The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-08
THE GRAND DTCGEss' LAST TRIP.
VIII he Turned over to the Builders
to he OvernaIed.

VIII he Turned over to the Builders
to he OvernaIed.
The Plant steamship, Grand Ouch
ess. viii make her last trip from Savan-
nah to New York next week. She is due
here to-day. She viii sail next Tuesday
for New York, and will there be unloaded
and on May Is turned over to the Plant
system.
The withdrawal Of the Grand Duchess
from the Ocean Steamship Company's line
Is at the instance of President Plant. The
vessel viii be sent from New York to
Newport News, where her builders will
give her a thorough overhauling. The
Duchess has never been accepted by the
Plant system, not having fulfilled the
specification. Mr.. Plant stated, when last
IN Savannah, that no tests had yet Sc
cured the rate Of speed the contract re-
CURED. There are other points in which
the vessel is deficient. Too much coal Is
burned, and the SCOT chokes the fiues
badly. Both of these defects have in a
measure been corrected by put
ting in retarders. These re-
tarders have diminished the
coal consumption, and the coatingS of SCOT
are not so quickly formed.
When the vessel was first put in service
1t became necessary to draw the fires sew
eral times on a TRIP to clear the flues. The
water tube boilers are also said to be de-
fective, frequently causing one or more to
be in disuse on trip.
by the terms of the contract between the
Plant system and the builders, the vessel
has to be turned over to them by May Is.
She Will be docked at the Newport News
yards as soon as she reaches there and an
a IL 49, 1-E
soon as she has been overhauled and the
mistakes in her construction corrected the
Grand Duchess will be put on the Plant
systems Halifax line, between Halifax
and Boston, where she will remain for the
summer.
1t was in a way understood between the
ocean Steamship Company and the Plant
system that the vessel should remain on
the line between here and New York un-
til July l. This agreement was not posi-
tive, and the Ocean Steamship Company
officials readily recognize and accept the
reasons which demand the withdrawal of
the ship for repairs
The withdrawal Of the Grand Duchess
from the Ocean Steamship Company Left
the May schedule defective, but a new
schedule has been made out, which pro-
vides for her sailing dates being filed 10y
the Nacoochee. which will be withdrawn
from the Boston line. The Nacoochee
will sail from Boston May 10. She will
touch at New York May IA, and leave
the next day, which was the Duchess
sailing date. To take the place of the
Nacoochee on the Boston-Savannah line
the Gate City win be transferred from the
Philadelphia line. though she will touch
at Philadelphia on her return trips from
Boston. The City of Augusta will be
taken off the Savannah-New York line
May II or is, and will go into dry dock
for repairs. New machinery viii be put
in and the vessel will be thoroughly over
hauled. 1t is expected the new engines and
boilers, which are to be of the latest pat
tern, will materially increase the Angus
ta's speed. The City of Augusta will be
locked for about two months. When she
is turned over again to the steamship com.
pany' she win be put on in the place Of
the Nacoochee, which will go back to tht
Boston line, relieving the Gate City.
When the City OF Augusta goes off fol
| repairs, week after next, the Tallahassee
will be put in her stead between here anC
New York. The ITALIANS assoc has been a
| Wilmington, dry docked for nearly two
months, under repairs. She will leave
Wilmington Monday