Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-04-04
HISTORY OF THE ILL-FATED
STEAMER ATLANTIC


The Atlantic was built by Harland { Wolf,
at Belfast, Ireland in 1870, and was launched
in the month of December of that year. She
was 400 feet in length, 40 feet Q inches brsadtl,
of beam, and % feet inches depth of hold
proper and 81 feet to top of spar deck, and
measured 1886 tons, Custom house measure
ment. Her machinery was built by George
Forester & Co., of Liverpool, and consisted
of four compound engines. with Al and IS
inch cylinders, with co inches stroke Of pis-
ton aud nominal horsepower Of 600. She
had ten main boilers, sufficient TO give her
steady pressure Of co pounds to the square
inch, burning, on an average, so tons OF coal
a day, and working her screw up to So revo-
lutions per minute. On her trial trip she
made l l2 knots per hour. She was fitted
with seven water-tight bulk heads, running
from kelson to main deck. She had three
iron decks, running fore and aft, to aid in
strengthening this long, narrow hull. Her
masts, four in number, were ofiron and all in
one piece, and the yards were also Of iron.
In point of equipment the Atlantic was as
fine as any of the vessels of the line, and at
tracted much attention when she first made
her appearance in the Mersey. She sailed
from Liverpool, On her first voyage, early in
June, 1871, and arrived at New York on the
morning Of Friday, June %, 1871, having
made the run little short ofeleven days, be-
ing the second ship of the line, and command
ed by Capt. Digby Maury, now relieved from
the line. She remained in port until the lst
day of July, 1871, when, at 10 p. NJ, she
discharged her pilot off Sandy Hook, home
ward bound for the first time, and in eight
days and nineteen hours she was off Crook
haven. The voyage was somewhat remark
able for the number of distinguished guests
on board, who celebrated the Fourth OF July
| n m ri ~ IN
ocean steamer at sea. The Atlantic has been
steadily employed in the trade since she en-
tered it, and until the disaster which has seal
ed her fate, has never met any serious acct
dent.
This type of vessel has never been consid-
y cred by American engineers as one likely to
stand the slightest rough usage after ground
ing, and that she should have gone to pieces
il quickly after striking is no wonder. The
/. enormous length and disproportionate beam
renders them an easy prey to the action Of
IS waves after they once touch bottom. In this
d case the seven water-tight bulkheads seem to
n have proved of no use. as the loss Of life
shows that there was not enough of the ship
It left to shelter but few persons.
n The Atlantic sailed from Liverpool on the
% goth of March, and probably left Queenstown
the next day, and was due at New York Mon
/ day evening, even allowing that she encoun-
r, tered heavy westerly weather. Some anx-
:. iety was felt regarding her safety Tuesday as
she had not arrived up to shutdown. Yet there
l. were some who attributed her non. arrival to
e broken screw or deranged machinery. Yet
l. none thought that before 10 o'clock the news
of terrible disaster to her was to reach the
Z City.
s. One of the principal causes for the loss of
@ the ship may be set down to the lack of coal.
1t is well known fact that the price of coal
in England is very high, and that the trans
=; Atlantic lines buy largely on this side, and
It endeayor to take over something of supply
, to bring them back to this side. 1t is also
true that much of the coal furnished at the
Of present time on the other side is of very
G, poor quality, and will not make steam as free.
n, ly as the Welsh Goals usually furnished to
- the first class steam lines. Another cause fol
i, the disaster is that the vessel was considera
S. bly, out OF her true course, either for Halifax
or New York, and the Captain evidently had
been running well north to shorten up his
Is Longitude This practice has long been
9 discountenanced by the principal lines, and in
l. some instances the Captains positively for
' hidden to take the high latitude route which
: the Atlantic evidently had taken.
: 1t does not seem possibly that any vessel
, could have stood the shock of striking the
!, ground or coast in the neighborhood of where
the Atlantic struck, for it is mass of finty
! rock for scores of miles in each direction.
From the terrible loss of life, (seven tenths of
, all on board,) it is evident the ship must have
gone on to the rocks at a high rate of speed,
and boats and RATS were of no avail in the
heavy surf and sea which beat in from the
broad Atlantic Ocean.
u 1t is probable that the Atlantic did not have
n over GOO tons of coal on board when she left
Queenstown, which, at a consumption of say
:, sixty tons per day, would have lasted her ten
Il days. At this season of the year some aid
! was expected from easterly winds, and prob
0 ably she started in the hope of reaching New
York with the GOO tons.