Wilmington daily gazette., 1873-02-07
rom the New York Tribune.
Mark Twain.
THE OLD-BAsA1OEED cuKAnD srEAmEns.

EAA OAb-AAaAAOhkD CuhARO STEAMERS.
It is curious, self-possessed, old fashioned Com
pany, the Cunard. (SeOtchmen they are) 1t was
born bofOro the days of steamships it inauRura-
ted oce1n steamer lines; it never has lost more
than one vessel 1t never has lost a 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 saler to be in their
vessels than on shore. Old-fashioned is the word.
When thing is established by the Cunarders it
ts thOre for good and all, almost. Before adopt-
ing new thing the chiefs Co Sitsts, and cogitate
and cogitate then they lay it before their head
puIveyor, their head merchant, their head build
their head engineer and all the captains in the
service, and they 60 of and cogtats about a year;
then u the nav wrinkle is approved it is
adopted and put into the regulations
In the old days, nearly forty years aog,
when this was an ocean line OF sailing
vessels, corpses were not permitted by the com
pany to take passage, or 60 as freight, either
sailor superstltion, you know. Very well to this
day they won't carry eorpses. Forty years ago
they always had stewed prnnes and rice for din
nsr on "duH" days; wel, to this present time,
whenever dun day comes around, you will always
have your regular stswsd prunes and rice in a
Gun rider. If you don't get anything else, you
can always depend on that-and depend on it
with yopr money up too, it you are that sort OF
1t takes them about ten or fifteen years to man
ufaetuRo = Captain; but when they have got him
manufactured to suit at last they have full conf
u0ne9 Au nAt4s Anu OAAAy OkO0k tu5y khNo u cap
tain is this, brief and to the point "Your ship
is loaded take her; speed il nothing; follow your
own road, deliver her sale, bring her back safe
safety is all that is required"
The noted CNnaFd Company is composed sim
DlV OF two or three grandchildren who have step
ped into the shoes of two or three children who
stepped into the shoes Of q couple OF old Scotch
fathsPai for BuFns and NaeLVor we're the Cunard
Company When 1t was born; 1t was Burns and
MaeiVoR whom the originatOfs had passed away |:
"a 4. md MaaTvoP aftIl In nd
tiOn--nevs1 haa been out OF the two families.--
Burna was Glasgow merchant, MacIvor was an
old oa-dog who sailed q ship tor 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 original pack
ct line from Glasgow to Halifax was established.
At that time the mails were slowly and eXpsn-
siVely carried in English Government vessels,
Burns & MaeIvoF and Judge Halliburton (''Sam
Slick1 tell 70 considering scheme of getting the
Job Of carrying these mails in priVAbe bottoms
In order 10 manage the thing they needed to Be
quiet about it, ana also they needed faster vessels
Halliburton had q relative who was not a shinging
suceess in practical life but had an inventive head
named, sam CuRArd; ;hs took his old jack-knife
and q shingle and sat down and whitfield out this
enormous Royal Mail Line OF vessels that wa cali
the CunKrdeTs- great navy, il is---doing bash
ness In every ocean; owning torty-hve steamships
of vast cost conducting its affairs with the rigid
method and system of national navy; promoting
by merit, property IN routine, and for conspicuous
service; using company uniform; retiring sup
erannuated and disabled men and officers on per-
mNnont pensions, and numbsrine3 its servants by
hundrsds and Thousands In its own private es-
tabliahment In Liverpool IL keeps 1000 men under
nav That is what Sam CuRard whitfield out.
That L TO say, he whitfield out little model for
fast vessel It was satisfactory; he was instructed
TO 20 and get the mail contract simply under his
own naEnS; he ibid III, and the company became
eommunly known aa the Ounard Company; then
the Company tried steam, and made 1t work; they
Cunarda little interest; they removed Cunnard
10 Rnaiand and made him their LoEioR agent
he grew very rich and unspsakably respectable
and when he died, he dtsd, nOt as poor dreaming
provincial whittier Of experimental models, bu,
as The great Sir Semnel CuuaFd, p. q, r., or u
W. X or somsthing like that for the Sovereign
had KniRhtsl her.
Well, the OunAEd Company is a great inst;tu-
tion, and has got more money than yon and both
nut together: and yet none OF the family ever
writa editorials or deliver lectures. The comps
nv have built sehool-h houses and they educate the
ehiIdEon Of their employees shay are going tc
build dgUlhings for their shoremen that shall be
cheap and clean and comfortable; Whsn one Of
thsif men diea, = subscription list goes about ID
his chip or IN whatever arm OF the service his
name e booked, and whatever sum is raised, the
CunaEd Company add just similar sum, and i
all goes 10 the man's hsirs. Their system Of pen
Buk have never been offered cent for ali this
Ian nok aVon aequaintsd With q mamber OF thl
CuRaFd Company. think ] will wait awhile bs
fore I 40 On-it cramps my hand to write &c
much o. Q stretch. But II is all right, any way
81 manY Thousands Of Americans have Travelled
IN khoss sAaamaFa that they Will like 20 read abou