Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-02-19
FAST OCEAN STEAMERS.
English Engineers to Try to Outstrip the
Lucania.

Especial Correspondence
LONDON, Feb. 5-The announcement that
two new English passenger steamers, SIM
liar to but speedier than the Campania and
the Lucania, are to be shortly laid down is
pretty good evidence that even if Great
Britain is in some danger, by reason of the
looked for combination of the French and
Russian navies, of suffering loss of prestige
as fighting mistress of the seas, it is not
proposed to allow any but English boats to
win the record for fast steaming on the At
lantic without II struggle.
1t was supposed that no further efforts to
decrease the time between New York and
Liverpool would be made on this side of
the water until it had been seen. what the
ships to be built by the Cramps for the
American line would do, but the Cunard
people have evidently determined not to
risk any such experiences in the way of loss
of customers as they had during the years
after the White Star boats and the City of
Paris, the City of New York and one or
two German steamers showed their heels to
the crack greyhounds of the Cunard fleet.
The history of the struggle for speed on
the transatlantic ferry would be an inter
esting one. The first vessel to cross the
ocean was American built and made her
voyage as long ago as 1919, but there was
no really successful steam navigation until
1888, and regular trips were not begun I'M
til two years later, when, in 1910, the Bri-
tannia began to ply between Liverpool and
Boston, making an average time of II or Is
days. That was more than half a century
ago, and the effort for greater speed has
been kept up without intermisSiOn ever
since The result has been something to be
proud of, for the best boats now regularly
attain speeds that We're thought possible
only to railroad trains not so many years
ago.
During the so odd years that ocean steam
ing has been improving, American built bot
toms have held supremacy for but one brief
period, although the American clipper ships
were the fastest sailing craft afioae, and
through them Uncle Sam was for many
years accorded the supreme place among
swift navigators. The Collins line of steam
ers was an American institution, chartered
and subsidized in 1919, and its boats low
cred the average record of the best Cunarl
boats of the periodic days 10 hours and %
minutes-to II days 10 hours.
By 1881 the time had been cut down to 9
| days hours and % minutes, the pennant
then being held by the Arizona of the Guon
line This line, which was English, main
tanned it's supremacy till 1885, at which
time the record made in 1854 was held by
the Oregon at days 10 hours 10 minutes.
1t was the Cunarder Etruria that lowered
that record to days hours 81 minutes,
and Cunard boats kept the record then till
! 1899, when the beautiful hull of the City of
Paris was pushed across the Atlantic in )
| days 90 hours and minutes. The suprcT-
acy was still in English hands, for the line
| now known as the American was then the
Inman, and the contest that followed was
for three years more between English boats
only, the White Star and 1nman lines being
the only competitors.
When the Cunard company came to the
front with her present fast boats the Paris,
| then under the American flag. held the
| honors at days IA ht urs and "a minutes,
! though the White Star boats Teutonic and
Majestic had each won the pennant and
| kept it for a short time The record is now
! held by the Lucania at days II hours Il
| minutes, and it will take a good boat
whether of Yankee or English build, tc
! best her c. p. HOMESTAN.