The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-02
A Big GAIN IN SHIPPING
Construction of New Vessels TO
Meet Our Foreign Trade.
Some of Them Being Built fn This
Country and some in Europe-A
Company Recently Incorporated
With Capital stock of $1,000
ooo-Acti,ity in CoastWise Lines.

NEW YORK, Jan. 1.-The first year of
the new century will see decided in
crease in the shipping plying he,ween this
port and foreign countries. This incl ease
will not be confined to the various big
transatlantic lines, many of the smaller
companies having issued announcements
of new vessels soon to be launched. The
latest announcement is that of the United
Fruit Company. which has just contracted
for six new steamships to meet the re-
quirements of increased foreign trade.
These steamships, which will be chartered
for a term OF years, are now building,
some of them in this country and others
IN Europe They win be ready in the fall
The first of these steamships is the
Preston, now building at Bergen, Nor
way. She is $50 feet long and IS feet
beam. There is the Taunton, building at
Copenhagen. 227 feet long and 30 feet
beam. The Brighton and the Beacon are
building at Christiania Both are 227 feet
long and 81 feet beam. The other two
steamships are now being constructed at
Craig's shipbuilding yards at Toledo,
Ohio. No names have yet been assigned
to them
The vessels are to have a cargo capacity
of from 1900 to 5000 tons. and they will
be fitted especially for carrying fruit
They will be fitted with electric lights and
every modern device for the rapid hand
ling of fruit will be instituted. Like
many of the other fruiters plying between
this port and the West Indies. these new
vessels will be fitted with adequate ac-
commoda lions for passengers. lhere viii
be saloons, smoking rooms. and libraries
situated amidships and the staterComs
viii be large and splendidly adapted to
the exigencies of cruising in a tropical
climate. Each vessel will be required 10
make an average speed of fourteen knots
when loaded.
Another recent announcement is the in
corporation Of the Pan-American Steam
ship Company. which was incorporated at
Trenton last week with a capital of So.
OoO,00o. 1t is proposed to operate steam
ships between alt ports OF the world, but
information regarding the company's
steamships has not as yet been given out.
The incnrporators are weli-known ship
ping men. Henry W. O. Edye Herbert
Barber, Gen. E. c. O'Brien, c. A Jones'
and George B. Hopkins. Two new steam
ships of the Anchor Line, the Numidia and
the Assyria. will soon take their places
in the transatlantic service They will
operate in the East Indian service of the
line. Besides these the International
Navigation Company. the North German
Lloyd Line and the Atlantic Transport
Line are all building new steamships The
International Navigation Company will
soon add four steamships to its service.
Included in this number is the Vaderland,
which recently made her maiden voyage
TO this country.
Perhaps the most interesting addition
to the transatlantic feet viii be one of
the two new steamships now building for
the North German Lloyd Line She is
being built by the Vulcan Iron Work Com
pany at Stettin Germany and all efforts
are making that Will give her speed that
viii displace the Hamburg American liner
Deutschland as queen of the seas. 1t is
learned On good authority that the North
German Lloyd Line is hoping for an aver
age hourly speed OF twenty-five knots.
Meanwhile it still remains a question in
the minds Of steamship men whether the
record breaker pays any better than the
big vessel OF average speed. From the
perienee gained from the Oceanic, of the
White Star Line it would seem that great
speed after all, il not the surest road 10
popularity. There Is not a more popular
boat than the comparatively SLOW White
Star leviathan.
The coastwise lines are continually add
ing new s,eampships to their fleets. and
each new vessel is rivaling more and more,
In point of everything but speed, the best
of the transatlantic greyhounds. The
most recent addition to the coastwise fleet,
the Ward Liner MORO Castle, compares
fayorably with any vessel now aioat. She
was built by the Cramps in Philadelphia.