The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-11-08

follows The custom of naming its ships
in honor Of larger American cities. as
in thecaseo the st. Paul and 81. Louis
which now have resumed peaceful nayi-
cation after their mere exciting service
in the Spanish war under the names OF
the two eldest American univers.ties-
the New York and the Philadelphia, the
last a vessel that viii long be fanous
for its part in the development OF wire
less telegTaphy. The AMMAN Line whicn
was the predecessor of the ArneriC an.
followed a somewhat similar policy. ex-
cept that it named its ships for important
cities on both sides or the water. And
the Cunarders like the White Star liners
rare recognizable by the two distinctive
final letters ia instead Of &c"
Usually the first vessel in the squad
ron of a given company has been re-
/ sponsible for the christening of all later
additions again suggesting a certain sim
iiarity between a family CT steamships
and family of humans The ships of the
Dominion line. which began its service
from Liverpool to Boston at compare
lively recent date. having been previoasls
engaged mainly in trade win Canadian
ports and with lew Orleans the fed in
which it VIII continue when it gives over
its Boston services next month-haye at
/ first glance much less similarity than
either the White Star of American liners.
These xessels-the Canada, the New Eng
land, M2yhower Commonwealth and 9TH
ers-had however, an obvious similarity
TO each other that made them almost as
Immediately recognize be TO the Initiated
as if ike the White Star liners. they all
/. ended in "ic'' or like the vessels of the
Atlantic Transport service, all began with
NJ The first vessel Of this fleet WAS the
Canada, and all that have followed bear
names Immediately suggestive either of
Canada of New England.
Years ago, when the Atlantic Transport
Company opened a service from Baltimore
to London its first vessel was the Mary
land, so named in honor Of the native
state OF the promoters 1nesi ster ships
that followed were named after other
states in the Union that began with the
same letter. These states, however, were
soon exhausted and the god-parents OF
the newer steamships turned 10 Indian
nomenclature beginning also with the
widest letter in the alphabet. The result
is that every vessel of the Atlantic Trans
port feet, now grown TO something over
20 liners, has the same initial. The largest
ships of theline the 1900 ton monsters
now in service between New York ana
London, have names that begin moreover
with the same syllable; Minnehaha, Min
netonka, Minneapolis-wherein one might
say that the Atlantic Transport people
had poachcd a little on the preserves of
the American Company did not both in
itial and syllable give them a good fight
ing claim TO -ainneapolis-and several 9TH
ers.
The Red Star Line. another Of the great
Atlantic companies that has lately com
biHed with the White Star. American,
Dominion and Leyland 10 form the Inter
national Mercantile Marine Company, has
also its distinctive final syllable. One of
the earlier Red Star ships. then sailing
under the Belgian flag, was the Belgen-
land. The Neordland and Westernland
continued the use of the distinctive final
syllable land" which finds its latest ex-
anples in two American-built vessels,
Finland ard Kroonland. In the Interna-
tional Navigation Company, which form
erly controlled the RED Star and Ameri-
can lines, there is another group of yes
sells that suggest comparison with the
Dominion line already mentioned. The
names of this group are names of sub |
urbs either of London or Philadelphia !
and they may he recognized by this reIa-
ton in much the same fashion as the |
dominion liner may be known by a name !
suggestive of either New England or Can
ada
In the nomenclature of the half hun
dred vessels of the Layland Line there
is invariably a final IAN and more often
4 final ian The Canadian Devonian
Winfredian and Californian are examples
OF the more numerous class; the Jamaic-
an and Texan of the other SO closely are
the systems of steamship nomenclature
months the Layland renamed two Of its
followed out nowadays Inat within two
best known craft. the Pinemore and the
calling them the Oxonian ana
the EtCnian that they might bear the
family strawberry mark
1t is not difficult to go through the Ist
Of 40 odd ships of the International Me-
camille Marine, for example, and ASSIGN
each to the SUBSIDIARY company to which
it belongs. The Georgian thus stands i'm
mediately revealed as a Layland steamer;
the Celtic, Cedric or Cyunic and Tie -four
big liners TO be transferred from the 20
minion feet as ships OF tn White Star;
Menominee. Marquette, Mackiaaw or
Mississippi as Atlantic Transport vessels;
OF the Fr.esland or iceland as Red Star
liners once the method Of naming the
vessels of a given line has been started
il is rigidly adhered to By the ow-eT-
and the great transatlantic steamship
are as unlikely to change thei-
systems as they are 10 chang
their flags. the colors Of their smoke
sta ci5s or the familiar cut Of their Off !