Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1857-08-21

An interesting paper on " the Past Present and
Future of Atlantic Ocean Steam Navigation" read
before the Fredericton On. Brunswick) Athenseur.
on the 18th ult, by T. Vernon Smith, civil engineer,
has been published in pamphlet form. 1t embraces
many valuable facts in regard 10 the past history of
steam navigation and its present condition. and
present views which should be received with much
attention at the present time, when deep in
terest is felt in the subject of ocean steam navga
ton
The first real, Atlantic voyage, Mr.. Smith says
was performed in 1888, by the steamer Coyal Viii.
Ham, of 100 horse power and 1000 tons burthen,
from Plctou in Nova Scotia TO Cowes in the Isle OF
Wight. She was thorough ocean steamer, and
was built at Three Rivers in Canada, by Canadian
mechanics fitted with Canadian engines, commanded
by Canadian captain and propelled by Nova Sco-
tia Goals. She was employed four years between
England and Ireland, when she was again put upon
the Atlantic station, and crossed and recrcssed re
peatedly,
In 1887, four steamships built in England by
different companies, for the American trade-the
Great Western, the Victoria, afterwards the British
Queen the Liverpool and the Columbus There was
great rivalry for the honor of making the first trip
across the Atlantic. The Great Western was the
first ready. On the 7th of April she SAILED for the
United States. The British and American Steam
Navigation Company, owners Of the British Queen,
not being able to get their vessel ready in time,
chartered the Sirius fine new boat, to agans,
the Great Western, and she was dispatched from
Cork on the 4th of APRIL three days before the Great
Western. Exactly twenty years after the first deep
sea steamer the James ait, had start ID from Green
ock, the first pair of Atlantic steamers left Great
Britain for America the first Atlantic was being
run, and the era of ocean steaming had commenced.
The deepest interest was felt in the result. Both
vessels performed we'll. the Sirius arriving only
tive We hours before the Great Western, which made
the passage in fifteen days. great impetus was
given to ocean steam navigation by the successful
result of the voyages of these two vessels and in less
Sly ths IndeDenupnt
commenced operations in steam navigation between
ports in England and New York Another cyc'e of
twenty years has passed since ocean steam naviga-
cn established, and the pecuniary result OF the
experiment is thus summed up:
"As commercial speculation, the Atlantic steam
ers were dead failures. The British Queen was laid
up in the Thames and Afterwards sold to the Belgi
an Government, to be converted into man of waI--
the President had gone 10 the bottom-the Liverpool
had been sold to the PennsulaI Company-the Roy
al w illiam to the Dublin Company, and when the
Great Britain was laid up inordnary in Dundrum bay
the heavily -bountied Mail lines, the Cunard and
West India Mails were alone on the Atlantic waters
The experience of twenty years had been perpet-
ual repetition Of the same thing: the American steam
ars that have been introduced have shared precisely
the fate as own, and though our friends on
this side of the water seem unwilling to learn the
hard lesson, yet the commercial result with them has
been notorously unfortunate, and at the expiration
of the second twenty years. cycle OF steam naViga-
steamers hoat the Atlantic, unassisted by postal
government bountes, is unable to pay its expen-
ses, and is commercially not successful than
the Great Western, which only three months ago final
y passed into the ship brokers' hands During the
whole of this period the bounty received from Gov
er nment has alone preserved our mail steamers from
luln, and though there are undoubtedly many evils in
these enormous monopolies, yet the future will have
to thank The Mail companies and the bounty system
for keeping the public mind alive TO the necessity OF
g.
teing the science of steam avgaiion up TO the pres
ent period, when the first time it may be considered
able to go alone and pay it's own expenses"
Mr.. Smith is strenuous advocate of the superior
ity of screw propelIers over paddle wheel steamers
which he shows has been demonstrated BY expert
ence. The Cunard fleet now consists of forty steam.
ers, of which thirty boats the mail steam.
ers from Liverpool to Boston and New York being
according to the terms of their agreement necessarily
paddle wheel steamers There now plying across
the Atlantic between Europe and North American
ports, fit four steamers, of different nationaes OF
which thirty six screw boats and eighteen paddle
wheel boats, exactly two to one in favor of the
screw steamers. All of the American steamers are
paddle wheel boats. The screw boats employed on
the Atlantic have answered mely we'll, and the
Scotch line from Glasgow to New York is said last
year to have divided twenty per cent In unpleasant
contrast with this result is the fact that, within few
days, the Ocean Steam Navigation Company of New
York, the owners of The New York and Bremen line
up their business, owing 10 the Withdrawal of the
Government subsidy in the shape of mail contract.
The boats being paddle wheel steamers cannot now
) be made 10 pay. The great advantages of screw
propellers paddle wheel steamers are thus set
forth and explained:
alt is no doubt principally from the assistance
derived from their sails that the steamers
enabled successfully 10 compete with the paddle
boats In heavy weather the latter have aterna
tive but their engines the least sail materially in
terferng with the working OF their paddles probably
throwing one wheel far III der water whilst The Other
is out, to risk breaking the shafts. When they
dare not their sails, the boats take advan
age Of every wind, as if they depended alone upon
that, whilst their propeller is always at work. through
calm rough weather equally efficient, quietly and
nolselessly forcing them on their way. For this
reason their average passages not only performed
with greater regularity than the paddle boats, but
their absolute speed, with less than half the power
to their tonnage, is about the In confirmation
OF this, the experience of the Collins, CunarI and
Canadian lines for the last year is remarkable; the
average western passage of the Cunard boats to Bos
ton and New York being IL days 141 hours, the
Collins line IL days l64 hours, a'd the smal-power.
ed screw steamers TO Quebec being IL days 201
hours. The Canadian line has been surpassed only
by the Cunard line TO New York, taking both voy.
ages out and home has kept pace with the Collins
line within 81 hours the stern trip, and beaten
them than day on the eastern run, whilst the
Cunard line 10 Boston has been beaten both out and
home"
Iron, too, is supersediDg the of wood in the
construction of steamers, and alter the present mail
contract of the Cunard line expires. it is very doubt
fuI if any British steamers built of wood and pro-
PEELED by paddles, will ever cross the Atlantic in the
mail or passenger service again. On this subject
Mr.. Smith has the following remarks, which are well
worthy of attention
/ 'Comparng the safety of wood and iron, we NAV
observe that of stranded wooden vessels no instance