Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-08
BEAVER COMES ON
FIRST COAST RUN
Vessel SaIuted by President of a
Rival Line as it Enters
Harbor

BAN FEDttO1 july -Wueu Zap
tain Cousins took the big liner Presi-
dent of the Pacific Coast company's
fleet out of the harbor today he passed
and saluted, just inside the channel
entrance, a new competor that ranks
in the same class both in speed and
finely appointed passenger accommoda-
tionS.
The new steamer was the Beaver on
it's first run to this port under the new
five day schedule just inaugurated by
the San Francisco & Portland Steam
ship company. On its last trip up the
coast the President and the Beaver
raced for several hours between San
Francisco and Astoria. When the Bea-
yer left the President behind Captain
Cousins sent a wireless message of
congratulation to Captain Kidsen on
his victory. Their schedules will not
permit another race for year.
FIVE DAY SCHEDULE
The Beaver, Bear and Rose City will
alternate between here and Portland on
five-day schedule. The Beaver and
Bear are alike and were built at New
port News for service on this coast.
They are said to be the finest passenger
steamers In the coaStWtSe trade. Each
is $50 feet long, $500 tons burden and
has breadth of AZ feet and depth of
26 feet They cost about $750,000 each.
They are modelled after the transpa-
cf1c liners Korea and Mongolia of the
Pacific Mail line.
The ships have passenger accommo-
dations for 300 first class and 200 Sec
Onnd class passengers. Instead of haV-
ing the smoking rooms located in the
stern, as Is usual in the older types
of steamers, the new steamers have
them amidships. Another attractive
feature is the dining room with twelve
small tables affording private service
to families and parties in addition to
the large tables. The music room and
saloons are also attractive, all being
finished in mahogany, inlaid with
maple.
The new steamers will make no
call between here and Portland other
than San Francisco and Astoria. The
schedule between here and San Fran
cisco is twenty-three hours, which is
unequaled by any other steamers ex-
cept the President and Governor. They
will leave here at 10 a. m. and land
passengers in San Francisco at 8
o'clock the following morning.
The new ships have triple expansion
engines of 5000-horse power each and
single screws. Each has six boilers,
which were converted into oil burners
Immediately after their arrival from
the Atlantic coast a few months ago.
er made an average speed of 17.2 knots,
breaking the record between Astoria
and San Francisco. AS the steamer
had a full load of freight, this is con-
sidered a remarkable run. On the re-
mainder of the voyage a record equally
as good would probably have been
made had the steamer not been delayed
two hours last night by a heavy fog
that made slow speed necessary.
DOCK AT TENTH STREET
The new steamers will dock at the
foot of Tenth street temporarily until
the Southern Pacific wharf above
Eighth street is Strengthened to make
room for a berth for the new line.
When the Beaver Cooked today there
were a number of prominent railway
and steamship men there. The party
included Z. A. Graham, general pas
senger and freight agent OF the South
ern Pacific; c. j. Lehman, manager of
the Independent Steamship company,
and G. L. Blair, general freight agent
for. the new line. A. G. d. Kerrell,
general passenger agent of the line,
was a passenger on the steamer
Mr. Blair spent much time investi-
eating conditions in Southern Cali
fornia before he made the recon-
mendation that the service be extend
ed to this port. While R. P. Schwerin
is the nominal head Of the company he
is also manager of the Pacific Mail
line and much of the responsibility of
the management of the San Francisco
and Portland line falls to Mr.. Blair.
He said today that there were bright
prospects for big business for the
new steamers.
The Beaver brought nearly 100 pas
sengers and 600 tons of freight. Much
of this was paper from the mills on
the willamette river for the Los An
geles and San Diego papers. That for
San Diego will be reshipped by other
steamers from here.
The San Francisco and Portland line
will give the North Pacific Steamship
company it's first direct competition
between this port and Portland. ALI
the other through lines excepting the
steam schooners engaged in the lum-
ber trade, run to Puget sound. AL
though the Alaska-Paciflc Steamship
company entered the field with the
three steamers, Admiral Sampson,
Watson and Buckman, on a six-day
schedule in competition with the Pres
ident and Governor of the Pacific
Coast line and the steamers of the
Jebsen line, the Portland steamers of
the North Pacific lines had no COM
petition until today, yet they were the
first to enter the Southern California
field.