The san francisco public library has some information on pacific coast steamship, and governor perkins, from an 1880s book, as follows. Pacific mail steamship company american company britannica. Not only did pacific mail have a guaranteed contract from the u. An engraving of gravesend scanned at high resolution from a book printed in 1851. The pacific coast steamship company pcsc was founded in september 1882 under the name pacific steamship company.
The pacific mail steamship company began transporting mail through a contract with the u. Founded to provide passage and deliver mail from new york across the panama isthmus, the company greatly expanded after 1849 when gold was discovered in california. This keepsake contains biographies of a dozen historic steamers by foremost historians of the pacific mail steamship company, as well as by world famous maritime archeologists who have dived on pacific mail wrecks. Pacific mail was the backbone of trans pacific shipping during the 1860s and 1870s. By 1867 they began to establish regular routes to asia.
Pacific mail steamships colorado and senator at the pacific mail docks off south beach, c. Oregon for the settler classic reprint skip to main content. Mar, 2001 the san francisco public library has some information on pacific coast steamship, and governor perkins, from an 1880s book, as follows. The genesis of the pacific mail steamship company by john haskell kemble chapter iii.
The company s chief rival was the pacific mail steamship company. Guide to the pacific coast steamship company records ms 72. Government in 1848, transporting their goods from the isthmus of panama to california. Ss pacific was a woodenhulled, sidewheel steamer built in 1849 for transatlantic service with the american collins line.
The great republic was launched from henry steerss shipyard see george steers and co, at greenpoint, long island, on thursday, november 8, 1866, and was the largest ship of any kind that at that date had ever been built in usa for commercial purposes. In 1864 she began the san franciscocolumbia river run, and was still in that service for the oregon steamship company in 1876. These merchants had acquired the right to transport mail under contract from the united states government from the. Pacific mail steamship company history 19th century. Aspinwall, edwin bartlett american consul at lima, peru and also involved with the panama railroad company, henry chauncey, mr. This item has the signatures of the companys president, joseph. They are the names of the steamships the company used. No one knows what types of documents these were used on, as there are no known examples of these still on document. Designed to outclass their chief rivals from the britishowned cunard line, pacific and her three sister ships atlantic, arctic and baltic were the largest, fastest and most wellappointed transatlantic steamers of their day. The pacific mail steamship company was founded april 18, 1848, as a joint stock company under the laws of the state of new york by a group of new york city merchants. In 1854 the flying cloud, true to its name, carried letters and passengers from new york around cape horn to san francisco in a recordbreaking 89 days.
Stephens operated between san francisco and panama for pacific mail until october 1860. Search for library items search for lists search for. Last updated january 6, 2019 pacific mail steamship co. Pacific mail was the backbone of transpacific shipping during the 1860s and 1870s. Designed to outclass their chief rivals from the britishowned cunard line, pacific and her three sister ships atlantic, arctic and baltic were the largest, fastest and most wellappointed transatlantic steamers of their day pacific s career began on a high note. This passenger and freight company was based in san francisco. The pacific mail steamship company was founded april 18, 1848, as a joint stock company under the laws of the state of new york by a group of new york city merchants, william h. This keepsake contains biographies of a dozen historic steamers by foremost historians of the pacific mail steamship company, as well as by world famous maritime archeologists who have.
Plundering mail contractors and stage companies held the carrying trade and passenger business of california, and, as between the pacific coast and the middle and atlantic states, communications were had overland once in about two months, and by the pacific mail steamship company, via panama, in about the same time. Atlantic and pacific steamship company signed by joseph. With the discovery of gold, california became a prime destination and the transport of people, as well as mail, became very profitable. The hoffman case the frauds on the pacific mail steamship. Imports and exports now passing through the san francisco customs district make the combined ports of san francisco baysan.
In 1867 the pacific mail steamship company opened the first transpacific service, sailing from san francisco to yokohama japan and hong kong. Usflag service began in 1912 with the atlantic and pacific steamship company. Pacific mail steamship company ship operating from panama city in 1864 when it was the target of a confederate navy attempt to seize it. Pacific mail steamship company journal and logbook. The contract had required that service should begin on the first day of october, but as that fell. The story of the pacific mail steamship company robert j. In the 1860s, she was sold to the goodall, nelson and perkins steamship company and placed on the route between victoria, bc and san francisco with stopovers in puget sound. The occidental and oriental steamship company, formed in 1874 by western railroad interests, merged with pacific mail steamship company in 1900. The pacific mail steamship company was incorporated in 1848 to engage in the steamship business after receiving a contract from the unite states government to provide mail service between panama and the oregon coast. The company was first organized in 1867 under the name of goodall, nelson and perkins. Pacific mail steamship company works by this institution 75 items public laundry, guatemala. They shipped a variety of cargo such as vegetables, grain, lumber, coal and iron, and boasted modern, luxurious facilities for their passengers. From its humble beginnings in 1918 as a onevessel trading operation to its present position as one of the largest private employers in the country, steamships history has tracked that of papua new guinea itself, and that of its peoples.
The postage to astoria, or other pacific coast ports was set at 40 cents a letter. Pacific coast steamship company the line of steamships which carries passengers and freight to the californian ports south of san francisco belongs to the pacific coast steamship company, of which. Pacific mail steamship company social networks and. Oregon for the settler classic reprint company, pacific mail steamship on. The story of the pacific mail steamship company by robert j.
Great northern steamship company,19001918 great northern pacific steamship company, 19141917 portland, oregon great ship company eastern steam navigation co great western railway company. Together with a travellers guide and business mans handbook for the panama railroad and the lines of steamships connecting it with europe, the united states, the north and south atlantic and pacific. Pacific mail steamship company wikimili, the best wikipedia. Genesis of the pacific mail steamship company 243 government for the service from panama to astoria was not to exceed 1100,000 annually. Pacific mail steamship company central pacific railroad.
The pacific mail steamship company was founded in 1848 by william aspinwall of the firm of howland and aspinwall to execute a contract to carry mail from the isthmus of panama to the newlyannexed territory of california. The pacific mail steamship company opened passenger and mail service to california in 1848, china in 1867, and lives today as the global container carrier apl. Brown in new york, the pacific was originally a coastal paddle steamer between panama and san francisco for the pacific mail steamship company. Jan 06, 2019 last updated january 6, 2019 pacific mail steamship co. Rusty steamship boiler that has been in this place since the ship wrecked in 1898, pacific rim national park, b. Pacific mail steamship company stock certificate in the years before steamships, clipper ships provided passage from the east coast to the west coast by way of cape horn. Pacific mail steamships the book club of california. This historic document was printed by hamilton banknote company and has an ornate border around it with a vignette of a steamship. Imports and exports now passing through the san francisco customs district make the combined ports of san francisco baysan francisco, oakland, alameda, sacramento. Series 2alaska pacific steamship company, 19051928 guide to the pacific coast steamship companies collection h1940.
Beautifully engraved certificate from the atlantic and pacific steamship company issued no later than 1916. Pacific mail straight line handstamps are always in demand. Aspinwall expressed interest in establishing a regular mail steamship service over the isthmus of panama and up the coast to oregon. Glencannon pressfriends of the san francisco maritime museum library, 2007, 64 pp.
Getting under way the first of the three steamers to be completed was the california, which was ready to go to sea by the end of september, 1848. The company controlling stock was acquired in 1915 by w. Pacific mail steam ship collection reflecting our pacific basin focus. In 1850, the pacific mail steamship company established a steamship line competing with the u. Panama railroad companys central american steamship line. I have examined the books of the company for the company. The great republic was launched from henry steerss shipyard see george steers and co, at greenpoint, long island.
Dec 01, 2009 also in 1916, the company acquired a controlling interest in the venerable pacific mail steamship company, premier west coast and transpacific operator, which had already sold its big ships and retained only the lesser vessels of the central american service. Pacific mail steamship company smithsonian american art. Pacific mail steamship company wikipedia republished wiki 2. Together with a travellers guide and business mans hand book for the panama railroad and the lines of steamships connecting it with europe, the united states, the north and south atlantic and pacific coasts, china, australia, and japan. In this book the companys history has for the first time been researched and recorded. Have you examined the books of the pacific mail steamship company, and if so, at whose request. Abaa pacific mail steamship company broadside by search. Pacific mail steamship company wikipedia republished. These merchants had acquired the right to transport mail under contract from the united states government from the isthmus of panama. Ss great republic was a sidewheel steamship and the largest passenger liner on the us west coast when it ran aground near the mouth of the columbia river, on sand island, south of ilwaco, washington, in 1879, in a region of frequent wrecks known as the graveyard of the pacific. Pacific mail steamship navigation company pmss in late 1847, new york entrepreneur william h. George law placed an opposition line of steamers ss antelope, ss columbus, ss isthumus, ss republic in the pacific, running from panama to san francisco.
Pacific mail steamship company ships of the pacific mail. Pacific mail steamship company social networks and archival. Mail steamship company between new york city and chagres. Other articles where pacific mail steamship company is discussed.
Pacific mail steamship company smithsonian american art museum. From the description of records of the pacific mail steamship company, 18531925. She was the first of the ships built by pacific mail steamship company for the new line between san francisco and. Consolidation of the atlantic and pacific mail steamship. Pacific coast steamship company encyclopedia titanica.
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