The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1898-01-27
THOMPs0N's NEW VESSEL.

Having Secured Three Good Mall Com
tracts, Tho Thompson Steamboat Co.
Prepares 70 Garry Them Out-A Fne
steamer Now Being Built by Capt. J. r..
+. Mitchell at Seattle.
AS one wends his way along the
water front he is amazed at the amount
OF shipping in the harbor Of this city.
and as he continues his journey toward
the Stetson-Post mill and down over
the tide flats he is simply astonished at
the vast number Of vessels In course Of
construction and undergoing repairs.
After passing the coal bunkers the
stroller is attracted by the massive
frame of a new steamship that is more
conspicuous than all the others because
of the unusually heavy timbers used
In its construction, This is the new
vessel which Capt. John R. Thompson
is building for the purpose of comply
ing with the conditions of three large
contracts which have been awarded
him by the United States government
for carrying the mails.
One of these contracts is for. q mail
service twice each day between Seattle
and Port Townsend; another is for
daily service between Port Townsend
and Port Angeles, while the third is
for a tri-weekly service between Port
Angeles and Neah Bay. 1t is said that
the three contracts are worth about
$50, 900 per annum.
The vessel now OH the ways will
make daily trip to Port Angeles
when completed, which will be about
May next. She has not yet been
named and is therefore styled on the
water front ";hat boat of ThOmpson's."
And those who have been acquainted
with Capt. John r. Thompson during
his ten years of service on Puget Sound
know that "tlat boat of Thompson's"
will be the finest vessel of her size ever
launched upon these waters, for he is a
thorough seaman and has selected in
the person of Capt. Mitchell most
able and experienced designer and con-
structor Of ships.
The new vessel is to be screw pro-
peller and will be schooner rugged, car
rying two stalwart masts and a large
area of canvass to steady her in choppy
seas. She will have compound con-
densing engines of 600 horse power and
boiler capacity of 800 horsepower.
Her wheel will be eight feet in diameter
and she will be expected to make fifteen
knots ali hour under a pressure Of 14O
pounds of steam. Her length over all
is Jas feet and her water line 1872 feet.
She will have good broad beam,
rs feet, and her depth OF
hold will be II feet clear. She will draw
about feet of water and will carry $50
passengers. It is expected that she
will register about 400 tons, II which
event she will be able to carry fully
600 tons of miscellaneous freight.
In constructing this steamship Capt.
Thompson will expend about $1,000
in addition to the time which he puts
in himself i'll supervising her construc-
ton. So great is the present demand
for vessels that the captain was yester-
day offered in cash for the frame as far
as completed all the money so far ex-
pended in it's construction and bonus
of $40 per day besides, making round
81 900 bonus for boat whose ribs are
not all in place.
1t is needless to say that the offer was
promptly declined, for if the demand
for vessels is as great in May as it is to-
day Capt. Thompson may put his boat
in the Alaskan service until the rush
is over, which from present indications
would mean for an Indefinite period.
In spite Of the fact that Capt. Mitch.
ell has under construction at Fremont
two other vessels for the Yukon in ad-
dition to his contract for "that boat of
he is never too busy to
accord a courteous welcome to the
throngs of visitors that flock about the
huge timbers composing the, frame of
this boat, whose foundations consists
of three keelsOns-One main7and two
sister keelsons, any one Of which would
he considered an extraordinarily heavy
girder for building. e
All the appointments about the ves-
sci are to be first-class III every particu-
lar aud she promises to prove as great
favorite with the travelling public as
her owner and contractor are today
Seattle Times.