New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-04-24
Royal Mail Line
I'm Transatlantic
Trade Again Soon
Three Is, OOO-Ton Steamers
to Reopen Service That
Has Been Suspended for
Almost Last Sixty Years

After an interval Of sixty years the
Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, one
of the largest British shipping COM
panies, will reenter the transatlantic
service on May 81 with the sailing of
the Orbita for Cherbourg, Southampton
and Hamburg. The new service will be
known as the o Line, and at the start
will include three 15,000-ton steamers,
the Orbita, Orduna and Oropesa, with
sailings every two weeks between New
York and European ports. At the be-
ginning of next year a weekly service
will be inaugurated, when several large
oil burning turbine liners will be added
to the fleet.
The Royal Nails trans Atlantic serv-
ice was discontinued just before the
Civil War; and shortly afterward, in
1861, the Trent, one of the company's
liners in the West Indies, was held up
near the Bahamas by the United States
cruiser San Jacinto and the Confeder-
ate ENJOYS to Europe, Mason and Sill
dell, were forcibly removed by orders
of Captain Wilkes. This incident,
which resulted in serious complications
with Great Britain, has furnished much
interesting material for Civil War his
torians.
When the Royal Mail started, in
1889, under royal charter from Queen
Victoria it had only a small feet of
vessels, one of the largest being the
Doe, of less than 1000 tons, which in
1S1c rnaNa fhn frct co i1irr %o Noxv VorL
This quaint looking ship was equipped
with sails and paddle wheels, and hav-
ing been intended for service in the
Orient, where pirates existed, was
armed with rows of guns like an old
fashioned frigate. The officers, when
IN full dress, wore naval uniforms and
carried swords and pistols.
During It's career of nearly eighty
years the Royal Mail has been engaged
IN several unusual enterprises. In 1849
the company organized the first mule
and canoe service across the Isthmus
of Panama, opening route via Colon
TO South American ports and San Fran
cisco. Large numbers of California
gold seekers travelled by this route.
Royal Mail liners have taken prom
inent part in several wars, including
the Crimean War of 1854'55; the Boer
War, 1900, and the recent World War
III when fourteen or the company
largest steamers were sunk or captured
by the Germans, while others, employed
as cruisers, made brilliant rectrd in
their fights with raiders and sub
marines.
Since its small beginning in 1889 the
company has steadily developed until
its services have reached all parts of
the world. To-day, with it's associated
companies, it controls more than 1900
900 tons of shipping. It's affiliated or
carnations include the Pacific Line
Lamport & Holt, Union Castle, Eide,
Dempster and Shire lines, with serv.
ices touching ports in the United States
West Indies, Central and South Amer
lea, South Africa, China and Japan.
In addition to reestablishing its
trans Atlantic service the company is
planning to spend millions of dollars
IN developing new trade routes on this
side of the Atlantic. One of these is q
freight service which has lust beer
started between Vancouver, Seattle and
United Kingdom ports in cooperation
with the Holland America Line. Spe
cial refrigerator steamers will be EN-.
ployed in this service, by which large
quantities Of California fruits and othe,
products will be conveyed direct te
| European markets via the Panama
Canal