Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-03-29
md Umbria have been to Cunard patrons

During the lOllOWlnS ten years the
America, Canada, Niagara and Europe
were added to the fleet. These were all
wooden side-wheel steamships, of 1900
tons and 700 horsepower, the age of the
iron propeller not having yet arrived.
About this time an attempt was made to
start and maintain an American line. In
1917 the United States was built by W. H.
Webb for Charles H. Marshall Il Co. She
was 1000 tons, 256 feet long, 30 feet bean !,
with consumption of 40 tons OF coal per
day. 1t is striking commentary on the
slight demand there was then for passenger
and fast freight accommodation that she
did not pay, was withdrawn after a few
| voyages, and sold to parties in Bremen.
She made the passage in thirteen days
The venture was succeeded a year later,
1S4S, by the establishment of the Bremen
| Line, consisting OF the New York built
side-wheel steamships Washington and
Hermann. They were 100 and $500
tons respectively, and about 240 feet long
| by 40 feet breadth of beam. They were
propelled by side-lever compound engines.
They had an average speed of eleven
! knots.
The Havre line was organized by the
| same company that had begun the Bremen
line, Messrs Fox q Livingstone. Shortly
after the successful Inauguration of the
Bremen line they ordered two additional
steamships, the Franklin and the Hum
| boidt, which, with the two sailing TO Bre-
men, were to form a semimonthly line for
the conveyance of the United States mails
| The company obtained a contract from the
Government by which they were to re-
ceive $4,000 per annum, or about one
| half the amount at this time being paid to
the Cunard line for q similar service
| The Franklin and Humboldt were both
larger and faster than the Washington and
| Hermann. The Franklin was 2,400 tons,
263 feet long by 80 feet beam. and % feet
deep. The Humboldt was $3.50 tons, 292
feet long, 10 feet beam, and y feet deep,
and was the largest steamship vet built in
/ America for any trade. She made her
! first voyage in 1851, and was totally
wrecked entering Halifax, near the site of
the Atlantic catastrophe, which happened
twenty years later. The Franklin made
| her first voyage in 1885, and was lost on
the southwest end of Long Island in July,
1854. Part of her walking-beam and the
truss may still be seen there, lending ad-
| ditional interest to visit to an old mill
near Southold.
To prevent the contract with the Gov
eminent FROM being cancelled, steamships
| were chartered 10 maintain the service I'M
| til two new steamships could be built for
the line. The Fulton and the Arago
were contracted for, and in 1856 were
ready for service. They were about the
same tonnage as their unfortunate prede-
cessors, and their accommodations for
cabin passengers were superior.
There are still a few old travellers who
| remember the comfortable saloons of the
Fulton and Arago, although the 81 each
bottle corkage charged for all wines
brought on board by the passengers was a
/ constant source of irritation.
In 1861 the line was withdrawn. The
cause was two-fold one First the steam
! ships were required for Government serv-
ice, the war of the Rebellion having
commenced, and second, the competition
now made by the more economical iron
propellers of the North German LlQvds
and Hamburg Packet Company were max
ing lie voyages of the more cumbersome
wooden side-wheelers Improbable No
attempt was made to re-establish the line
at the close of hostIlities. The history of
the Observation-Disclosures Line was
repeated by that of the Collins Line
Edward X. Collins, an enterprising mer-
chant, and the head of company running
line Of packets between New York and
New Orleans in 1S47, being Impressed with
| the success that had attended the estab-
| lishment and successful operation of the
| Cunard Line, moved in the direction Of
the organization of an American line, to
sail from New York to Liverpool After
| two years hard work spent in securing the
necessary capital and the building of the
| first Of the four steamships, Mr. Collins
had the satisfaction of seeing the Atlantic
| ready to sail for Liverpool on April y,
1S49
He had secured subsidy from the Gov
eminent for the conveyance of the United
States mails, first of S19,250; afterwards
increased to S33, 900 per voyage or $685.
600 yearly, the increase being conditioned
on the steamships making twenty-six
voyages yearly. The company further
agreed to make the fastest passages be-
tween the two countries, thus throwing
down the gauntlet to the Cunard Line.
There have been many exciting contests
in recent years between Inman and Cum
ard and Inman and White Star steam
/ ships, but no contests on sea or land ever
exceeded in interest those Of these two
rival lines-the Cunard and Collins-be-
4 tween 1850 and 1860. The four vessels,
the Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic and Baltic
in the order named, were all afoat in
4 1850.
1 The four steamships were all about the
same dimensions: tonnage, 1880; length
go feet; beam, IS feet; across the pad
dies, IS feet; depth of hold, 81 feet. They
exceeded in size and style, as they were
4 afterward to exceed in speed, any steam
| ship which up to that time had been
built.
The first passage was made in thirteen
days, and the average for forty-two west.
ward trips for one year was II days 10
hours and p minutes, against y days 10
hours and % minutes for the Cunarders.
4 The Arctic proved herself the fastest boat,
and made one journey from New York to
i Liverpool-not Queenstown-in the I'M
i equaled time of 9 days II hours and u
minutes. Her consumption of coal was
about 81 tons per day. Notwithstanding
their success as regards speed, and an
enormous subsidy-being almost equal to
the total receipts of the company for
freight and passengers-the ships did not
1 pay, and in 1860 were finally withdrawn
II DIRTY BIBLE.