The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-22
Oceanic Company Is
Progressive.
KNOWS ITS DEFICIENCIES
PREPARES TO HANDLE THE IN
CREASED COMMERCE.
President Spreckels Advises the
Purchase at Once of Three
Seventeen-Knot 6OOO-ton
Steamers.

The rapid growth of the commerce of
this city is demonstrated in the annual
report of President John D. SpreckeIs of
the Oceanic Steamship Company, in
which he urges the directorate of the
company to order at once two or three
steamships of about 5000 tons register and
seventeen knots speed to meet the re-
quirements of the trade. He also shows
how the traffic has entirely outgrown the
present capacity of the company to ham
die it.
Thousands of tons of cargo have been
lost to the company after having been
vafnly rendered for transportation, ulti-
mately finding It's way across the south
ern seas to the far away colonies either
by Canadian Pacific steamers or by sail
ing vessels. The report also dwells on
the mail service. At present English
mails leaving London are landed in sgd
average of thirty-four days; by way of
San Francisco, in thirty-seven days, and
Vancouver. forty days. With improved
service from this city the time should be
shortened to thirty days.
With seventeen-knot vessels the time to
and from Honolulu could be cut down
to five days and four hours. The re-
mainder of the voyage to and from the
colonies could be covered at rate OF
speed that would average fifteen knots
for the entire trip.
fTeSlQenL SpTeCkelS declares IndI 1t Is
imperative that orders for steamers be
placed at the earliest possible moment. 1t
is expected that the Hanna-Payne ship
ping bill will have beneficial effect, If
adopted, as is expected. The subsidy pro-
visions are so liberal that it is believed
the increased demands upon the ship
yards will be far beyond their capacity
One Illustration of the effects of the pro-
posed bill is here given: THE present
subsidy of the company per voyage is
$l0.769; under the new bill the same YES
sells would receive OATS, while steamer
OF 5000 tons register and seventeen knots
speed would receive 81 1856.
The report closes with prediction that
the Paris Exposition in 1900 and the Pa
eific Ocean Exposition in 1901 will have a
material effect upon the commerce of this
coast.
The steamers Mariposa and Alameda
OF the Oceanic Company are to be thor
oughly overhauled The engines will be
altered from compound to triple eXpan-
sion, and new boilers will take the place
OF those now in use. This will mean a
gain of about 500 horsepower and of one
knot in speed. 1t will also enlarge the
cargo capacity by 367 tons, and materially
reduce the consumption of fuel. The ma
chinery and boilers will be ready for in
stallation in July and each vessel will in
turn be Withdrawn from service for a
period of ninety days. At the same time
it is proposed to renovate the passenger
accommodations at a cost of $4,000.
Seven directors We're elected at the an
nual meeting yesterday They were
Claus Spreckels, John d. Spreckels,
Adolph B. Spreckels Thomas B. Pheby,
d. K. Gibson. The directors will meet
next Tuesday, when they will organize
by the election of a president, secretary
and other officers