Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-04-22

To take voyage across the Atlantic now
has come to be a matter Of making ones
will and bidding a final farewell to his
friends Since the first Of January, four
Of the great transatlantic steamers have
been lost or abandoned at sea. Fortu.
nately. no lives were lost in the three last
cases, with single exception though hun
dreds we're lost in the frst--thc hted Vile
de Ilavre. In the same time quite a mum.
Der Of coast steamers have been wrecked,
with large loss Of life in the aggregate
The Europe and the Amerique we're oban-
doncd, but the Amerique was found dere
ict, and toved into an EogIish seaport. If
n man is only as strong as his weakest
point, It would seem as IL the officers Of the
French steamers were exceptionally weak
men. They were in each case Of the three
that have been fatal to their boats, unequal
to the strain Of the great emergency that
came upon them. Perhaps no ocean steam.
crs were more finely furnished, had more
comforts, more urbane and civil officers,
better tables or more generous wines, but
these things are not compensation for
practical, skilled and brave seamausbip.
1t is possible for steamer to traverse the
Atlantic a hundred times without meeting
the crisis that calls for more than ordinary
intelligence and courage in the conduct Of
its officers but the voyage is sure to come,
in the long run, that will demand and test
the utmost resources Of the most expert
enced and able commanders and Of the
most carefulan competent engineers. And
then hundreds, and pcrchauco a thousand
lives, hang upon the energy and capacity
Of single man. If he is equal to the
pressure, the ship will come safely to port
and no one will know Of the peril she has
passed, save the man whose skill was equal
to the emergency.
The first consideration with sensible
man, in committing himself to a trip across
the ocean, will be the captain rather than
the ship and its furniture. II is no pleas
anter to 20 to the bottom Of the sea, in an
elegant saloon on the upper deck, and with
polite commander, whose wines are unex-
ceptonable, than it is to reach ones port
safely in berth below the water line,
and with a gruf old sea dog for captain.
Ia fact most thinking men would prefer
the latter. If man must descend to the
coral palaces on the bottom Of the ocean,
he wants to start from the surface with the
absolute assurance that be first did all 10
his power to escape such destination, and
he cannot have that assurance except he
takes steamer whose officers think more
Of landing their passengers safely than
they do Of giving them delightful time
while they are on the way.
Any one who has crossed the sea by two
different lines, one Of which was the Cunard,
will get some idea of our meaning. The
discipline of Cunarder is omniprescnt.
The passenger feels little sore, perhaps,
at the cool reception of his oyortures at
conversation with the officers on duty, but
he soon learns that his safety is more
thought of than the pleasure Of bis com
pauy, and he submits, with as good a grace
as possible, to the memorable rules that
seem to provide more for the absolute Sc
curity Of the ship than for the personal
vanity Of the traveller. On no other line
Of steamers, that we are acquainted with,
is this sense Of discipline aud forcible will,
equal to all emergencies, so manifest as on
the boats Of the Cunord Company. Some
thing more than luck is needed to account
for the remarkable success of this line. 1t
has never lost steamer nor passenger, and
in both respects, it is exceptional to all
other lines The boats are no better than
others. Passengers by them often complain
Of the roughness of their officers. Tn,
table is said not to be so good, aud tn,
cabins and SALOONS not 50 roomy and pleas.
ant. But a Cunard steamer never left New
York that it did not get to Liverpool, an,
one never left Liverpool for New York tina
it did not reach its port. And the reasor
is that its officers are trained men, and tn
crews subject to the most rigorous disci
pline. 1t is tho only line of the merchan
marine that has the drill and discipline O
the navy We say these things for tn
benefit of any Of our readers who may con
template voyage to Europe. The extr
fare on these steamers is very small il
surance item, aud man has the luxury
knowing when he has paid it and got b
ticket, that he has taken every human prc
caution to insure a safe voyage