Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1850-08-30
BY C.CLEMENT.
From Chambers Edinburgh Jourpa

was crossed for the first time by vessels exclu-
sivey propelled by steam power. These pioneers
were the Sirius and Great Western-the former
built for another class of voyages, and afterwards
lost on the station between Cork and London
the latter built expressly for Atlantic navigation
and which has ever since been more or less en-
ployed in traversng that ocean. Other ships
followed the British Queen, afterwards sold to
the Belgian Government; the Great Liverpool
subsequently, altered and placed on the line be-
| tween Southampton and Alexandria; and the
President lost, no man knows how or where, in
the year 1841. Then came what is called ecu
nard's Line" consisting ofa number of majestic
steamships built in the Clyde, to carry passen-
gers and mails between Liverpool in Europe. and
Halifax, Boston, and New York in America a
service they have performed with the most mar
vellous regularity. The only great misfortune
that has betallen this line, has been the loss of
one OF the vessels-the Coumba-which, in
nautical phrase, "broke her back" OH some rocks
on the American shore of the Atlantic. Then
came the Great Britain, the greatest of them all,
differing from the others in two respects--first,
in being built of iron instead of wood and, Sec
ond, in being propelled by the Archimedean
screw, instead of by the old paddle-whees; and,
alas she has differed from them all in a third
| respect, inasmuch as neither the same good luck
attended her, as in general fell to the lot of the
sh ps OF the Cunard line, nor the same irreriva-
bic bad fortune as met by the President and
the Columbia; for, after having made several
voyages very successfully, she, to the amaze.
ment OF all mankind, very quietly went ashore
in Dundrum Bay, on the east coast of Ireland,
from whence, after spending most uncomfor-
table winter, she was brought back to Liverpool,
and now lies in the Bramley-Moore Dock there,
like huge mass of iron suffering under prema-
turc rust. But all this time, these ocean steam
ers, that periodically brought to New York pas
sengers and intelligence from Europe, were
British built. They had been constructed in the
Avon, the Mersey, and the Clyde, the greater
number having been launched In the same wa
tiers as first received Henry Bells little Comet
Why did America not embark in such enter
prise? As regards steam navigation, Fulton
was before Bell, New York before Glasgow, the
Futon's Folly before the Comet; and was
ssThe greatest nation
In all creation
to be outdone in the field of enterprise by the old
Britishers? American pride said MOI; Amer
lean instinct said "No;" and, above ALL Ameri-
in New York, the shipbuilders' yards became I'M
tic ships gradually rose before the admiring gaze
But the race of William the Doubter is not
yet extinct, and many, as usual, shook their wise
heads at the enterprise. 1t was admitted that in
inland navigation the Americans had beaten the
world-that, except an occasional blow-up, their
river steamers were really models of enterprise
and skil-but, it was gravely added, the Missss-
ippi is not the Atlantic, icebergS are not snags,
and an Atlantic wave is somewhat different from
an Ohio ripple. These truisms were, of course,
undeniable; but to them was quickly added ano-
Their fact. about which there could be as little
mistake-namely, the arrival at Southampton,
after a voyage which, considering it was the
first, was quite successful of the American-built
steamship Washington, from New York. There
seemed to be touch of calm irony in thus ma
king the Washington the first of their Atlantic
crossing steamers, as if the Americans had said,
'You doubling Britishers, when you wished to
play the tyrant over us, did we not raise one
Washington, who chasised you? and now that
you want to monopoliss Atlantic navigation, we
have raised another Washington, just to let you
know that we will beat you again ~
The Washington, however, was only the pre-
cursor of greater vessels. These were to sail be-
tween New York and Liverpool, carrying the
mails under contract with the American gov.
eminent. In size, and speed, and splendor of
fittings, these new ships were TO surpass the
old even their names were, il possible, to be
more grand and expressive. The vessels Of Gu
nards line had lately appropriated the names of
the four great continents of the globe but the
oceans remained, and their names were adopted
the steamers being called the Atlantic, Pacific
Arctic, Baltic, and Adriatic. The first of these
was despatched from New York on the 9th OF
April last, and arrived in the Mersey on the 10th
of May, thus making the passage in about thir-
teen days- The voyage would have been made
in shorter time, but for two accidents--the
bursting of the condenser, and the discovery, af-
ter the vessel was some distance at sea- of the
weakness of the floats or boards on the paddle.
wheels. About two days were entirely lost in
making repairs, and the speed was reduced, in
order to prevent the floats from being entirely
torn away from the paddle-wheels. These
things considered, the passage was very success
full. The Atlantic has since made two passa-
ges in less than eleven days; and, according te
the report OF the Niagara just arrived at Halifax
her fourth passage will be inside of eleven DAYS
ED. N. Y. HERALD The average time &C.
cupied, during l849, by the vessels of the ole
line between New York and Liverpool, wa.
twelve and half days; but their voya res were
longer than those of the Atlantic, as they called
at Halifax. The shortest passage was that made
by the Canada, from New York to Liverpool, vis
Halifax, in eleven days and four hours ITht
Europa made the passage from Liverpool tt
New York, touching at Halifax, in lS4S, in elev
en- days, two hours, and thirty minutes.-ED. N
| Y. HERALD.
The Atlantic remained for nineteen days al
Liverpool and during all that time she had tc
lie in part of the river called the Sloyne in con
sequence of none of the dock-entrances being
wide enough to allow her to pass in. Hel
breadth, measuring across the paddle-wheels, is
seventy-ive feet; of the vessels of Cunard's line
about seventy feet; and the widest dock-entrance
IS barely sufficient to admit the latter. The
Great Britain, though longer than any Other
steamship that ever entered the Mersey, is no
so broad, as, being propelled by the screw, she
has no paddle-wheels. dock at the nortl
shore is now in course of construction. EXPRESS
ly for the accommodation of the Atlantic and be
consorts.
For several days, during her stay at Liverpool
the Atlantic was open to visiters, on payment O
sixpence each, the money thus realized upward.
of t70) being paid over to the trustees of tht
Institution for the Blind, whose church an,
school are now being removed to give create
space round the station of the London and North
Western Railway. On the day of my visit
crowds OF people were waiting at the pier 70
the steamer that was TO convey them to the AT
! lantic. Whitsuntide visiters from the manufac
y. L