The first of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company's river steamers for the northern service was launched last night from the company's yard on False Creek, near the round house. The putting into the water of this first steamer took place rather unceremoniously for there was a pelting rain and the visitors who would otherwise have been on hand to see her take the water were most of them thus compelled to stay away. While it was a prosy affair and with not even a bottle of wine to christen her, the launching of the Hamlin was very successful in every way, and the trim little freight boat manoeuvred quite well under her own steam, considering that her navigating powers were but newly acquired.
For nearly three months the ship-yard_has been one of the busiest places in Vancouver and two other very large river passenger boats will join her on the waters which are to be her home for the future, to-morrow. Both are finely appointed stern-wheelers and have been very strongly built in every particular and will be capable of high speed. One of them, the Ogilvie, will be launched at 7 o'clock to-morrow morning,
and the second, the McConnell, will take up her abode in the element that is to be her home for the future to-morrow night.
All the steamers were built under the superintendence of Commodore Troup, of the C. P. R., who has shown that he is a practical ship-builder of ability and has handled the business part of the matter to the satisfaction of everybody, especially the individual workmen who were under his control.
The Hamlin is, like the other vessels, a stern-wheeler, and destined as a freight-carrier of the Stickine river. She is 145 feet in length, 30 feet beam and has a
depth of hold of four feet six inches. She will draw about 19 inches of water when loaded and her strong engines are a feature as they are of the passenger steamers. She will be capable of a speed of 14 miles an hour, which means that she can make two trips a week from Wrangel to Glenora. She has specially convenient arrangements for the handling of freight and on her upper deck are quarters for the captain and members of the crew. The
Hamlin is now tied up at Robertson & Hackett's mill. She took a couple of turns up and down False Creek last night and gave every satisfaction.
On Sunday, a section will be taken out of Granville street bridge so that the three vessels may pass through and then they will be brought around to the inlet to coal preparatory to going north.
