Pacific Mail Steamship Company

The Pacific Mail Steamship Company was one of the first major trans-Pacific steamship passenger lines to run from California to Japan and China.

Passenger service began in 1867. The company ran 350-ton steamships, the largest wooden ships ever built in the West,^[1] which carried a great amount of coal to power the 23-day crossing. The crews were entirely Chinese, recruited in Shanghai.

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References

"Paddlewheels on the Pacific," Gallery label, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Maritime Museum.

↑ Far smaller than Zheng He's treasure ships.

[1] Far smaller than Zheng He's treasure ships.

[1]