Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-12-23
! MAIL SHIPS
Il.
Orders Have Been Given for the
Construction OF Two.
WILL BE BUILT HERE
San Francisco Dispatch. Busy Scenes at
the Shipyald. Liner New York to be-
Overlauled. VIII Rcacl,
Here January IL.

The New York Herald, the recognized
authority on matters marine, in its is
sue of yesterday, published the follow
ing special telegram from San Fran
cisco:
The Pacific Mail Steamship Com
pany has given orders for the construc-
ulon OF two new steamers TO ply b.
tween this port and Yokohama and
Hong Kong.
Each vessel will be Of large displace-
ment, with o speed of eighteen knots.
They Will have cabin accommodations
for It's first-class passengers The New
port News Shipbuilding Company will
build the boats
There is really nothing new in this
annnuocemnt. as it has been known all
along that this firm expected to get the
contracts, but the dispatch is simply
confirmatory Of the rumor published not
long since to the effect that the deal
had been closed.
Inquiry at the shipyard yesterday
elected no information in this connec-
tion.
in America than the plant of the New
port News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
Company, and yet. in the near future.
it will be buster still. for there is in
prospect a vast amount OF repair work,
to say nothing Of the new warships
that may be built and the Pacific Mail
steamers
The large transatlantic liner New
York Of tha American inc will n rri1-a
at the shpyard January l3 for her an
nual overhauling. She will leave New
York on the night of January u and
will arrive the following morning.
The New York will be the first Of the
American liners to come here this sea-
son for repairs and a general overhaul
ing in preparation for the spring traf-
f1c. Just when the other ships OF this
company. the Paris, St. Louis and ST.
Paul. will be taken off the line for re-
pairs is not known, and, in fact, it is
not stated whether or not these vessels
will need overhauling this winter.
The work on the New York will
amount to about 900 or 100000.
The tirst-class battleship kearsarSe,
which is in the last stage Of completion
at%the shipyard, was given her first
dock trial Wednesday morning. The big
red defender behaved beautifully under
her own steam and all parts of the ma
chinery tested worked like a charm. A
dock trial consists simply in turning
the vessel about at the dock in order
to make a test of boilers and engines.
The dock trial OF the Kentucky will
take place in the next two weeks. This
vessel is not quite as far advanced as
her sister ship, but the difference in
days is hardly more than two weeks.
The shipyard officials are expecting
the quarantine ship Jamestown, sta
toned at Old Point, to arrive here daily
for a thorough overhauling. The yard
was awarded the contract to do this
work
No advices have yet been received as
to the time Of the arrival here Of the
transport Manitoba, which will also be
overhauled and refitted here.
The London correspondent of the
New York Sun has this to say in regard
to the deal between Coils P. Hunting
ton and Vickers Son & Maxim, looking
to the establishment of an ordnance
plant at Newport News:
THE Daily Mail says it has learned
that the acquiring of the shipyard at
Newport News by Nickers' Sons &
Maxim is a condition precedent to their
fulfilling the contract allotted to them
by the United States government for
torpedoes and accessories which would
Of Keil, but for the anti-German feeling
have been given to the Schwartzkopfs
in the United States.
The English firm lis negotiating with
the Schwartzkopfs for the acquisition
Of their patent for launching torpe-
does