Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-04-03
Description of the Lost Steamship
Atlantic.

The lost Atlantic was an iron ship, and
was built at Belfast, Ireland, in 1871.
She had capacity of 1923 tons, and her
draft was 90 feet. The length of the
boat was 420 feet, the breadth 40 feet
and inches, and the depth % feet. She
carried four masts, and had six bulk
heads. The Atlantic was counterpart
of the other boats of the White Star
line, and every advantage of speed COM
fort and safety was claimed for her as
well as for all of them. The saloon ac-
Communications were of modern arrange
ments-the space amidships being allot-
ted to the first-class cabin. The state
rooms were ON the main deck. The
grand saloon had no sleeping berths, as
in the case of most ocean steamers, but
extended from side to side, and formed
an apartment measuring rs by Al feet.
There was also ladies' saloon, a library,
a smoking-room, bathrooms, BARRIERS
shop, ets, and promenade of 100 feet
for the exclusive use of saloon passen-
gers. The steerage was located on the
same deck as the grand saloon, forward
and aft, and was lighted by complete
line of portfolios and deck lights. By
ascending a stairway-which was a
regular saloon stairway and not the
customary perpendicular stairway =
the steerage passengers were allow
ed a promenade of sixty feet on
the upper deck. Every part of the boat
occupied by passengers or crew was
heated by steam Altogether the boat
was considered a splendid specimen of
naval architecture, and the style in
which the saloons were fitted up was
really elegant and luxurious. The gen
eral plan of construction and the ar
rangement for the comfort of steerage
passengers received high approval from
the British emigration commissioners.
The announcements of the company
claim the following advantages for the
boats of this line Immense strength in
construction, size and power; height be-
tween decks and perfect ventilation ;
passengers carried on upper decks only !;
separate accommodations for married
couples, for single women, and for sim
gle men; separate washing ranges and
closets for males and females; ''passen-
ger decks having ''side lights" of extra
size; ample space for exercise, and alb
sence of crowding; superior and unlim-
tied supply of food, well cooked; con-
slant supply of drinking water on pas
senger decks; Through rates from any
point in Europe to any part of America;
quick passage and low rates certainty
of securing new and fast steamer.
THE WHITE STAR LINE.
The White Star line is mostly owned
by the gaeat shipping-house of Ismay,
Imrie & Co., and very little, if any, of
the stock is held in this county. In
naming the steamers of the line the no.
menClature of the once famous Collins
line was adopted, and it has often been
remarked as strange, that names Of such
ill-omen as those of the unfortunate
Collins steamers, whose history is fraught
with disaster, should have been adopted
by the company. But the name of the
Arctic, the terrible tale of whose loss
nearly twenty years ago is still well re-
membered, is omitted from the list of
the White Star names. The names of
the White Star Steamers are Oceanic,
Republic, Atlantic, AdriatiC, Celtic,
Britanic, Baltic and Germanic. 1t is
stated that disaster has befallen vessels
bearing nearly every one of those names.
But, perhrps. in naming the boats the
prOyerb that lightning never strikes
twice in the same place was adopted.
The line has been running but little over
a wear. 1t at once became the faYOrite
line of European travellers on account
of the unriYalled magnificence of their
accommodations The steamers are
compared to great floating hotels, and
are all so nearly alike that description
of one would answer for all. The steam
ers are between 420 and $50 feet long
and very low and narrow, giving the APP
pearance of a size much greater than
they really are. They are advertised as
of six thousand tons, but this is an eX-
aggeration of nearly one hundred per
cent, the steamers being but little more
than half that size, most of them less
than four thousand tons. The steamers
each have four masts, and are the fast
est that cross the Atlantic The Adriatic
last May made the fast trip ever known,
the time from Queenstown to New York
having been seven days, sixteen hours
and forty-fiye minutes. The average
passage of the steamers is nine days
Indeed about everything seemed to be
sacrificed to speed and elegance, and
there has been in many distrust of the
seaWorthiness of the steamers. Of late
there had been several communications
in the New York papers on the subject,
complaining that on the boats of the line
too great attention was paid to style and
too little to appliances for safety.
Whether this disaster will show these
complaints to be we'll founded, remains
to be seen.
The agents of the line in Boston re-
ceiYed a dispatch from New York Tues
day, stating that every state-room on the
Atlantic was engaged for her return trip
to Liverpool, and also on the succeeding
steamer, the Republic, which is adver-
tised to sail on the 18th of April. The
Atlantic was advertised for next Satur-
day Enough passengers had already
been booked to insure crowded cabins
all summer.
The Atlantic left Liverpool March 90,
and sailed from Queenstown March 81.
She was consequently eleven days from
port at the time of the calamity Refer
ence to the chart shows that in trying to
get into the port of Halifax the boat ran
by the mouth of the harbor in the fog,
past Sambro Light, something like
twenty miles, and around the west side
of the peninsula on to Meagher's Rocks,
near Prospect.