The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1915-02-18
Murphy

Gates Cotton
Clarence 5. Bement Great Admiral
townsend Thompson
st. John Commodore
Fales Baker
st. Paul Jordan
Williams Rappahonnock
ointfam Amesbury
Waite Germania
Snow 4 burgess Arey
Anderson Alice Buck
Manuel Llaguno Herman
omaley lvanhoe
Pendleton Herman
OF course not all of these vessels were
In the Flint-Dearborn Line, though when
one recalls the names of these famous
OLD American clippers and their equally
famous masters 1t is hard to stop. A
great many of them came out here in the
Sutton line; A M. Sutton, by the way.
is now connected with the local Offices of
Williams, Dimond & Co., representatives
on this coast for the American Hawaiian
Steamship Company.
1t Is also worthy of mention that the
masters of some of those clippers are
| now IN charge of the modern steamships
OF the company. Captain Tapley of the
old st. James Is master of the Mexican;
captain Lyons of the old ST. David can
be found on the bridge OF the Missourian,
and one of the Nichols family is on the
Georgian.
The Americana Hawaiian Steamship
Company was organized in New York
City in 1899, the original incorpt rat )rs
being Geo. Dearborn, Wallace B. Flint,
w. b. Burnham and H. E. D. Jackson,
all OF whom are still active in the affairs
of the company.
D.,z
Prior to this there was the firm of
Flint q Co., and Dearborn & Co. These
two latter consolidated into the firm of
Flint, Dearborn & Co, and, as above
stated. later formed the company now
known as the American observation-disclosures
ship Company.
1t was about this time that it became
apparent the real day of the success of
the sailing vessel in the trade between
this coast and the Atlantic coast had
really come to an end, and the Messrs.
Flint and Dearborn, in keeping with the
trend OF the times, decided to go into
the steamshlp-owning business.
Inc new company first built the steam
ships American, Hawaiian, Californian,
and egonlan-though the first steamer
sent out to this coast by the new COM
pany was the Luckenbach steamer Hva-
des-whlch four vessels were construct
ed at the Roche shipyards on the Atlantic
Coast and formed the nucleus of the
fleet From the very start of operations
traffic offerings were satisfactory and it
was not long before the Union Iron
Works constructed for the company the
Arlzonan and the Alaskan.
Success followed the company in it's
efforts and the Texan, Nevadan and Ne
braskan were built by the New York
Shlpbuilding Company of Camden, N. ].
The next contract was awarded to the
Union Iron Works, being the Mexican,
Columbian and lsthmian; two of these
vessels were on the ways during the
earthquake and fire which occurred in
1906. The American Hawaiian Steam
ship Company then purchased from the
Atlantic Transport Company the Missou-
rlan, Virginian and Kansan, these three
having been known formerly as the Mis-
souri,, Maine and Massachusetts. The
next contract for construction was let
to the Maryland Steel Company at Spar
rows Point, Maryland, which company
successfully launched the Kentuckian,
Georgian and Honolulan. Still later the
same company built the Montanan, Da-
kotan, Pennsylvania and Minnesotan.
At the present time the Panaman is be-
ing built by the same company and will
b. in commission in the near future, and
under construction are the Iowan. Ohian
and Washlngtonian.
When it is considered that this i'm
mense fleet has been created in thirteen
years the Importance of steamships in
relation to country's traffic can be
readily understood. 1t might be added
that another illustration of the wonder
full development made by this company
! shown in no soi1ipnc
every five weeks from New York thirteen
years ago, and today the schedule calls
for vessel every five days.
During the first years of the company's
existence all the business was handled
through the Straits of Magellan, but in
1907 this route was abandoned and the
American Hawaiian entered into a con-
tract with Tehuantepec National Rail
way, dividing its fleet of vessels between
the Atlantic and the Pacific and operat-
ing on the Atlantic side from New York
to Puerto Mexico, where transfer was
made to the railway and tonnage moved
l89 miles across the isthmus, where goods
were again loaded in the steamships for
movement to destination.
Water competition has always been
more or less a regular factor in trans
continental rates of this country, and
owing to the regularity of service main
tanned by the American Hawaiian Steam
ship Company, San Francisco and other
ports of the Pacific have been greatly
benefited, especially in their position of
jobbing or distributing center.
The company maintains Offices in San
Francisco, Seattle, Tacoma, Portland,
Los Angeles. San Diego. Honolulu. Phil
adelphia, Boston, and the home offices in
New York CITY. 1t has been a great
factor in the commercial development of
the Pacific Coast, and with the opening
of the canal there is every reason to be-
lieve that its influence and Importance
in relation to the commercial growth of
the Pacific will be continued and that the
time when it will lose its identity as the