The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-11-08

Boston, November I-The approaching transfer to take place December 1, of the Boston Liverpool and Boston NJ editerran- can services of the Dominion Line to the White Star Line will be attended with perhaps the most remarkable change of the names of steamships that has ever yet taken place-one that will, for the time beirg astonish the Atlantic ocean. That is to say, the ships on the sea have quite as distinct personalities as people in the streets. and sea-faring folk can identify them anywhere-can tell what line they belong To and in most eases what flag they fly by the family traits of their names, SD To speak, as well as by their distinctive physical characteristics. When the four big ships of the Boston contingent of the Dominion Line fleet be- come White Star Liners by the change of management they will drop their ap- pellations peculiar to the Dominion of Canada or To the New England states and take designations all of which end in the familiar "c" of the great fleet they join People who first made their
 
 will for time be as perpexed and make the same mistakes, perhaps, as if a quar- tette of their women friends had been married at once; but, just as inhabitants of a village soon are accustomed to the changed names of newly y-made Mrs. so the maritime native will quickly get used to calling the Commonwealth the Canop- ic: the recently-launched Columbus the Republic; the Maynower, which so lately boomed for the Honourable Artillery company of London the Cretic.
 Whats in a Name?
 To some people this changing the names of the vessels of the fleet may seem an insignificant matter. Doubtless the great poet who set the whole world asking What's in a name?' whenever the oc- eason offers for that familiar quotation, might still argue, were he alive to up- hold the question, that an ocean going steamship would cross the pond as speed fly and comfortably under distinguish ing numeral as under any of the steam ship names so well known to Atlantic travellers. Vessels might be numbered, like the streets in many American cities, and they would be Just as great public convenience; the giant cedric could doubtless carry the output of
 
 farms as successfully under a numeral as under her present title. Not only do the names exist however. and add some thing on their own account to the pleas ant memories of ocean travel. but they serve incidentally as means of identt- fying different lines of steamships, As is sometimes the case in human family all the names borne by the vessels of a given company have. with a very few exceptions, a certain distinct family like ness, and a person closely familiar with the sea can place almost any deep sea steamer In it's proper class the moment its name is spoken.
 Ordinarily the modern steamship car res her Identification in the color or ar rangement of colors adorning her big smoke-staek, in the flag flying at her main mast or. at night in the manner of displaying colored signal lights That these distinctions exist the yerest land- lubber knows. and, if his taste inclnes to salt water information, lie will 'proba- with a white band means inevitably an American liner; that red swallow-tail fiag-a curious suggestion of anarchy in q conventional evening garment-marked by a single white star stands for White Star liner by day or that two green lights displayed simultaneously dineren- tlate that company from all others in the darkest night. That the names of the different vessels of given company