The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-04-04
GREAT THINGS EXPECTED OF
PACIFIC MAIL LINERS.
Korea and Siberia to Come From San
Francisco in Less Than Five Days.
Their Commanders.

The Pacific Mail promises great
things for it's new steamers. The Korea
was launched last month at Newport
News shipyards and the Siberia her sis
ter ship, was to be launched last week.
These vessels are larger than any Ves-
sells which come here, not excepting the
new vessels of the Oceanic Company.
The Pacific Mail boats are of $500
tons and are to be capable of making
from Is to 20 knots an hour. This in
itself is a most important feature of the
new boats, aside from the elegance of
their fitting or the extensive character
of the various parts of the ships.
If the steamships are run near their
possible rate of speed 1t will mean that
the voyage between here and San
Francisco will be shortened most ma
terially and instead of passengers be-
ing six and five and half days out
they will be brought here in less than
five days. At the steaming rate of 1S
knots an hour the new boats can cover
the distance i'm four days and twenty
hours and If any attempt should be
made to drive the vessels along at in
creased speed the trip can be cut lower
than this mark.
The Korea is far from being COM
pleted however and the installation of
her machinery and the general equip
ment of the vessel must now be made
before she will be ready to leave the
shipyards. How long this will require
is not certain. One of the officers on
the City of Peking said that the vessel
| would be ready about next October to
/ be sent on the Asiatic run. The ST.
| IBERIA will be about month later get
! ting into commission, but 1t is posi-
/ tive tnat both boats will rapidly follow
! each other.
! Whether the Pacific Mail intends in
/ creasing it's service to the Orient is an
/ rllQ fE oil
known at the present time. The in
| crease in Oriental trade may warrant
such a'oourse being pursued but If not
! II wnl, mean -tnaI eITner the city OF
Peking or the Peru the vessel which
is to take the place of the Rio, will be
retired, and put on some other run
That the grand old China should be
taken off is hardly probable. The com
petition in the Panama business is be.
coming very sharp and the Pacific
Mail may desire to have the Peking oI
that run in order to beat the boats o.
the other lines which have begun tC
cut into the business there.
Who will be selected as the comman
derS of the new liners is another ques
ton in which the Honolulu public is in
terested. 1t is thought that Captain
Seabury will receive the berth on on
of the vessels, and his present com
| mand on the China be given to som,
captain now on the Panama run. Cap
tain Smith of the City of Peking ranks
| well with his employers and there i.
a very strong probability that he alst
may receive one of the new boats
Both of these officers are experienced
navigators and are better qualified
than the majority of the other captain
of the Mail fleet to handle vessels OF
the Oriental run. They have beel
successful in this branch of the com
pany's service for many years and 1t /
likely the company would be more nat
urally disposed to entrust them witt
the command of such expensive an
elegant vessels as the Korea and Sibe
ria than other officers who have no
had so much experience on this run.