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Panel Sketches of Marine Men H. F. Alexander, President, Pacific Steamship Co. Inc. By Robert C. Hill Photo by Grady NHEN Hubbard F. Alexander, at the age of 28, in his mind’s eye saw himself at the head of a great fleet flying the American flag, older men in Pacific coast shipping circles whispered that the bogey man would surely get him. At that time the present leader of Pacific shipping, had gone into business with two or three old steamships—the fleet of the Alaska Pacific Steamship Co., which he had just purchased. The bogey man was the Pacific Coast Steamship Co., which for nearly fifty years had dom- inated the coastwise shipping of the North Pacific. A speedy finish for Mr. Alexander at the hands of the well entrenched pioneer .shipping firm was _ freely predicted. ‘The prophecy of disaster and failure proved wrong. In 1916, nine years after starting his fleet, the older company was absorbed and since then as president of the merged Pacific Steamship Co. Inc., he has been one of the outstanding figures in Pacific maritime affairs. Thus at 48, he is rounding out his twentieth year as president of a company which operates from the Mexican border to Nome, Alaska. From which it is apparent that even in these modern days, there are still chances for a young man to climb the ladder of success. From the beginning he has tried to please the travel- ing public. In the early days when he operated two small steamers between Puget sound and San Francisco, he was competing with larger, faster and more luxurious liners. How to attract passengers was a problem. He solved it by sparing no expense in furnishing the tables aboard his vessels. Food, more food, the best food, the STARTING as a longshoreman, on the wharves of Tacoma at 14, he is now at the age of 48 one of the leading steamship owners and op- erators on the Pacific coast. H E IS directly responsible for the present excellent passenger and freight service between Northwest ports and California ports, having placed a fast liner on this run. oe FIRM believer in the discrimina- tion of the American traveler, his company has grown and prospered by giving the utmost in service and courtesy to all patrons of the line. best cooked and best served food. This was his motto. Thus the Alexanderian table attained a reputation that advertised the line and brought more business. As «& part of this good service, courtesy was a watchword, so that travel on the Alexander route became a habit. Like- wise the shippers of freight appreciated real service and genuine courtesy. By such methods the business of the new comer in the field grew so rapidly that Mr. Alex: ander was able in 1916 to take over the control cf the older fleet, combining the two into one company under his management. The subject of this sketch was born in Colorado Springs, Colo. Aug. 14, 1879. At an early age the fu- ture shipping magnate moved to Tacoma with his parents. When he was but 14 years old, the family fortunes suf- fered reverse during the panic of 18938. And the young man began his career as a longshoreman with the old established firm of Dodwell, Carlill & Co. He was soor promoted and in the six succeeding years he acquired a well grounded knowledge of wharf practice. Then, when 20, he borrowed sufficient capital to take over the Commercial Dock Co., an institution that had been a failure. He soon put it on its feet and began a search for further maritime activities. In 1907 he bought out the Alaska Pacific Steamship Co. but while negotiations were under way the panic struck terror into business. However, this did not deter him. He managed to raise the necessary capital, was elected president of the company and set forth on a career that probably has no equal in the annals of American shipping. The year following, he took over the Alaska Coast Co. 46 MARINE REVIEW—December, 1927