Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-07-21

wheel StenMshiE-The Cunard Line

Retirement of the Last Transatlantic side
wheel Stenmshir-The Cunnrd Line.
A New York exchange published the
following interesting account of the re-
tirement of the last transatlantic side
wheel steamship, with review of the
old lines and vessels belonging to them:
"The last Of the transatlantic paddle
wheel steamers excepting the leviathan
Great Eastern), has run her race, and
is now laid up in ordinary in Liverpool.
The name ct this craft is familiar one,
and for long years she was considered
the realization Of floating palace. But
with the march OF progress old ideas
are laid aside for new ones. and the old
Cunarder Scotia has had to surrender
to the march of maritime pro-
gress. The memory of Commo-
dore Judkins, with his blunt sayings,
who commanded the noble craft for a
hundred voyages, will not readily be
forgotten, or that of his successor, Com
modore Lott. It was intended some
time ago that the Scotia should sail from
here on Wednesday, the 18th of June,
but her place was taken by the Algeria.
1t is reported that the Scotia's previous
trip here was a remarkably Improbable
one, and when it is considered that she
burns about $50 tons of coal day, while
screw steamers Of the same carrying ca
pacity, with equal speed, burn but so Tor
80 tons, it will be readily seen that she
is an expensive ship to her owners.
Last year it was reported that she was
to be converted into screw steamer. A
possibility exists that she may vet make
last trip out here in September, but it
isvery doubtful, and the last transatlantic
paddle wheeler may, therefore, be con-
sidered shelved. Her lines are very
fine, and she has repeatedly made six
teen knots an hour. She carried no
steerage passengers, and could accom-
modate $50 cabin passengers. The
cabins; with few exceptions, were
hardly as commodious as those Of mod
ern vessels. Her saloon deck was a
splendid promenade, but it was not as
roomy as those of the Bothnia and the
Scythia, which latter vessels are among
the latest additions to the Cunard fleet.
The following are the Scotia's principal
dimensions: Length, 272 feet; breadth
Of beam, Sc feet; and depth Of hold,
30 feet. She has six bulkheads, is brig
rugged, of medium model, and was built
at Glasgow in 1862. Her registered
tonnage is 2,358 tons, and her gross
burden 1901 tons, while her engines
were of 1000 horse power. The name
of her last commander was Leitch. A
great number of the Cunard9 paddle
wheel steamers have been turned into
sailing vessels, among others the Niaga-
ra, which, a few months ago, brought
a large quantity of salt here, poi
soned with arsenic. This vessel was of
1882 tons, built in 1927 at Greenock,
and was WRECKED on the 9th inst, off
Stalk Island, Holyhead, and has since
gone to pieces The Persia, which sank
at Liverpool about two years ago. Isl
now laid up. The Asia and Africa are
sailing vessels, and SO on through a
long list of names of the Cunard line!
The first steamer which belonged to the
Cunard line was the Filagal. in 1873, and
was used for the coasting trade of
Scotland. The founders of the line
were Samuel Cunard, of Halifax, Nova
Scotia, and George. Burns and David
McIver, Of Glasgow. Their first Amer
lean steamer was the Unicorn, which
sailed IN May, from Halifax Then
came the Britannia, l,2o0 tons, which
sailedfor Boston on the 4th Of July,
1910. Up to the present time the line
has possessed upward of ITO steamers,
the aggregate tonnage..of which amounts
ed to over 200, 900 tons. The line boasts
Of never having lost a, letter while en-
gagged in carrying the mail across the
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