The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1891-06-20
ATLANTIC RACING YEARS AGO.
How the Cunards and the Inmans Strug-
gled for Supremacy.

How the Cunards and the Inmans Strug-
gled for Supremacy.
The popular interest that is taken in
transatlantic racing nowadays is not in
any degree less than it was thirty
years ago, when the paddle wheel gave
way TO the screw, and when several
lines became competitors for ocean
laurels. Nearly everybody has for
gotten those days, but not SO with
as Schayering, who was an
engineer on one of the transatlantic
liners before the war, and who recalls
the ships of that period with great
distinctness. He is retired now, but
his old instincts draw him down to the
water front every clear day. and there,
surveying the City Of New York, a
Times reporter met him recently.
'.Itwas III 1860 or 1861" he said, '.that
the ocean races began. Before those
days the Cunard Line had everything
its own way; but just then stiff
competitor appeared in the Inman
Line. The Cunard Company then
boosted Very remarkable yessel-the
SCOTIA paddlewheeler built and engi-
neered by Napier, and possessed of
great speed. Her tonnage was some
thing near ], 600 and her longtn $50 feet
She had set Of side-leyer engines,
with cylinders 100 inches in diameter
and a twelye-foot stroke. They were
capable ofieveloping T. 80 horse power.
Tie paddleWhecls were forty feet in
diameter, and Inany's the time I've
seen her make thirteen knots an hour
on 10 tons Of coal. The greatest day Of
- t,.tfE e, 4. Il.
from New York to Liverpool in eight
days and twenty-five hours, breaking
the record. 1t was thought then that
sire was the ideal of marine archi-
lecture.
.Inthe very next year, however, the
Cunard Lane came out with two screw
steamers, the China and then the Cuba
They We're novelties III their way and
their engines, which were of the oscll-
lating, geared, surface condensing type,
quite surprised the old hands in the
business
Meanwhile the Inmans were not
Idlc, and soon alter the appearance of
tire Cuba they launched the City of
Bristol, the City Of Limerick and City
Of Cork, vessels of about 200 tons,
equipped far more handsomely than
any Of their rivals The evolutionary
and each addition 10 the new fleet was
eagerly examined and widely COM
mented upon. The lnmans increased
their prestige in 1868 by three new
additions, the City OF Paris, the City of
BRUSSELS and the City of New York.
The first named was ofahout Z 600 tons,
being tWo-thirds the size Of the present
ship Of that name
With these handsome vessels striving
to carry the lnman colors to the front,
and with the Scotia and the China
maintaining with equal yigor the
prestige OF the Cunards, there were
many exciting contests. The news
papers Of the day were full of ocean
racing. | have in my scrapbook a
description of Il celebrated race in 1866
between the City Of New York and the
CHINA, from Queenstown to New York,
IN which the latter vessel won in eight
days and sixteen hours In the same
year the Scotia lowered the record to
eight days fifteen hours and forty-fiyc
minutes, and then the China, from
Boston to queenstown, made the
passage III eight days fourteen hours
afI fifty minutes. The greatest race of
that year took place between the Scotia
and the City OF Paris, from this ctv 10
Queenstown. IL WAS II case of paddle
N.i'.sa 'I'''ilst a'itNS' tho old llttcd
'.'1 - li i,0'Ii interest III
~ M ~ 'tt'ei'e" tiliilaN Ut that
i, i,ie 'l."' WIN her Iotty-ieei
'''','''''M ii,s'9' WI tiiI I"ce IN eisht
!, III. .;,.,l,., ~ iiiiiiu'e9'
~, ~ iiN"l tliIt was ci&lit da,s
SiAts.th iloti9 Iii'i ioitH minutes. SUD
t'lnS'hs ~ ''otli N'ht INTO me cable
II IN business 'il'i l nave never hearu
- :. l'S ~, I'm -
i, ~. ~ p l't"i'ia MtIe beaten IN ~,
-, 49, -" any Mni,aetiul
,',.,.'.i 80 : 'oii1' od.it ~ the
uiftId4. enc could steam at thirteen