Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-16

transatlantic Voyage of Today I'm
tho Modern Ocean Liner.

Inc north Atlantic Is only q ferry lane
now, ssyN q writer IN the Courier-Jcurnal.
steamship construction has Progressed so
fsr that the occsn voyage has been robbed
6, all Its ter-ors. rs matter hoy. fierce tie
wina may blow and hcw high the waves
may dasi: the modern steamship holds her
course as IL she was s,eamiag ia q land
TX cAca bay. No railroad can fura,sa ..aa
luxurious accommodations provided by tie
it fading steamship companies for the tray
elers OF today. The new lines are mann
moth hoatlag hotels. and even the Gorgeous
house OF Astor IS eclipsed by the FURNISH
ings OF the Luoanla and Campanis OF The
CGnarc line; the Paris and the New YORK
Of the American liza; Ia Touralne of the
rench line. and the Majestic and Teutoaic
CT the White Star Company. Ssme Of The
German steamers ere cleo loatiag palaces.
A c,mpicte breakdown OF these vescel5 IL
impossible. ana they are practically TN
sinkable They have twin screws, driven
by two sets Of easiacs Il separate water
tight compartments. and the steam IS fur
i.ished by boilers nestcd I'm others.
Saturday In New York 10 called steamer
day. owing to the large number or trans
atlantic liners which leave port on this cay.
A visitor to New York can witness no
grander sight than these steamers as they
go Flowing their wey Down the bay with
decks covered with people taking Q last
lcok CT home. The other Saturday eight
big liners left for the other side Net q
one had a vacant cabin. some OF which had
been sold for $3.50 TO 81. ooo. Even the OIL
GERS rooms were given up to the tourists.
The Struggle for Supremacy.
Railroad competition is rot IN it with the
fierce rivalry that exists between the lead
ing ranslentic steamship companies.
Money is no object when the record Of a
rival ccmpany's vessel caa be broken, and
Ina has SIZE
stocks intended TO outrun anything afloat.
The principal steamship lines engaged In
the transatlantic service are the American,
| the only line having vessels sailing under
the American nag. the Cunard, White star,
North German Lloyd, Hamburg American,
These lines carry the bulk OF the passenger
| traffic. Until the move OF the American
line, Liverpool was the principal port for
New York steamers On the other SIDE, and
between these two points the fast runs
have been made. The time is taken from
| Queenstown Roche's Poinu 20 Sandy Hook
light ship. $3.50 miles. Southampton steam
ers take time from the Needies. S.loo
miles. ans the distance ffora Hevre TO New
York Is $40.
Every hour that has been taken of the
time has cost millions. and Il looks now
II the lirr;it will sooa be reached Way back
/ in 1906 the Scotia. a side-wheeler OF the
/ Clnard line, made the voyage from Queens
town to the Hook In eight days two hours
and forty-eight minutes. In 1918 the Baltic
OF the White Star line came over In seven
days, twenty hours and nine minutes. Two
years later the City Of Berlin Of the old
Inman line lowered this record nearly five
hours. The Ge-nsnic was then buin by
the White Star line. and they also brought
out the Britannia. In 1876 the Germanic
brought The voyage down to seven
days. eleven hours and thirty-seven
NH s,.,.I In ISL her sister steamer,
days. ten hours and ffty-three minutes.
These Two vessels were then the fastest
| anoat and were getting the cream OF the
| the front with the Arizona The Arizona
was built to beat everything efioat. and,
| after set-to with an iceberg. she lowered
the record in 1870 10 seven days. seven hours
| and twenty-three minutes.
| This encouraged the Guion line TO greate4
| excrtion, and In 1872 the Alaska made her
| appearance. She was the first steamer to
make the passage under seven days. In
September. lss2 she steamed from the Hook
to Queenstown In six days eighteen hours
and thirty-seven minutes. In 1854 the Guion
| Teople built the Inflated Oregon. afterward
scld to the Cunard line. She lowered the
Alasl.a's record seven hours and twenty
| eight minutes. In the same year the Amer
lea Of the National line cut OF another
hour.
Rapid Reduction In Time.
Then came the era which resulted In the
grcyhounds Of today. The Cunard line had
been forced to the rear. II did not stay
there long. The Cmbria and the Etruria
were built at a cost Of s. 100000 They
Were then the largest steamers anoat with
:he exception Of the Great Eastern In
1855 the Etruria crossed In six days, Eve
hours and thirty-one minutes. In 1887 the
Cn,bria made the trip in six days four
hours and forty-two minutes, but In the
following year the Etruria reesined her
iarreis by cutting this time down by two
hours and forty-seven minutes The old In
man line had fallen out OF the race. but not
the rescue and orders for two steamers
were placed with J. @. Thompson on the
S.yde. The resal; was the City OF New
fork ana the City OF Paris. the first twin
screw passenger steamers and the first to
cross the Atlantic In less than six days
The shipping world was astonished and to-
day, though both vessels have been exceiled
| In speed. they remain the finest snoat
The City Of New York and the CITY of
Paris now plain New York and Paris. were
built In ISIS and 1879 At a cost of 81 500 go
each. The two vessels are nike. IN every
detail Tney are 50p feet long sfxty-three
feet wide. fsrty-three feet deep ana meas-
gre loSoO Ons. Two sets OF triple expan-
sion engines drive these twin screw monsters
through the water At the rate Of nearly
twenty knots, or almost twenty three miles
an hour, and TO accomplish this AZ takes s2s
tons OF coal a day. A crew OF 600 Is re-
| CURED TO man one OF these vessels IL was
| IA 1881 Whcn the Paris new- over from
Queenstown 20 Sandy Hook In five DAVIS
r.neteen hours and eighteen minutes But
IN the meantime the White Star line
brought out tho Majestic and the Teutonic.
Twin screw steamers Of 10000 tons and
| is.ooo horse power. In 1881 the Majestic
| lowered the Paris record by one hour ana
ten minutes. Shortly afterward the Teu-
tonic won the laurels by coming over in
nve DAYS, sixteen hours and thirty-one min
I lies
Mnile the Paris was attempting TO make
lsst passage one OF her engines broke
Gown ard tore out one side OF her The
water rushed in. but the Paris was no;
! built ID sink ana she WAS towel into p1rt
! While repairs were being made many i'm
proNements were put in. and when the de-
tnroGei queen Of the seas resumed her
trips she resainei her crown. In July 1892
the Paris made the passage from Queens
town in five days. fifteen hours ard ffty-
eight minutes, going a distance OF 2Ts5
knots. Her raost notable voyage was made
In october OF the same year. when she
broke her own recori This vova,-e was
made in Ave days fourteen hours and twen-
/ ty-four minutes.
The Paris and New York are owned in
America, but owing 10 the absurd naviga-
ton laws were forced 20 fly the British flag
until Congress granted them American reg
stry IA 1892. The name OK the lnman line
| was then changed TO the American line ana