The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-09-21
LOCAL MARINE NEWS.
Arrival of q Big Tramp Steamer to
Load for Europe.

Something About the Plans of the Thorn
son Line of English Steamers for the
Coming Season and Other Items of In
terest About the Wharves.
About three O'Clock yesterday afternoon
the man in the observatory on the hill
signalled that big steamer was making
in towards the ship channel. In less than
fifteen minutes three or four tow boats
were off down the harbor and speeding
seward towards the stranger. One OF
these put pilot on board the big tramp
and another hooked on alongside and
commenced to tow her into the port
Hardly had she dropped anchor when the
Betsy the custom house barge with
Boarding Officer Tobie on board showed
off from the end of Portland pier and
under sail started for the new arrival
Shortly afterwards DIR. Cummings, the
health officer Of the port drove down to
the pier and boarding the harbor masters
boat, Engine 7, followed the custom house
people out to the tramp.
The steamers name is the Coringa, and
she halls from Tonberg. At her stern
flies the Danish flag and her captain and
nearly all of her crew are Danes, the best
seamen in the world. The Coringa is an
old fashioned tramp with an ugly looking
bow and rusty iron sides. She looks as
if she had seen good deal of rough usage
nd hod ny1t1 of
Captain Effegen, her commander, says
thaG his ship had poked her nose into
ports all over the world and has carried
many strange cargoes. just now she
comes here directly from Hull, England,
and carries water ballast instead of
cargo. In her trip across tho pond the
big tramp made remarkably fast time for
light vessel and consumed only Is days
on the way. DIR. Cummings, the health
officer found that the Coringa had clean
bill of health and that her twenty weight
men were all robust, strong looking
young Danes who do not know what sick.
ness is. The tramp was locked at num-
her six shed of the Grand Trunk wharf
and will load spool wood for Scotland.
The steamer just contracted for by the
Maine Steamship company will be six
feet longer than the John Englis and will
be more elegantly fitted. There will be
also some changes in the saloon of the
new boat and the finish in the cabin will
be more elaborate. The new boat will
have about one hundred and fifty state
rooms, which will be twenty five more
than the John Englis has.
It is probable that next summer there
will be daily line Of steamers to New
York, unless the Cottage City should be
sold to parties who are anxious to pur-
chase her and run her from New York,
round Cape Horn, to Alaska.
In case the Cottage City is sold the
company would probably at once replace
her with new boat as large as the new
steamer just contracted for.
The steamer service between here and
New York has been wonderfully built up
this summer and promises to increase
even more rapidly in the future.
The steamer accommodations between
here and Boston are already very large,
OuU AOu 4nI 20 OllO0SkA W UohO OcsIO VI UllO
growing demand. In two years new
boat is to be built, considerably larger
than the Bay State and much more ele-
gantly furnished.
Mr.. W. A. Coates of Montreal is in
town for day or two In the interests of
the Thomson line which steamers will
run from Portland to London during the
coming winter in connection with the
Grand Trunk railway system. Mr.. Coates
states that they were offered far more
freight than they could carry last season,
and therefore instead of a fortnightly SER
vice will run weekly steamer to fill the
requirements of the trade.
The Thomson line is prepared, proyid-
ing there is sufficient demand for space,
to have steamer sailing fortnightly
fitted with cold Storage for butter. eggs,
cheese, fresh fish and other perishable
cargo.
The refrigerator compartments of these
steamers have been well filed as a rule
from Montreal with butter, eggs, etc.,
and only last week the Canadian govern
ment made an experimental shipment of
peaches, pears, tomatoes, Dgrapes and
plums, the result of which is awaited
with interest.
The steamers run from 5000 to 1000 tons.
all of the highest class at Lloyds and are
especially adapted for the trade. 1t is ex-
pected that the first steamer, the Scr
vopia" will sail from here November &C.
followed by the "Iona'' December 6,
Devona, December 10, and weekly here
after during the season.
The Italian bark Michele A.. has
finished discharging her cargo of china
clay at the Grand Trunk freight sheds
and is ready to sail as soon as charte red.
The vessels deck made rather pictur-
esque picture with the bare-footed, dark
skinned sons of Sicily and Italy trotting
hither and thither, clad in thin white
sweaters striped with blue, and breezy
blue overalls. A small sized menagerie
was ranged around the deck. A hog
prl1nted from his pen in a big dry goods