New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-10
WHAT is THE LIMIT OF SPEEDl
cU1-rrNG DOWN THE OCEAN RECORD.
FAST TIME MADE BY THE BIG TRANSATLANTIC
STEAMSHIPS.


FAST TINE MADE BY THE BIG TRANSATLANTIC
STEAMSHIPS
GTbe record las been beaten was the word passed
along tho water front among steamship men and
ocean travellers when they learned that the Cunard
steamship Etruria was of Sandy Hook at noon on
Saturday June Q. Tho record had been beaten sev-
cral times, not only by different vessels. but tho
Etruria had beaten her record more than once
Tho E,rra left Queenstown Just after lunch Sun.
day. May 81, and was off Sandy Hook nearly two
hours before lunch on Saturday. June g. While the
apparent interval Of time was thrce hours less than
six days between the two points, owing to the differ
ence I'm time of four minutes to each degree OF Ion
gitde she had crossed she actually six days one
hour and fifty-fve minutes between the two points,
span OF 1854 marine miles Her average runs
were All knots every twenty four hours, but on
day. the day previous to her arrival on Sandy Hook
she made 5O3 knots. This was at the rate Of 81
knots an hour, 2,124 feet each minute and IS
feet each second and for the entire run an aver
age OF 10 6-10 knots an hour.
The question arises, as II has often done before,
what f. tho limit of speed IL seems not unlikely
that before the summer of 1889 the fastest steamers
on tho AtIantc-such as the Etruria the Umbris the
Lahn the saale, the Trave, the Vera, tho Aler,
the Elbe, the City OF Rome, La Bretagne La Bour-
gogne La Champagne, La Gascogne, the Alaska
and the Arizona cease TO hold their precmnence
of speed. The DullnefS malhtaln mat
tho only question whether the six days
transit can be surpassed not Is Of expense The
two twn-screw vessels being built for the White Star
Line and the two new steel steamships nearly COM
pleted for the Inman Line promise to snrpass any>
thing vet brought out In tho matter Of speed
CONSIDERING THE QUESTION OF PROFIT .
VIII a higher rate Of speed be profitable Is ques4
ton being considered VIII not greater speed involve
greater peril by augmentng the dangers in fogs and In
had weather. Are fast steamers the SAFEST There
Is diversity Of opinion among mariners on this latter
point But whether these problems may be solved In
the affirmative or negative, the records OF the fast
steamers are interesting. Each captain is as jealous
Of the ability Of his ocean greyhound TO excel all others
I'm the matter of speed as the Haggins, the Jeromes
the BadwIns and other of fast horses, tho
owners of yachts both steam and sail, are OF their
records.
Previous to this last unprecedented trip OF tho
Etrura she the bearer OF the champion pennans
as the Queen of the ocean, but the pennant had
alternated between the Alaska, the Arizona, the
Aurana, the Oregon, the Umbna and the Etruria
This however, does not say that the steamers OF tho
French and the North German Lloyd lines enumerated
above are not equally FAST but they sail between
different ports their trips are not calculated In the
comparison OF the speeds between Queenstown and
Ncw-York For instance the Aler, OF the North
German Lloyd made the trip from New-York to South
ampton in September last in days hours and 20
minutes This is equivalent to making the run to
Queenstown I'm days hours and 40 minutes. The
following Is table of the fastest TRANSATLANTIC trips
made and the vessels which made them:
EASTWARD