The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1909-07-01
The Belfast's First Trip.
Boston Transcript June 2srd.]

Boston Transcript June 23rd.1
Into Boston harbor early this morning,
after her maiden trip, steamed the East
ern Steamship Company's newest and
one of its finest passenger ships, the new
turbiner bssifast So swiftly and quietly
did the steamer cover the course from
Rockland, under the guidance of Captain
E. W. Curtis and other officers, that few
of her passengers realized that she was
at her Boston terminal until the lines
had been made fast and there came the
warning cries of "All ashore" Not a
few residents of eastern Massachusetts,
who formerly made their homes in the
Maine city for which the ship was named,
made the run to Bangor and back, and
those who were on board had "the time
of their lives" to use the good Down
East expression. The company also had
other round-trip tourists who went down
as its guests and, although they missed
the pleasure of greeting old friends and
viewing with that personal touch of ia
miliarity the beautiful scenery of one of
the Pine Tree coasts most charming
sections, they will not soon forget the
outing President Calvin Austin of the
company, Mrs. Austin, J. w. Hayden,
r. A. Pepper, F. S. Sherman, c. c.
Brown, C. R. Lewis, H. L. Nevens and
F. E. Hathorne, also officers of the line,
We're on board.
The trip completed today is unlikely to
be surpassed for pleasure in the history
of the ship, and probably will not be eX-
ceeded by any other boat the Eastern
may launch for a long time. 1t is the
company's custom to name the ships of
the Bangor Division for the cities on the
line, and so the latest addition to the
fleet only serves to honor another and one
of the most attractive Of the larger ports
with fine modern steamer bearing its
name. Belfast appreciated the honor;
and every one Of its 5000 citizens who
could get away from his or her work was
on hand to give visual and audible evil
dence of this feeling. The run from Bos-
ton to Rockland had been made in fine
time, part Of the distance having been
covered at the rate of twenty-one knots,
and everyone was On deck when Rock
land, Camden and Norttport were left
astern and the big white ship poked her
nose around the point where used to be
the old barracks below Belfast, and the
long wharf was brought into sight. The
watchers on shore had sighted the city's
namesake, and they promptly began ex-
pressing their welcome with the ship still
half mile away. Firearms of various
sorts, from small cannon down to re-
volvers, doomed and snapped as fast as
they could be loaded and reloaded; hand
kerchiefs, tablecloths, sheets and other
articles We're seized and waved wildly
Everyone was excited-and why not?
Here was one of the fastest and best
appointed steamers named for the Bel
fasters' own handsome little city moving
majestically up to the wharf for the first
time. No wonder they were interested
and enthusiastic, and no wonder that
they showed it. Even the casual pas
senger who happened by chance to have
gone down to Bangor on the new ship
crowded to the rail and stood for an hour
watching the likely crowd which throng
ed the pier. And they witnessed a scene
worth while.
The Belfast Band, known all over
Maine, played until the steamer was
tied up at the wharf and then, when the
Belfast-bound passengers had gone
speech from a raised platform, thank
ing the company for honoring his city
aud bestowing praise for the service SO
long given to Belfast and other places
along its lines. President Austin made
response from the deck of the steamer,
overlooking the crowd, and ended by in
wiling the populace aboard. Fred
Pote, wharf agent, who is known to
every old Belfaster, also spoke few
words. About all of the townspeople
went aboard and looked at everything in
sight; then went ashore, reluctantly
The band OF thirty-five pieces and the
members of the graduating class of the
High school, together with former Mayor
Elmer Small and other citizens, went on
up the river as guests, the company hav-
ing invited, in all, about two hundred
persons, although there was already
large passenger list. Belfast was left
behind after repetition of the scream
ing of whistles and other salutes, and
for the thirty miles around Fort Point
and up the Penobscot River at every
landing place there was a crowd, and at
Bangor, the eastern terminus of the line,
every whistle on the river sounded a well
come. The run back to Belfast was made
considerably faster than schedule, and
the Belfasters went ashore to tell their
friends all about the fine time they had
Belfast The rest of the trip back to
Boston was uneventful and yet, as al
ways, was full of interest because of the
charm Of the shore and ocean.
While the Belfast is the third turbine
steamer built for the Eastern Steamship
Company, it may not be amiss to say
that this concern was the first to try out
the turbines thoroughly on the Atlantic
coast, so far as passenger service goes.
That they have been a great success is
beyond question, cutting down the run
ming time and making the trip in every
way more pleasant. The new steamer,
built at the Bath Iron Works, is sister
ship of the Camden, with some improve
ments. She is 1856 feet long and has a
displacement of 1000 tons. The three
turbines are installed after the manner
of the most modern transatlantic liners
and can generate 4000-horse- power. With
this method of propulsion vibration is re-
duced to a minimum. With all her speed
the ship has sacrificed nothing of her fine
fittings and commodious staterooms.