The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-03-18

the south or north Of Ireland. The caotain Of the
Great Britain, on her last outward voyage, intend
he must pass the Isle Of Mao but through some
laundering il was passed without being perceived
the Irish coast mistaken for il and the poor Great
Britain consequently went ashore. The reports OF
this disaster were scarcely believed IN Llverpooi
until the passengers came back 10 the coastng
| steamers 10 tell the sad tale. The proprietors
we've. OF course, much dshe artened, but theu
| con ISOLATION was that their noble ship was quite
| innocent Of the accident, aud that the same
| thing would haze hipppened 10 any vessel that
| had been steered IN the same direction. me
| Great Britain lay for a whole winter IN Dun
drum Bay the finely furnished ladies bou.
DOR was completely dism antled, and converted
into a snug apartment for sailors and mechanics,
| cooking and drinking their coffee; berths were
| broken up; the water came and went with the tlde
| through the lover saloon; but man did not "yleld
these things to decay" After much LABOR she was
lies in one of the Liverpool DOCKS sad and mel
| sncholy sight, yet there is every reason to nope
| that che will soon again "walk the waters like
thing of lfe," and retrieve her furnished fame
She was sold in the latter part Of 1850 for O0O
| and, in all probability, ere 1851 has been brought
10 close, the Great Britain will again be ''rullag
the waves" Of the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean.
| But we now turn TO a brighter page i'll the his
tory of the bold adventures this Atlantic route
In Nov 1888, shortly after the successful voyages
| OF the Sirius and Great Western, the government
| advertised for tenders for carrying the mails IA
| steamers between this country aud America Both
the companies to which these two vessels belonged
| made offers; the former to go once month from
Cork 10 Halifax for E45, 600, and for E65 600 per
| annum if New York were incuded-the vessels
| TO be of 240 horsepower. The Great Western
Company proposed to perform the service to Halt
| fax once month, with three vessels Of $50 horse
power each, for Gi5,O 900 per annum Neither OF
these tenders accepted; but shortly afterwards
proposal was made 70 the government by Mr..
| Samuel Cunard, of Halifax, in Nova Scotia
This gentleman had had, for fifteen or twenty
years previously contract for Carrying the IN ais
between Halifix and Bermuda, for which he re-
ceived Ga 400 per annum, his vessels running twice
esch month y and he now proposed To take the AL
| lanlc contract, and carry the IN Ills oace week.
| This proposition was not acceded to at the times
but ultimately it was arranged that he was TO re.
ceive Eos, 900 per annum for seven years, for con
veyi the mails twice each II onth between Liver
| pool, Halifax, Quebec, and Boston. This was the
| commencement of what is now well known as CD
! nerds line. In the summer OF $40 steamer
named the Britannia, Of l, 200 tons burthen, 440
horse power, and $50 feet In length (the same di-
mansions nearly as the Great Westerly, arrived in
| the Mersey TO commence the fulllment OF Mr..
Cunard's contract She LETT Liverpool on the
| 4th OF July, arriving at Halifax in twelve
| days ten hours, and performing the voyage home
wards from Halifax in ten days The other vessels
this line, at the outset, were the Ac ada, Co
lpmbia, and Caledonia. They were all built in the
| Clyde, and their dimensions were nearly the same
| as the Britannia. More powerful vessels were
afterwards constructed and, in consideration, the
pay ment was raised TO 100000 per annum, subse-
| quenty reduced to eo5, 900, when the service to
Que bee was t7ken Oft: Since the accident to the
steamers than Cunard were found this route.
and the regularity with which the mails were car
RED was theme OF general admiration. The YES
| sells were locked for, and usually arrived on the
| appointed day i; and passengers went On board to
cross the Atlantic with as little apprehension as
is felt IN stepping into railway carriage.
Delays, indeed, did sometimes occur, the
| winds often succeeding ia retaIdng the pro-
| gress Of the ships; the fogs of the coast of New.
| ioundiand sometimes perplexed the captains, and
caused them TO reduce the speed OF the en-
/ ar rfuns .ff hxx
| Of ice tcated down from the arctic regions
the steamers home ward tire ok, rende riog the nav-
CATION some what dangerous; and once, during the
| long period OF ten years, a serious accident
Cured by the Coumbl i's striking on rock called
| the " Devils Limb" about 100 miles from Halifax;
but no lives were lost, and indeed everything,
cbnery included, was saved, except the hull of the
vesse 1.-THE mails ana passengers being cent home
ward by the MaTgare spare steamer OF GOO tons,
kept at the Halifax station But, generally speak
ing, the voyages were made with such regularity
that II was no uncommon thing for the captains TO
| tell, on the eve OF sailing. when they would be
back to dinner, and they usually kept their time.
Let The reader imagine man about TO perform
voyage over 5000 miles Of ocean, and, instead Of
thnhing about making his will, or arranging his
affairs, coolly Specifying the time when, AFTER
having crossed TO America, he will come back to
d,ue IN Europe Where, even in the I" Arabian
| NIehis," can parallel to this be found!
We have already seen that the first steamboats,
ever nsed for conveying goods and passengers,
| were built at New York, aud piled on the Hldsoa,
| in 1907. Since that time, the progress OF steam
navigation on the rivers and lakes, and along the
coasts Of America, has been both rald aud won
derful In the five years ending 3lst December,
1883, che steamers departing from New York al me
| sailed in the aggregate 1868 $50 miles and con-
yeyed 20 600 passengers OF whom 20 lost their
lives by seven accidents. But with the exec ,ioa
OF the voyage of the Savannah, In 1919. the citi-
/ zens OF the Unite States had not hitherto taken
any part in conducting the steam nav alton of the
Atlantic; and II was not until after all but Gu
\ nards ships h nd bee n withdra xn, that American
between Nnd
| New York. The formation Of several comp anies,
/ for this purpose, made Mr.. Cunard anxious to ex.
week, and thus render him more able to meet the
expected competition. Mr.. Cunard said, before a
committee of the House Of Commons, ia July,
lsi9, 81 was most anxious to have it (the extern
aon OF the contracD done, because | knew
the consequences Of having these rival lines
Of packets running against Us, and that II
would aft CT the government more than II would
affect u.s. | could not increase the number OF pas
sepgers; but the number Of letters would be con-
sdtrably increased, doubled, because IL one per-
son writes, the whole must write" The proposal
was sgred TO: the mails were to be carried from
Liverpool every Saturday, and from Boston or New
York every "Wednesday (except during four winter
months, when II vas 10 be fOrtnghiiy), arrange
ments being made by which the dttow 10 Halifax
was 10 be abandoned. To effect this service the
vessels must steam altogether 272, 800 miles every
year, and for it Mr.. Cunard to receive els
eco per annum. THIS l. the con,ra in force.
Mr. Cunard considered II not as new arrange.
menf, but as extension Of the old; and as the
service was cosbled, and a. the postage revenue
Of the steamers had hitherto beenequa TO the con-
tract money. he naturally supposed that the pay,
me al would now be doubled. Bat Mr. Goulburn,
then Chan cellor Of the Exchequer, would not give
more than Gli5,000, which Mr. GUARD said was
" very ur just thing" and quantity added +" beg
to gay this not with any disrespect 10 Mr. GsuI-
burns he did TITO save The money to the country;
but he took c25, eco year from me for the good OF
the country"
The steamships originally possessed by Mr.. Gu
nard were now Superseded by Others, 81 greater
slze end power, the tonnage being increased from
|, 200 to more than 900, and the horsepower Of
the engines from 40 TO 900 The Columbia, as we
have seen, wa. lost; the Britannia, Acadis, Gale
donna, and Hbernia were sold (the two last o
the Spanish government shortly after the attempt
made on Cuba in $500; and Cunards fleet now
consists of the following magnificent vessels