Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1838-05-04
ATLANTIC STEAM NAVIGATION.

has strongly attracted the public attention
o the subject OF Atlantic steam naviga ion,
and to the establishment OF regular lines Of
steamers between this country and Europe.
Steamboats, were first successfully en-
ployed in the business of river navigation.
The Hudson aud the Mississippi were the
streams upon which boats mpelled by
steam first came into competition with the
more ancient water craft. Bays and arms
Of the sea were next successfully naviga"
ted; and of late for many of the purposes
of coastlng navigation, steamboats, have
been able successfully to compete with
vessels impelled by sails. We have lines
Of boats along the coast. from Bangor To
Savannah; and the trip between N. York
and Charleston is regularly and successful
ly made.
In Europe the employment ofs'eamboats
in sea navigation is more extensive than
with us. and there are regular lines of
boats along the coast Of that continent,
from ST. Petersburg to ConstanInople.
But there remains yet one step to be
taken. In former years, steamboats, have
occasionally traversed the Atlantic, and
the Indian oceans; but these experiments
have not been encouraging, and regular
oceanic navigation by steam, is thing that
remains to be accomplished.
For some time past, the subject of an
intercourse by steam, between Great Bri.
! tain and this country, has been matter Of
great interest to the British mercantile
community. /, usually happens that new
undertakings of this sort are set on foot by
. d., IL
ted and ridiculed by the practical men
The present case however is different.
Most Of the scientific men have expressed
opinions unfavorable to the enterprise.
DR. LarLner has undertaken to dcmonsr rate
that it is impossible to navigate the 4 Ian
tlc by steam TO any advantage; and he has
been seconded by the author of very
elaborate article upon the subject, in a late
number of The Edinburg Review, aud by
many others.
The argument is, that the amount of
coal necessary for the voyage, would more
than ill the entire vessel, leaving no room
for freight or passengers and that the
average length of the passage would be
very lrtle short Of the average passage by
the packets, so that nothing OF consequence
would be gained even in point OF time.
There are several other minor objections.
The results of the two experiments
already tried, so far as they 60 have Ger
talny tendency to prove that the objec.
lions of Dr.. Lardner are unfounded
The Sirius made the passage from Cork
in 18 days. She encountered much rough
weather. Her stock Of coal was 400 tons,
and she consumed at the rate Of about 90
tons per day. When she arrived, she had
be sure, is running pretty close A heavy
storm might have delayed her for several
days logger, which would not have been
either convenient or agreeable. She is
said to have stood the rough weather ex-
tremey well.
But If the result of this experiment is
not perfectly satisfactory, we must recol.
lccl that he Sirius is not one OF those new
and superior boats built on purpose for this
enterprise. She was built TO run between
London and Cork in which business she
has answered well aud has been for some
time employed Her tonnage is about 100
and her engines $50 horse power
But whatever may be thought Of the
success of the Sirius, and her capabllity to
be used as an Atlantic steam packet, the
voyage Of the Great Western, so far as one
instance can 60, seems to put the success
of The enterprise beyond question:
The Great Western is a new boat, of a
class superior to any thing hitherto known,
and built on purpose for oceanic naviga-
ton. She has burden Of 1910 tons; her
length is GAS feet. She has four boilers,
estimated TO weigh with the water in them,
$50 tons, and slowing room capable Of
containing IN iron boxes, nearly 900 tons
of coal. As the coal is consumed these
iron boxes are filed with water. SO as to
preserve he trim of the vessel. She has
two engines, each Of 225 horse power, and
weighing 900 tons. Deductlng the weight
of boilers, engines and coal, there will still
remain space of about 10 tons for goods
and passengers. She has four low masts,
rugged somewhat in schooner style, and
able to add considerably on occasion to her
speed Her fore cabin is 46 feet long, her
state cabin 80 feet, and IN both cabins
together there are berths for las passcn-
gers.
She was expected 20 accomplish the
passage out from Bristol. under average
circumstances, in fifteen days, and the pas.
sage home in twelve days. Thus far she
has fulfilled or nearly so, those expectations,
Her voyage from Bristol was accomplished
in fifteen days, though perhaps the favora-
be circumstances of the passage were
somewhat beyond the average. She made
almost straight line Of il across the At-
lantlc, The weather was good: but the
sea was rough, and the wind generally
ahead. She had so little motion that it
was not necessary to put batlens on the
tables, and only once was there motion
enough to upset the cups and saucers.
She took in 600 tons of coal of which
some 900, equal to seven days supply, were
al the time of her arrival Her