The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-12-03
STEAMBOAT TRRFriC---l66C-l6 $50.

Hc lICICuSSV SpSSN vi SS" So'hS
steamers has been, and is, one of !
the greatest wonders of the age. |
During the past forty years, and
since the first steamboat crossed the |
Atlantic, there has been n constant |
demand for q reduction in the time
occupied by steamboats, between
their respective destinations, and |
perhaps nowhere more so than be-
tween New York and Liverpool.
The first company to display any
enterprise in ocean travel was the
celebrated Cunard Company, their
example being soon followed by
other companies, which occasion
ally surpassed the Cunard line in
speed, but never in regularity. In
fact the regularity of the Cunard
line is proverbial, and has been
maintained in the face of many
difficulties. The service was at first
carried out by sde-wheel boats, of
which the S. S. Persia proved the
fastest, and held the palm for about
ten years-1S50-1S6O.
This boats of the Cunard Com
pany ran alternately with an Ameri-
can line of side-wheel and walking
beam class, know as the Collins line.
The average time made by each line
was 81 to 10 days, the Persia occa-
sionally doing it in 8 days.
For some reason unknown to the
writer, the American Company soon
collapsed, while the rapidly increas-
ing passenger and freight traffic be-
tween Europe and the United States
was further supplemented by enter
prising Liverpool Merchants, who
formed the White Star line, the
Inman line, and a few intermediate
boats that were anxious to share in
the enormous profits of constantly
increasing trade.
The old packet ships, as they were
called, sailing under the United
States flag, and known as the Black
Ball liners, were fast being with
drawn. They were losing money.
In fact the competition soon became
so keen, that for time it was sup
posed that everyone engaged in the
Atlantic trade was adding to the
debit side of the ledger. The re-
'bellion aided to kill the packet ship
trade.
Steamboats, meanwhile increased,
and those propelled by screw were
found to be best adapted to the
trade, and during the COS the side
wheelers became thing of the past.
The Cunard Company made what
money was to be made, being
heavily subsidized by the British
Government. The Clyde was the
scene of unusual activity. Steamers
of enormous tonnage and unheard
of horsepower were launched al
most weekly, the Cunard Company
always obtaining the best to be had.
They had made money, and they
spent it freel y for Il good purpose.
Their new boats soon reduced the
time to eight days passage. Steam
boat owners and engineers only know
what it cost to save this one day. A
ten-knot boat was then considered
very fast indeed, but to increase the
speed to ] Il or even II knots per
hour, necessitat, d an enormously
increased consumption of coal. Now
came the Continental shipowners t.
share in the trade, With the Ant,
werp, Bremen (North German
Lloyds) and l1avie boats.
But this bloodlhilsty race fol
money, Ct WAS nothing more MOI
less) resulted in some sad catas
trophies. The collisions at sea, the
bursting of boilers, the foundering'
of over-laden steamers, the boats
that were never heard of after leav
ing port, and the accompanying loss
of lie and property, become appall
ing.
Numerous though the losses were
strange to say the Cunard line, who
had run more steamers, and made
more passages than any other exist
ing line, had what is called lex
tremely ''good luck" 1t was moi
fill the year 1886 that the sad loss
OF the grey hound of the Atlantic