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Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2054, 15 April 1907, Page 4

Writing under the heading, “The Doom of tho Windjammers,” a recent American paper says:—“The triumph of steam over sails was never more completely exemplified than in the fact that a steamer lias just been fixed to load a general cargo in the T.vne for San Francisco via London. Tile steamship lvalibia has been so fixed, and will load in the Tyno towards the end of January. She will he the first steamship that has ever been chartered from the Tyno for such a voyage, and it will he extremely interesting to see how the trip works out financially. There are very few longer voyages that it is possible to perform on this planet than that from the Tyne to San Francisco, the steaming distance, being 15,000 miles. Of course, the way has been paved by the substitution of steam for said vessels in the trade with tho west coast of South America—a trado which in three or four years has been completely revolutionised, steamers now carrying the great bulk of the coal cargoes which are now shipped to Chili and Born; hut all the same, a steamer voyage direct to San Francisco will he a sufficiently remarkable performance to excite general attention. TF it is successful one wonders what will become of the windjammers which have hitherto had a monopoly of the carrying trade between Europe and the Californian city. There will he little left for them to do. and the day of their extinction will he at hand."