Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-02-22
new PACIFIC RECORD BREAkER IS !,
THE beginner GREAT NORTHERN
Douglas White Writes of the Trip and Some of Its Incidents
Speed Steamer Can Do Even Better Than Its Present
Record-NeW Queen of the Pacific" H. SIS.
By DOUGLAS WHITE.

- BY DOUGLAS WHITE
douglas White, who has written for
the star-5ulletin something about, the
Great Northern's. trip and the steamer
10 known to many people in Honolulu.
He WAS out here in athose days OF go
with the Hearst newspapers.n "Now
have degenerated into a railroad off,
cial,p he says He 10 now general in
dustrial agent Of the Salt Lake Route,
and holds other railroad positions.
To the Great Northern must be
awarded the broom of. all brooms for
she has performed a work of sweep
ing unequaled in American steamship
history. =. q - a.. !.
When James ]. Hill gave orders to
the Cramps that they build for him
two ships capable of equaling the
speed of the. fastest Pacific Coast
railway trains he hardly realized how
well his orders were to be filed, or
that the first of these sister ships
would become an important factor of
Americas shipping history for 1915
1t was only during the first week of
December, IL a. that the Great Nor
them steamed forth from the ship
yards at Philadelphia for her several
trial trips: She had been guaranteed
to make speed of % knots under all
ordinary sea conditions, and the first
surprise she passed out to her build
ers was record OF "a "a knots But
the real wonder was the way she de-
liyered the goods. When she swung
around the Delaware breakwatersu upon
her most grueiing trial every other
kind and class of craft were budding
close to the snuggest anchorage to be
found. In the teeth of an Atlantic
gale this new creation in maritime
construction drove her way up the At
lantic coast as far as Rockland, Maine,
to the. tune of nearly two knots an
hour better than the guarantee made
by her confident builders. And she
did these PAGES without rack on her
tables at meal times and her action In
the various heavy seaways fulfilled
those yarns of the ancient sea dog
who pictured the quiet. joys of "ge-
ing to sea in a church" Thus there
was wonderful stability in a seaWay
added to her record for marvellous
speed and 1t was clearly: shown that
nothing of comfort for her passengers
had been. saerinced when her builders
made her the speediest passenger ship
under the American flag.
Then came weeks of rush and skill
full maneuYering in order that this new
Queen of the Seas" might be ready to
make history by. carrying through tho
Panama canal not only the first but
the most distinguished party Of excur-
sienists that ever: visited. the Pacific
coast The Great Northern was to be
the pioneer OF all excursion steam
ships through the great ditch and her
schedule was so timed as to bring her
to San Francisco just ahead of the
opening of the great exposition.
Beats the Schedule. ..,.. :,
Not moment had been left for lee
way in her, schedule, yet the great
steamship made q reserve of time for
herself by tying up at the docks in
San Diego one and one-half days
ahead of time after having made, by
long ways, the fastest run ever re-
CQI0eu DeLW6en tue WESTERN 0ntfdnce
to the canal and CALIFORNIA; first port
of call u. - .-..~#-42G, ! ,,-@.
Even her six hundred and four pas,
sengers were amazed at the Great
Northern's steaming ability and the
was oniysexcelled by won.
der at the, magpxs pence of the fittings
that had been s6pdied in the ships
al Equipment.
The greeting eEended to a newly
added ship whef joining a popular
feet was ever equal to the welcome ac-
corded this new coastwise passenger
ship by. the people of California. Her
arrival at each port was an ovation,
the docks, where she landed being
strewn with California's choicest flow
ers and her passengers received as
only western hospitality can receive
Stunt. -
While all this was; going, into the
record of the Pscific's most modern
passenger carrier, her traffic manager.
Mr.. Cal. Stone, had figured out an
other stunt for her before she took up
her regular service between Portland.
Ore, and San Francisco. This was
no less than an excursion trip to Ha-.