The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-04-03
The White Star Line.

The Boston Advertiser gives the following
interesting facts relative to the White Star
Line and the i'll fated steamship Atlantic:
The White Star Line is mostly owned by the
great shipping house of Ismay, Imre & Co.,
and very little, if any, of the stock is held in
this country. In naming the steamers of the
line the nomenclature of the once famous Col
Inns 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 disas-
ter, should have been adopted by the company.
But the name of the Arctic, the terrible tale of
whose loss twenty years ago is still well re-
membered, is omitted from the list Of the White
Boar Iames. The names of the White Star
steamers are Oceanic, Republic Adriatic, Gel
tic, Britanic, Baltic and Germanic. 1t is stat
ed that disaster has befallen vessels bearing
nearly every one Of those names. But, per-
haps, in naming the boats the proverb that
lightning never strikes twice in the same place
was adopted. The line has been running but
little over year. 1t at once became the favor
lite line of European travellers on account of
the unrivalled magnitcence of their accommo-
datons. The steamers are compared to great
floating hotels, and are all so nearly alike that
a description of one wonld answer for all The
steamers are between 400 and 450 feet long and
very low aud narrow, giving the appearance of
a size much greater than they really are. They
are advertised as of six thousand tons. but this
is an exaggeration 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 fastest that cross the Atlantic The Adri-
attic last May made the fastest trip ever known,
the time from Queer stown to New York hav-
ing been seven days, sixteen hours and ifty-iv
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 seaworthi-
ness of the steamers. Of late there had been
several communications in the New York pa
pers on the subject, complaining that on the
boats of the line too great attention was paid
to show and style and too little t. appliances
for safety. Whether this disaster will show
these complaints to be well-founded remains to
be seem
Inc lost Atlantic was an iron ship, and was
built at Belfast, Ireland, in 1871. She had
capacity of 1928 tons, and her draft was % feet
The length of the boat was 400 feet, the breadth
40 feet and nine inches, and the depth % feet.
She carried four masts, and had six bulkheads.
The Atlantic was a counterpart OF the other
boats of the White Sta line, and every advan-
tage of speed, comfort and safety was claimed
for her as for all of them. The saloon accom-
modations were of modern arrangementS-the
space amidships being allotted to the 6rst-class
cabin. The State-roomS were on the main deck.
The grand saloon had 10 sleeping berths, as is
the case on most ocean steamers, but extended
from side to side and formed an apartment
measuring 70 by Al feet. There was also la
les saloon, library, a smoking-room,
bathrooms, BARRIERS shop, and
promenade of $50 feet for the ex-
elusive use of saloon passengers. The steerage
was located on the same deck as the grand sa-
loon. forward and aft, and was lighted by a
rnmplete line of portfolios and deck lights BY
ascending a stairway-which was regular
,aioon stairway and not the customary stair
way-the steerage passengers were allowed
promenade of sixty feet on the upper deck.
Every part of the boat occupied Ivy passengers
Or crew was heated by steam. Altogether the
boat was considered a splendid sp cimen of
naval architecture, and the style in which the
saloons were fitted up was really elegant and
luxurious. The general plan of construction
md the arrangements for the comfort of steer
age passengers received high approval from the
British emigration commissioners. The an
nouncemeuts of the company claim the follow
ing advantages for the boats of this line: I'm
nense strength in construction, size and pow
er; height between decks, and perfect ventila-
ton; passengers carried on upper decks only;
separate accommodations for married couples,
Tor single women, and for single men; separ-
ate washing-ranges and closets for males and
females; passenger decks having ''side
lights" of extra size; ample space for exercise,
md absence of crowding; superior and uulimit-
ed supply of food, well cooked; constant sup
ply of drnking-water ON passenger decks;
through rates" from any point in Europe to
any part of America; quick passage, and low
t'S' certainty of securing new and fast
steamer