The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-02-15
Pacific Carrying Trade.

Prom the Seattle POst-InteIiigenesr
The new steamer Hawaiian has left
Ne< York fer the Paciuc coast. and
upon her arrival here viii enter the
American-H zaiizn trade for the
handling Of which six large freight
carriers have already been contract
ed for BY one company
The building of these new vessels
may serve TO recall the fact that there
has been q marvellous advancement
during the past fifteen years in the
tTans-Pacife and coaStEise trade In
the early days travel between Coast
points was entirely by steamer There
we're no railroads. and because Of this
fact the foundations were laid for q
great shipping business which has
continued TO grow in spite Of the
competition which arose when the
Coast states were connected BIZ rail
It Is not so many years ago that
practically all OF the Pacific bust
ness vas controlled and easily hand
led By the Pacific Mail the Orienta.
and Occidental and the Pacific Coast
Steamship Company Some q ;he
SDARS VI AAFSE tOAA4 DGA-4ES nEAE well
equipped. though sman as compared
with the more modern vessels: most
Of them. however. were Of an inferior
type as far as comforts and C0nve-
niences were concerned. and would
hardly be patrcnized now by the rao-
pie who had become accustomed 10
the larger. finer and faster vessels
of today.
There was little TO be shipped from
this country TO the Orient. with the
possible exception of lumber. and DC
fore the time when the TRANSPORT
mental roads had been put through
there was no reason for shipping ORR
entail goods TO any Coast port except
San Francisco. With the completion
OF the Canadian Pacific a change took
place and an Oriental business was
opened along the northern and short
er route. A bid was made for pas
senger travel. and in the Expresses
travellers across the Pacific were able
TO use the finest vessels leaving the
Coast for China and Japan.
4 few years after the completion
of the Cascade tunnel and the opera
ton of a through service by the
Northern Pacific a line of freight and
passengers steamers was opened
from Tacoma to the Orient under the
direction of that transcontinental
company. Shortly afterward. with
the completion of the Great Northern.
the great japanese steamship com
pany. the Nippon Yusen Kaisha. in
augurated regular sailings from Seat
tie. At about the same time a tramp
line of steamers operating in con-
nection with the Oregon Railway &
Navigation Company opened a trans
Pacific service from the Columbia
to Yokohama and Hongkong. All
these lines are still doing business.
and the demands upon them will in
crease with each succeeding year.
As climax TO this fine record Of
maritime activity came the announce
ment of the purpose OF the Great
Northern Runway to construct those
leviathans of $4,000 tons which are
to be operated exclusively in the
trans-Pacific trade. These vessels
will be the wonders of the merchant
carrying service, and the fact that
in the Pacific is PROOF that transDor-
tation people see immense possibili-
ties for business in tue future trade
between the Pacific coast and the
Orient.
Passenger carriers crossing the Pa
cifc already contemplate placing
finer boats in the service. Regular
steamers now sail from British Co
lumbia to Hawaii and Australia. A
line is in operation from Puget Sound
to Honolulu. 1t is only a short time
until there will be a regular service
from the Coast to Manila The i'm
mense growth of the Alaska business
has called into requisition an i'm
mense fleet of steamships and more
are building for this important ser
vice. In fact, the increase in the
amount of steam tonnage now requir-
ed on the Coast is one of me most
significant features in the story of
the last few years of splendid prog
ress.