The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-28 00:00:00

RAPID STEAMING.

Those who stay at home at ease cannot fully ap-
preciate the interest taken by travellers on the high
seas, in rapid steaming. Americans, as a rule, are
bound to cross the Atlantic, for the Old World has
to them an attraction greater far than the New World
has to Europeans. Therefore this interest is more
strongly felt in America than in England. There
the merits of the different lines, the qualities of the
various ships are keenly scanned, for each feels that
his own comfort—it may even he, his safety—is
concerned. In London the relative powers of the
Scotia and of the City of Paris as a dinner-table
topic, would excite little animation, for some are
ignorant, and most are incompetent to form an
opinion. The reverse is the case in New York,
where.every detail is argued, from rapid steaming
down to the changes of sheets and towels. Thus the
controversy which has arisen between the Cunard
and Inman Companies will be more eagerly read,
more generally discussed, and better understood on
the other than on this side of the ocean. Though
Englishmen know comparatively little of the sub-

ject, yet all are aware that since ocean steaming
began the great Company has been the Cunard.
For a quarter of a century the magnificence of the
vessels, their extraordinary speed, the splendour of
their fittings, the substantial excellence, and even
luxury of the fare, have been acknowledged. The
Line has thus attained to such world-wide renown
that it will astonish many of the readers of adver-
tisements in the 2 znies to see that there is in actual
operation a fleet that not only challenges equality
with the great firm, but even alleges a superiority
on the vital point of rapid steaming. That our
readers who do not see the Times may understand
the letter from Mr. INMAN, we publish in another
part of our columns, we give a rapid sketch
of the subject in dispute. On the 22d April
the log of the Cunard vessel Australasian
appeared in the Liverpool Daily Post, with
a few remarks to the effect that the voyage thus de-
tailed from New York to Liverpool was the fastest,
with few exceptions, ever made. The exceptions
were in favour of herself, the Persia and the Scotia,
all Cunarders ; and it was added that another, the
China, in March, 1865, made the fastest run of any
screw on record. This excited the attention of Mr.
INMAN, who, in a letter to the editor of the same
date, questioned the accuracy of these statements.
lie enumerated five occasions on which the voyage
recorded was outstripped by a vessel of his Com-
pany, the City of Paris. Referring to the voyage
of the China, he remarked that on the 23d June,
1866, that voyage was surpassed by the City of
Paris, claiming for that passage the fastest run ever
made by a screw. In conclusion, he observed that
the average speed of the City of Paris has been
superior to every other British steamer, paddle or
screw, on the Atlantic, subsidised or unsubsidised,
except the Scotia. This called from Mr. M'lvEn
a reply, in which he answered the INaiaN
statement by a carefully compiled table from
official data, giving 52 voyages of the Cunard
fleet from New York and Halifax to Queenstown,
and a corresponding number of return passages
during last year. In the same way he prepared a
table of a similar number of the voyages by the
INMAN fleet made during the same year, both from
New York to Queenstown and from Queenstown
to New York. Striking an average, he calculated
the time of the Cunard line outwards at 10 days
11 hours and 34 minutes ; that of the INMAN line
11 days 22 hours and 39 minutes, giving a
difference in favour of the Cunard of 1 day 11 hours
and 5 minutes. On the inward voyage he found
the Cunard passages to average 9 days 4 hours
and 39 minutes, and the INMAN 10 days 13 hours
and 9 minutes, being a difference in the Cunard's
favour of 1 day 8 hours and 30 minutes. The
point of Mr. INmaN's-objection to this table, may
be thus summarised. The ships of his company
ply only to New York ; the ships of the Cunard
ply both to New York and Boston. The trade of
most importance being, of course, that of
New York, commands the best vessels, and
it is • notorious that the finest of the
Cunard ships are placed on that line. Thus
this table compares all the INMAN against a
selected number of the Cunard, such as the Scotia
and the Persia, which he contends to be unfair.
This point he urges in a letter to the Daily Post,
and asks to substitute a table he had prepared of the
voyages of both lines, from the Ist November last
to the present time, in which he endeavours to work
out a comparison of the performances of all the
vessels of each line, mile for mile. The result is
that of the average of twenty-three passages the
Cunard time is, on the passage out, 11 days 21
hours 35 minutes. The average of twenty-two
passages of the INMAN is 11 days 15 hours 18
minutes, making the time against Cunard for a
mile for mile comparison of 6 hours 17 minutes.
The Cunard's runs home from twenty-four passages
average 10 days 6 hours 28 minutes, and the
Inman, on twenty-five passages, 10 days, 11 hours,
12 minutes, which gives 5 hours, 12 minutes in
favour of the Cunard. By this calculation therefore
on the round voyages the INMAN time appears to be
33 minutes shorter than the Cunard. The objection to
Mr. INuaN's table lies in the fact that it is impos-
sible accurately to calculate the time a ship loses by
calling at an intermediate port. Mr. INMAN allows
the detention at Halifax as stated in the logs ; but
this, it is contended, does not cover over the whole
period. The difficulties are thus shown of obtaining
a fair average even between two fleets plying be-
tween the same ports, for there can be no question
of the justice of both objections. In our remarks