owner
ship was changed from the Ford line
to the Loeb line. Her second and pres
ent voyage, as every one knows. was
with steel rails TO Astoria. The cab
tna NJ Ia rh.ly,.F2,.N
and commodious They are beautifully
trimmed In solid teak wood, and ele-
gantly ntted. The captain has his pri- |
vate sitting room, stateroom. business
Office, bath room, and the vessels |
stores comprise everything from a |
cooks apron to a silver nut-cracker |
The desks, tables. and berth facings
are built principally OF mahogany.
Captain owen Lewis. OF the Fulwood, |
spent Sunday In Portland. but his first |
officer kindly gave the following infor-
nation In regard to that magnificent
ship: She was built in 1885 by the
Oswald, Mordaunt Company, South
hampton, and was numbered 299 at tile
time she was launched. She is steel
ship throughout not quite so long as
the Chelmsford, and having three In
stead OF four masts. Her lines are
quite different from her sister ship,
having a very full bow and stern in
stead OF the sharp lines Of the other,
and in proportion to her dimensions,
she has little less carrying capacity.
Her officers quarters are simply lux
urious, the wood work being teak and
birds eye maple, and the upholsterlng
In velvet The main saloon. private
staterooms and bath rooms are very
large and elegant in every particular.
Each Of these now noted vessels cas-
ries about thirty men all told and It
takes on each voyage some three or
four hundred tons OF provisions to sup
ply the wants of the inner man OF the
,rews OF each.
Astoria win not soon forget the
Chelmsford and Fulwood, their good
ratured shippers and crews, who
brought the big steel rails for the first
'ailroad down the lower Columbia