The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-03-24
PAGING OCEAN STEAMERS

WASHINGTON, March Thames ].
Hill of the Great Northern Railway,
has withdrawn his opposition to the
ship-subsidy bill because it had been
amended to meet his objection, and he
thinks it's chances of passage during
the present session are very good. He
has held satisfactory conferences with
Senator Frye, Senator Hanna and other
members of the committees in charge
of the measure, he says, and has talked
with the representatives from the nor
thern states, who are also satisfied with
the bill as amended and will support il.
Nevertheless, Mr. Stevens the repre-
sentative from st. Paul, has introduced
several amendments which, if adopted,
will defeat the bill. One of them, which
obtains more favor than the rest, pro-
Vides that no subsidy shall be paid to
any ship that belongs to trust nor to
any ship that is built in a shipyard
that belongs to a trust and that if a
shipyard goes into a trust the subsidies
paid to ships built in it shall cease.
Mr.. Hill expects to establish a ship
yard of his own at New London, Conn,
where he proposes to build the four big
cargo steamers that were designed for
him in England and will run between
the terminus of the Great Northern
Railway on Puget Sound ana the ports
of China, Japan and the Philippine Is
ldlluS. lneSG SHIPS VIII De the largest
in the world, with the exception of the
new ones recently built for the Atlantic
trade by the Hamburg American and
White Star Lines. They will be over
500 feet long, 70 feet broad, and have
five decks, capable of carrying 10000
tons of cargo and 200 passengers. They
are not built for speed, although they
are expected to average ~ knots an
hour under ordinary pressure, and Is
knots in
gines will develop 5000 horse power Mr..
Hill expects to commence two of the
ships this spring and have them COM
pleted within eighteen months. AS the
Lucania, the Campania and the other
Cunarders carry only $500 tons of car
go, the magnitude of these new ships
Will be appreciated.
The two new Pacific Mail steamers
now being built at Newport News will
compete directly with the Great Nor
thern vessels just described in the Ash
attic trade. One will be completed in
December, 1900, and the other early
next year. They are the largest steam
vessels ever contracted for in the Unit
ed States, being considerably larger
than the st. Louis and st. Paul of the
American line which are the largest
| now flying our flag. They will cost
$2,5OO,OOO each. The length is 575 feet,
the beam 63 feet, depth 40 feet tonnage
lS,4OO tons, speed IS knots (Which is
faster than the Great Northern steam
ers), and there will be accommodations
for $50 cabin and 1900 steerage passen-
gers. The actual cargo capacity will be
about $4,000 tons.
The Spreckels Sugar Company of San
Francisco has contracted with the
Cramps of Philadelphia to build two
steamships very nearly as large, of
10000 tons and a speed of eighteen
knots, which they will use on the
Oceanic line between San Francisco,
Honolulu and Australia.
These three companies, with their
eight great ships, will furnish transpor-
tation facilities for an enormous
amount of commerce upon the Pacific.
and will be REINFORCED by the Nippon
Yusen Kaisha line of Japan, which is
building several fine new steamers for
its fleet.