The weekly Shasta courier. [volume] (Shasta, Calif.) 1872-190?, 1873-03-29
MARK TWAIN ON THE CUNARp LINZ

MARK TWAIN ON THE CUNARD LINE
= 1t is curious, self-possessed, old
fashioned company, the Cunard.
(Scotchmen they are. 1t was born
before the days of steamships it inau-
gerated ocean steamer lines it never
has lost more than one vessel; it has
never lost passengers life at all its
ships are never insured; great mer-
camille firms do not insure their goods
sent over in Cunard ships; it is rather
safer to be in their vessels than on
shore Old-fashioned is the word
When a thing is established by the
Cunarders, it is there for good and all,
almost. Before adopting new thing
the chiefs cogitate and cogitate and
cogitate; then they lay it before their
head purveyor, their head merchant,
their head builder, their head engineer
and all the captains in the service, and
they go off and cogitate about year;
then if the new wrinkle is approved it
is adopted, and put into regulation. In
the old days, near 40 years ago, when
this was an ocean line of sailing YES
sells, corpses were not permitted by the
company to take passage, or go as
freight either-sailor superstition, you
know. Very well; to this day they
won't carry corpses. Forty years ago
they always had stewed prunes and rice
for dinner on "duf'' days; well, to
this present time, when ever duff day
come around, you will always have your
regular stewed prunes and rice in a
Cunarder. If you don't get anything
else, you can always depend on that -
and depend On it with your money up,
too, if you are that sort of person.
1t takes them about 10 to Is years
to manufacture a captain; but when
they have got him manufactured to suit
at last. they have full confidence in him.
The only order they give captain is
this, brief and to the point: "Your
ship is loaded, take her; speed is moth
ing; follow your own road, deliver her
safe, bring her back safe-safety is all
that is required
The noted Cunard company is COM
posed simply of two or three grand
children who have stepped into the
shoes of two or three children, who
stepped into the shoes of a couple of
old Scotch fathers; for Burns and Mac
Ivor were the Cunard company when it
was born; it was Burns and MacIvor
when the originators had passed away;
it is Burns and MacIvor still in the
third generation-never has been out
of the two families. Burns was a
Glasgow merchant, MacIvor was an
old sea dog who sailed ship for him
in early times. That vessels earnings
were cast into sinking fund; with the
money they built another ship, and then
another, and thus the old original
packet line from Glasgow to Halifax
was established. At that time the
mails were slowly and extensively car
ried in English government vessels.
Burns & MacIvor and Judge Halibur-
ton ("Sam Slick') fell to considering
a scheme of getting the job of carrying
these mails in private bottoms. In
order to manage the thing they needed
to be quiet about it, and also they need
ed faster vessels. Halliburton had
relative who was not shining success
in practical life, but had an inventive
head; name, Sam Cunard; he took his
old Jack-knife and single and sat
down and whitfield out this enormous
Royal Mail line of vessels that we call
the Cunarders-a great navy, it is
doing business in every ocean; owning
As steamships of vast cost; conducting
its affairs with the rigid method and
system of national navy; promoting
by merit, priority in routine, and for
conspicuous service: using company
uniform; retiring superannuated and dis
abled men and officers on pensions, and
numbering its servants by hundreds
and thousands. In its own private es-
Enlistment in Liverpool it keeps 1000
men under pay. That is what Sam
Cunard whitfield out. That is to say,