The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-03-18
Four Frsighters Chartered to
PLY Regularly From Colum.
bia to Far East.
HARTMAN KEEPS PROMISE
After May I There viii BE
Eight Vessels on Run. One
to Depart Every Ten
Days Marine News.

Commencing about May l the Hsr-
riman steamship service out OF Port-'
land win consist OF eight steamships,
with combined carrying capacity OF
$4,000 tons and a schedule which win
giye the Columbia an oriental steamer
sailing every 10 days. In order to In
crease the service so as to admit OF
such frequent sailings. the three 'in-
,iras'' now comprising the Portland q
Asiatic steamship Company's feet will
be released, as their charters expire In
April and May. and viii be replaced
by four new modern built freighters
Of the most approved type, with dead
weight carrying capacity of from 1000
to 5000 tons on draft of "a feet OF
water. News OF the charter OF this
new fleet has just been received at the
local office of the company. The ves-
sells are all Hamburg American liners
and on account of their large carrying
capacity on comparatively light draft
Of water are particularly adapted to
this trade.
The largest vessel of the new fleet
is the twin-screw steel steamer Ara
gonia, built at Flensburg in 1897. She
registers 51sS tons gross and is 4O4
feet long and so feet beam. While built
but seven years ago. she is the Oldest
of the feet The next in size is the
Arabia, which was built in Glasgow
In 1901. She registers 44sS tons gross,
is SS5 feet long, and 40 feet beam. The
other steamers are twins. the Numan-
tia and Nicomedia, built at West
Hartlepool in 1901, OF 4s71 and 1872
tons gross register respectively. They
/ are 3S4.5 feet in length, and 50 feet
beam, both being immense carriers for
their tonnage. As the charter of this
fleet was only effected Wednesday no
schedule has yet been made up for the
steamers, but it is believed that the
first Of the new craft to appear on the
route will be the Nicomedia, which
sailed from Hamburg for the orient
late in January, or the Aragonia, which
sailed from New York for Manila Feb
ruary II. OF the old steamers of the
Portland & Asiatic line. the Indravelli
sailed from Portland last week, and
on arrival in the orient will be turned
ever to her owners. The Indrapura is
scheduled to leave Portland on her
farewell trip March 2S, and the Indra-
samha, the last of the feet, will leave
out on her last trip April %.
The replacing of these steamers with
the four German liners does not in any
way interfere with the regular sched-
ule of the China Commercial liners,
Atholl, Clavering Lothian and Ching
Wo, which will continue to give sup
Elemental service in connection with
the Portland & Asiatic steamers. The
addition of the eight steamers to the
two fleets will enable the Portland
cornpany to dispatch a steamer for the
orient every 10 days, thus providing
the Columbia with service equal to
any other port on the Pacific coast.
The increased service is fulfllment
Of Mr.. Harriman's promise to supply
Portland with all of the ships needed
to take care of the business originating
In this territory. He has not only ar
ranged for service ample for all i'm
mediate needs, but the traffic depart
ments Of his eastern roads have spe-
cial representatives in the field rust
ling up through freight for the Port
land line alone. This eastern freight
is needed in order to keep a sufficient
number Of steamers on the route tC
take care of the -four, grain and lum-
Der offerings from Oregon and Wash
ington. AS mentioned when the foul
China Commercial steamers were Sc.