The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-05-21
A TRANSATLANTIC RECORD SMASHER.
The Augusta Victoria Makes the
Fastest Maiden Trip
And Is Expected to Beat All the ocean
creyhounds.
Massive Engines In a Vessel OF Beau
tiful Proportions.

New YORK, May 20.-The new twin screw
steamer Augusta Victoria Of the Ham
burg American Packet Company's line ar
rived at Sandy Hook shortly after p. m. on
Saturday. Owing to the dense fog she was
compelled to anchor there until yesterday
morning when she steamed up to quaran-
tine, and thence to her dock at Hoboken,
which she reached shortly before noon. She
Is one Of the most handsomely fitted up
steamers in the transatlantic service, and
she succeeded in beating all previous records
Of maiden trips. completing the voyage from
Southampton to Sandy Hook In seven days
two hours and thirty minutes, actual time.
This. il the difference of the distance be-
tween Fastnet and Southampton be allowed
for, would make her time from Fastnet to
Sandy Hook six days, eight hours and
thirty minutes or the fastest trip ever made.
The two previous records were made by
the America Of the National Line In June,
1884, her record for her first voyage being 6
days 10 hours and Al minutes, and the City Of
Paris covered the distance In 6 days, IS
hours and So minutes. The new ship has
triple expansion engines, and was detained
four hours on the 18th owing to their jour-
mails being heated, and on Saturday after
noon she was Obliged TO slow down owing to
the dense fog. Her average rate Of speed
was IL $40 knots, which was made ON a con-
sumption of only 220 tons of coal q day.
Her pr0pellers registered II revolutions a
minute, and her IL engineers feel confident
that when all her machinery Is In good work.
ing order she Will eclipse anything now
afiOat In speed.
The steamer left Southampton at 8.45 D. m.
on May IL, and her daily record was as fol-
lows: May II, 290 miles; 13, 434; II, 40; 10,
AL; 16, 435; II, 464; Is, to noon, 452 miles.
when the vessel was l22 miles east OF Sandy
Hook.
Her commander, Captain A. Alberts, was
overwhelmed with congratulations by the
officials OF the company and his friends when
he had made the magnificent vessel fast at
her pier in Hoboken. Chief Officer A. Scheel
was delighted at the record having been brok-
en-, and said that the vessel would certainly
beat every record yet made when she got her
engines into good working order. The steam
er, which was built at Stettin, is triumph
OF naval architecture. Her lines are as fine
as those Of yacht. Her dimensions are /:
length. AGO feet; breath. 56 feet feet depth,
3S feet; displacement, 10,Cc0 tons and her
engines will develop Il, 800 horse power. She
has three masts which are somewhat lower
than Is usual on vessel Of her size, and she
Is rigged as fore and aft schooner. She
has three smokestacks and some idea of the
immense size Of her machinery can be formed
from the fact that her propeller
shafts weigh 40 tons each, while her
propellers are 193 feet in diameter
The ship has FIVE decks, built Of steel and
teakwood. On the promenade deck, above
the upper deck, are fourteen elegant state
rooms, with family accommodations, ladies'
saloons, music room and library. and smok-
ing rooms. The main saloon on the upper
deck is 64x32 feet. The entire ship Is lighted
by electric incandescent lamps, in corridors,
gangways, saloons and staterooms. Tele-
graphic enunciators communicate with all
statero0ms and the stewards department.