Access
Publication and Use Rights
Processing Note
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Historical or Biographical Note
Collection Scope and Content
Collection Arrangement
Title: Panama Mail Steamship Company operations receipts
Date: 1933
Identifier/Call Number: HDC1644 (SAFR 23142)
Physical Description:
544 items.
Repository:
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Historic Documents Department
Building E, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123
Abstract: Panama Mail Steamship Company operations receipts, 1933 (SAFR 23142, HDC 1644) is comprised of bills of sale and receipts
from suppliers to Grace Line (W. R. Grace & Co.) and its subsidiary, Panama Mail Steamship Company. Most of the reciepts are
for items used on the passenger liners and note the name of the hull. Other bills of sale reflect oil and maintenance costs.
The collection has been processed to the collection level and is open for use without restrictions.
Physical Location: San Francisco Maritime NHP, Historic Documents Department
Language(s):
In English.
Access
This collection is open for use unless otherwise noted.
Publication and Use Rights
Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the researcher's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other
case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.
Processing Note
Note on Description: The descriptions in this collection guide were compiled using the best available sources of information.
Such sources include the creator's annotations or descriptions, collection accession files, primary and secondary source material
and subject matter experts. While every effort was made to provide accurate information, in the event that you find any errors
in this guide please contact the reference staff in order for us to evaulate and make corrections to this guide.
Please cite the title and collection number in any correspondence with our staff.
Preferred Citation
[Item description], [Location within collection organization identified by Collection Number/Series Number/File Unit Number/Item
Number], HDC1644 (SAFR 23142), Panama Mail Steamship Company operations receipts, San Francisco Maritime National Historical
Park
Acquisition Information
SAFR-02177
Originally donated from a corporate source.
Historical or Biographical Note
The Irish-born Grace brothers, William Russell and Michael, partnered with the firm of John Bryce and founded Grace Brothers
& Co in Peru (headquartered in London) in the mid-19th century to serve as ship chandlers in the guano trade.
In 1865, William left Michael in charge of their interests in Callao while he went to New York to establish W.R. Grace & Co.
By 1880, William had been elected Mayor of New York City twice, and later that decade the company entered the steamship business
with a line of freighters that ran from New York to the South American west coast flying the British flag. What later became
the Grace Line began in 1882 as a line of sailing vessels that ran between Peru and New York.
William established regular steamship service in 1893 with a subsidiary called the New York & Pacific Steamship Co., operating
under the British flag. United States flag service began in 1912 with the Atlantic and Pacific Steamship Company. The activities
of both companies and the parent firm were consolidated into the Grace Steamship Company, which began in 1916. The firm originally
specialized in traffic to the west coast of South America and later expanded to the Caribbean.
In 1916, William decided to organize passenger service from New York to ports on the west coast of South America as far as
Valparaiso, Chile. A decade later the secondary service from New York to as far as Antofagasta, Chile was begun.
Also in 1916, the company acquired a controlling interest in the established Pacific Mail Steamship Company, the premiere
west coast and transpacific operator.
In the 1920s, William formed a new entity, the Panama Mail Company, to operate the small ships formerly owned and used by
the Pacific Mail Steamship Company in the Central American trade. These ships were used to make runs between San Francisco
and New York.
In the 1930s, the Grace Line established the first passenger service between New York and Seattle. Calls were made at Havana,
Puerto Colombia, Cartagena, Canal Zone, Punta Arenas, La Libertad, San Jose, Mazatlan, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Victoria.
In 1934 the port time in New York was greatly reduced and the call at Philadelphia eliminated. The time saved enabled the
ships to make a popular shuttle run between Seattle and San Francisco.
In 1959, The Saint Lawrence Seaway opened and Grace Line obtained approval for an operational subsidy for the Great Lakes
route. The route would serve ports on the Great Lakes to Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Barbados, and ports on the north
coast of Venezuela and Colombia. The decision to operate to the Great Lakes proved to be a financial disaster for the company
and the run was given up after one season.
In 1969, the parent company, W.R. Grace, decided to go out of the steamship business and concentrate on chemical and other
ventures. Grace Line was sold to Prudential Line, a small line owned by Skouras of 20th Century Fox. At first the line was
called Prudential Grace Lines and later the Grace was dropped and it became just Prudential Line.
At its height, the Grace Line was a major player in American merchant shipping. Shortly after World War II it owned 23 ships
totaling 188,000 gross tons, plus 14 more on bareboat charters.
Collection Scope and Content
Panama Mail Steamship Company operations receipts, 1933 (SAFR 23142, HDC 1644) is comprised of bills of sale and receipts
from suppliers to Grace Line (W. R. Grace & Co.) and its subsidiary, Panama Mail Steamship Company. Most of the reciepts are
for items used on the passenger liners and note the name of the hull. Other bills of sale reflect oil and maintenance costs.
The collection has been processed to the collection level and is open for use without restrictions.
Collection Arrangement
Items arranged chronologically then alphabetically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Administrative records
Grace Line
San Francisco (Calif.)
Receipts (Acknowledgments)
Financial records
Administrative records