Litchfield enquirer., 1851-03-20
Crossing the Ocean by steam.

l
 The honor ofhaying projected and sue
 cessfully carried into operation, the grea
 idea of navigating the Atlantic by steam
 belongs to Junius Smith, IL. D., a na.
 tive of Plymouth, in this county. H.
 was for about 30 years resident of Lon
 don, and visited New York in 1882 anG
 laid his plans before the merchants oi that city. Not meeting with the desired euccess. he returned to London, and ad dressed the following letter to Mir. Jones an officer of the London and Edinburgh Steam Packet Company; 1's@
 ''2' London, Feb. 9, 1888. DEAR SIR,-In conjunction with my
 friends in New York, 1 am desirous oi
 forming a line of steam packets to run
 between this port aad New York. lap. prehend that four in number will be suffi- cient, and fully equal to the twelve American sailing ships now running on the same line and the cost of the four steam packets, at So, ,O00I. each. will be about the same as the aggregate cost of the twelve American line of packets now running.
 It is my intention to have two British and two AMerican ships; and the reason is, first, to combine the interests of the two countries in their support; and sec Ondly. to afford certain sonysyance both ways for goeds of foreign as well as do- masiic growth apd manufacture. By the treaty of commerce vita the United States. British sEips cannot take foreign goods into the United States, nor can American ships bring foreign goods from the United States to England for home consumption, but the converse is true of both. It will therefore be readily seen that line formed of the ships of both nations, to sail alternately, will embrace all branches of the carrying trade. l left London for New York in August last, and the latter place fvr London. on the goth December. My friends in New Yo,k make no doubt of the practicability nor of the success of sucE an undertaking, and have assured mo that they will build two steam. vessels suited to the object in view. as soon as they learn that the plan. 50 far as regards the British interest, can be carried into execution here.
 In New York, the plan is regarded as enc of the first importance to the com mercial interests of both countries.
 examined and travelled in many American steam packets, but they have not one calculated for a sea voyage They are all constructed to run upon the rivers, sounds, bays. and canals. These packets are ill general very roomy, and calculated to carry a great many passen> gers.
 The North America, in which I took passage oh the 18th October, at New York, for Albany,il4 miles up the Hud- son river, is 230 feet in tenth, 80 feet beam, has two 6O-horse low pressure en. zines, which work at the rate of 26 strokes of the piston per minute. This packet is calculated to accommodate l., 200 passengers. and there were 400 on board at the time mentioned. She draws but 4 feet of water, and performed the passage to Albany, against the current of the river, ill twelve hours, including stoppages at the numerous landing pla- ces on both sides of the river. Several other packets of nearly equal dimensions ply upon this river, a particular descrip- tion of which is unnecessary here. The same general description of packets run in all the rivers, sounds, bays. &c.. from which you will perceive their un6tness for the high seas. aa'#s +es 'A
 The commercial intercourse between Great Britain and New York is of late years so amazingly increased. that more than 10000 passengers and emigrants landed in the last year in the port of New York from Europe, chiefly from Grea, Britain.
 Since the construction of the Erie Ca nal. running through the State of New York $50 miles, from Albany to Lake Erie, opening water communication every step of the way from London to Inc Niagara Falls. the Lakes. Canada. Ohio, Michigan, and all of the western l part of the United States, now PeoPlng with astonishing rapidity. and the sstab- Iishment of elegant and convenient pack l et. boats upon the canal for the accom- mediation of passengers. New York hast