Name/Title
Matson Navigation Company Sales Order DocumentDescription
Matson Navigation Company Sales Order Document
Addressed to Hawaii Railway Co. Ltd., Hawaii. Dated May 25, 1923.
Signed by Hobart W. Mears, Purchasing Agent
William Matson (1849–1917) founded Matson Navigation Company. He was born in Lysekil in Västra Götaland County, Sweden, and orphaned during childhood. He arrived in San Francisco after a trip around Cape Horn in 1867. Working aboard the Dickel family yacht, he struck up a friendship with tycoon Claus Spreckels, who financed many of Matson's new ships. In 1882, he sailed his three-masted schooner Emma Claudina into the Hilo Bay of the Hawaiian Islands.[3][4]
The enterprise began in the carrying of merchandise, especially of plantation stores, to the islands and returning with cargoes of sugar, later expanding interests at each end of the line.[5]
In 1924, Matson completed the Matson Building, designed by Bliss and Faville, at 215 Market Street in San Francisco, and noted as "one of a series of Chicago School skyscrapers built during the 1910s and 1920s which give San Francisco its downtown character."[6] It featured an observation tower and cupola at the northern corner of the building that enabled company executives to see its ships coming through the Golden Gate.
Wikipedia Reference Nos.Created By
hawaiiancovers@gmail.comCreate Date
April 6, 2025Update Date
April 6, 2025
