The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-04-12
THE REPUBLIC.

i IL T. IL III u DLlC
former port the expense OF the coal and putting i
on board 10 about guinea, and at the latter abou
T. IL. per ton. II Goals were cheap $ wind
Dir Cunard and his partners would save more thar
EIOOO0 per annum.
The American steamers that first piled regulariy
on the Atlantic route were the Washington and
Hermann, OF abopt two thousand tons burden. They
however, did not depend entirely on the British
traf 1c, but made the port of Bremen. at the mouth
OF the Wescr In Germany, their terminus in Eu-
rope, calling at Southampton on their passage up
and down the British Channel. The line Of vessels
that entered into direct competition with Cunard's
was projected by Mr. Collins, Of New York. and
consisted Of five steamers of three thousand tons
burden, three hundred feet long, and propelled by
engines Of one thousand horse power They are
named after the various oceans of the world--the
AAdntic, Pacific, Arctic, Baltic, and ddriaiic,
| They are longer and more powerful than any
steamer yet built, except the Great Britain, and
their competition Is not TO be treated lightly. The
merits OF the rival lines soon became Irrational
question:" The citizens of The great Republic spoke
confidently OF the superior speed their vessels would
attainj the beet buildeo Of ships and makers of ma
rne engines were they said, to be found in New
| York, and they were determined that the Hudson
river should always be ahead OF the rest Of the world
In the power and speed OF it's steam navy. state.
nent OF the resources OF New York gave good reason
for this confident boasng In that city the principal
ioundries, light in number, where marine engines
are constructed, employ about 675men at one, and
tnat lUU tons oil iron melted every
month; and at another the value of the work sent
out in lS49 was above million Of dollars (f200,-
ooO;) while in one month Of the pact year there
were In progress at the same establishment marine
engines for eight vessels whose aggregate tonnage
was Ia 100. The peri FINANCES OF the Washington
| and Hermann were highly creditable to the skill of
American engineers, and there seemed great pro
| bn bility that Britannia would not much lon ger
" rule the waves! But, on the other hand, the
feat which these American ships were expected to
perform was of no ordinary difficulty. For ten
years Cunard's line had navigated the Atlantic
with regularity and speed which it would be ex-
| cestinSiy difficult even tn equal; and though the
more powerful American ships might sail faster,
| was it to be expected that the builders and eng
ncers Of the Clyde, with MIR. Card and Mr.. Napier
at their head, would be unable to maintain the su
periority they had already acquired? The town where
| James Watt was born, and the river that received
| the fret British steamboat, were not likely to re-
| sign without struggle a pre- cminence acquired
| by much labor and ingenuity
! While people were discussing the subject, and
laying wagers on the voyages the first OF Col
| linz line, the atlantic, called from New York on
the 9th April As the time of her arrival at Liv-
erpool drew near, the interes felt by the people Of
that town in the voyage became intense. After the
t,ne occupied on the shortest of any of the old
vessels had expired, and no atlantic had come up
| The Merscy, the partisans OF the Clyde steamers
took heart, a;d began to think that the COMPETE
| ton was not to be 80 formidable after all They
We're further confirmed in this idea when on the hr
eenth day after che had left New York the atlantic
was tcIe graphed off Holyhead For some time be-
fore Eer arrival small tug steamer, with n number
OF commercial men and newspaper reporters on
board, had been waiting in the Mersey, ready to
steam out To meet the 1Atlantic. The Gun was set
Ting this little steamer sailed and night had
come on before the atlantic appeared in the river.
As che came up, her great black hull looking
backer and larger in the darkness, she seemed less
| like steamer inside by human hands, and more
| like an island drifting in from the ocean
No entrance to the Liverpool docks was sufficient
ly wide to admit the Atlantic, and she and her con-
rorts had to lie in the river until dock that
had been preparing for them, with entrance gates
eighty feet wide was finished. The length OF the
voyage of the atlantic WAS accounted Tor by a de
tention of nearly two days caused by accidents to
the machinery. The Pacific, Arctic, and Baltic,
have already crossed "the big Jerry" and the
-Idriafc is expected TO be ready for sea early in
! 1851
Thus lras commenced that rir0lry tohich has made
gigantic course If The Aaantic ocean--a race
course so long that the difference in the longitude
oil its ternni makes difference OF nearly i've hours
| in the time Of day. and thus, while people at the
American end are rising from their beds. those at
the European have got through much OF their days
work. The "hyng horse CbiI,iers" and other nota-
bes OF the turf have done grea, deeds in their way,
but they sinknto utter nsig nicance impaired with
the performances of a steamer propelled by power
equal TO that of a thousand horses, sailing three
hundred miles each cay angry, restless
waves, twenty four and sometimes forty three feet
high. chasing each other at distance of about five
hundred feet, and at speed Of more than thirty
miles hour. All the prizes of the turf are paltry
compared with that for which thcse steamers
CONFERENCE.-The proud distinction of establishing
the most speedy and safe communication between
! two great continents and two mighty nations.
Hitherto the superiority has not been distinctly de
ciared either eide, nor can any correct judy
mcnt be formed until at least year has elapsed.
| The return Of ell the voyages made by steamers
acrnss the Atlantic during the six months Of 1850,
from April 10 October, the average being taken in
each case, shows that the feet ortpsrd passage
that Of the Pacific in September, when only 10
days tours were occupied between Liverpool and
New York; and the swiltest homeward that Of the
4sia in 10, days between New York and Liver
pool The second elk months (from October, 1850,
| 10 A pril, lS5l) will in all probability show more
| fsvoraby for The Cunard line, the Cambria and
| Hbrnid two OF the oldest, have both been with
| drawn, and the PT,ia and 4rabia the two new
i est, will soon be placed the route. The
| sells Of the Collins line have met with some
| cidcnts during the winter that will tell much
| against them when the years work is summed up.
! Toe Pacific, in one OF her outward voyages, ran
| short of Goals, and had to put into a port before
| reaching New York, To obtain fresh supply, by
which detention OF some days was caused; and
the atlantic on her outward voyage, while In
| latitude 16o ~ north, and longitude 4lo 3U
west, or much than hslf way across the
! Atlantic, broke on the morning of 9th January
the centre beam or shaft Of tho engines, which
| consequently became useless. The vessel pro
ceeded under canvas for FIVE days, against heavy
| vcsterly gales, but finding that she made little
way, the captain pot the chip about, and ran for
Cork, which was reached on the 22d January.
| The Cambria, belonging 10 the Cunard line, the
only available steamer then in the Morsey, or per-
haps in England, for Atlantic winter navigation,
wac Immediately chartered 60 proceed TO Cork.
and carry the cargo, &c, OF the Atlantic TO Anne
RIGA. We ollude TO this disaster simply "a fact;
we would rather sympathze with tho citizens Of
the United States, 70 whom IL will doubtless cause
much chagrin, q exult over IL as proof OF the
Inferior skill Of our Transatlantic brethren. The
accident proves vcTy htIlc, but 1t will doubtcss be
extensively used rather abused, by the parti-
sans Of the conteuding lncs. Many people in
New York seem TO think that there is a feeling OF
hostility Ia the old country against these steamers,
and complaints have already been made that JUS
tice has not been done 10 them by the British prcss
Never had complaints lees foundation. AZ British
citizens. cannot prevent ours alvcs from wishing
that in THE great race British ships may win but
we confident national feeling has been less oh
tSuded, and there has been css boasting about the
merits Of the sbips this side OF the Atlantic than
on the other. We trust that the arrival Of tn,
Cambria at New York With the iaails and cargo 81