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The Vessel Given an Ovation on HerArrival in Port.The new steam pilot boat John H. Estill arrived in port yesterday morning, having made the trip from Newport! News in 39 hour*. The steamer was given an ovation by the tugs and other shipping in the river by a blowing of whistles ar.d running up of flags. Everything saluted her. Flags were displayed from the business houses all along the river front, and the wharves were lined with people to see the new boat. The Estill had all her colors displayed and made a handsome appearance, In fact, the boat is the handsomest of its kind ever seen in these s waters. The general comment was thatiti:dcnt'rcacnoui:etrfc1tcritfctJatshe was more like a privatd yacht than , t a pilot boat.The Estill is not an ordinary pilot boat, however. She is probably the finest pilot boat on the Atlantic coast. Her builder* say that there have only been three t constructed like her, and as »he is the j last one built and profits by the experience gained in building tho other two, her owners have every reason to claim that she is the finest boat of the kind afloat.The EstiU was brought down from Newport News by Capt. W. J. Thompson and Capt. Thomas M. Fleetwood of the Savannah Pilots’ Association, Capt. Thompson was in charge as master and Capt. Capt. Fleetwood as pilot. The crew included all told eight men besides Capt s. Thompson and Fleetwood. Capt. Thompson’s wife and daughter were also aboard. The steamer left Newport News early Sunday morning and passed out Cape ^ Henry at 9:30 o’clock. She arrived at Ty- t bee at 1:30 o’clock yesterday morning, and lay to until after daybreak, when shecame up the river. Slue had fair weather on the trip down, with the exception of some rough weather off Hatteras. The average speed made was from 12 to 12?A knots an hour.The EstiU was built by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. The work was begun in July and | 5 the boat w'as launched in September. The time since then has been occupied in put- j J ting in the machinery and finishing up the vessel. She is 130 feet in length, 23 feet beam and 10H feet draft. Her hull is of iron and her gross tonnage is 243.72 tons and net tonnage 121.861. She has two cabins and three staterooms, with 24 berths. She has two engines, one compound condensing engine, cylinder 20xS8-inch and 28-inch stroke of piston. The boiler is 11 feet in length and 13 feet 6 inches in diameter of steel. She is allowed a steam pressure of 125 pounds. She has two lifeboats and is provided with all the equip- f mentg of a seagoing boat. She Is li- ‘ censed to navigate the waters and trlbu- ■ ' tarics of the Atlantic coast. She is pro- j vided with steam steering gear and is ) steam heated. ] *As a pilot boat the Estill Is way ahead of the times. She is prepared to do towage and wrecking, and it Is very likely that her abilities in this lino will prove of considerable advantage. She is handsomely fitted up, and the pilots were generally complimented yesterday upon their taste j ( and also their good fo’tune at being able 1 to cruise in such a tine boat. The Estill 1 was the general center of interest along 1 the river front and hundreds of people j ? visited her, all of whom spoke in admiring ; terms of her handsome appearance and j * evident fitness for the work for which 1 she is intended. *The new boat will be put In commission j c at once. Three of the five sailboats now 1 owned by the Pilots Association will be j ! disposed of, and the other two will be held i ( in reserve in case of emergency. The 1 Estill will probably be in service by day * after to-morrow. Col. J. li. Estill, after \ whom she is named, is expected to arrive home from New’ York this morn- j j ing, in which case the boat will I : be placed at his disposal to-morrow. The same courtesy will alsobe extended to the members of the pilotage commisison. The pilots have arranged to- take a trip down the river to- J day with their wives and children. IIt is not known yet w'ho will command \ j the Estill. The system of alternating among the pilots will probably be con-tinued for the present. Being a seagoing 1 1 boat, her captain will be required to bfe a I ‘ navigator as well as a pilot, and as there ! are only a small number of the pilots [ who can comply with this requirement,I this limits the command to the few’ who I ; are eligible. Tho crew will consist of ten ! men besides the pilots, of whom there will be ten aboard constantly. Naturally tho Estill will spend most of her time cruising. VThe full set of colors displayed yesterday was presented to the boat by Col. J. H. Estill. as was also a complete I outfit of china. The china is marked | with a handsome marine design, with the initials of the vessel’* name upon a ship’* pennant. A handsome barometer which hangs in the pilot s room was presented to the boat by the Virginia Pilots Association before leaving Newport New*. Mr. J. A. Williams, the head engineer of the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, accompanied the Estill on her trip to Sa-The boat cost complete about $46,000, the contract with the builders being for $44.-600, and many little additlyns having been made that were not called for in the contract. The Savannah pilots and everybody Interested in Savannah’s shipping Interests can now congratulate themselves upon having one of the finest pilot boats afloat.1
Newspaper Details
Savannah Morning News
Savannah, Georgia, US
Wed, Nov 28, 1894
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 20 Jun 2020
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