The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-07-05

The Aquitania, latest giantess OF
the sea, is wonder OF size and COM
pleteness. hut even she could not I'M
press New York with the sense of
marvel as did that great ship. the
Great Western, which came into port
seventy-six years ago. on the 23rd
or April 1898. first steamship to
cross the Atlantic westward and come
up through the Narrows out Of the
mystery Of the sea
In fact. two steamers came I'D the
/ harbor that day, but the Great Wes-
etrn won the greater plaudits, for
the other steamship. the Sirius. had
left the other side three days ear
Ter.
1t was an epoch marking day IN
New York. Througs Of people gath
cred on tho Battery when the news
was spread that the first two steam
ships 10 cross the Atlantic had made
/ port safely. and were coming up the
harbor In the late afternoon.
The Sirius. which had started from
Cork, ireland, eighteen Gays before.
was the first to arrive The Herald
snip NEWS ]eiattaA 6Sfik Tile news ~
the city: rockets were sent up and
crowd began to collect. The Sirius
was "a steamship originally built for
| British river and coastw!se travel.
She was the smaller OF the two ships
! of only 200 tons and $50 horsepower.
She was commanded by Lieutenant
Richard Roberts. r. n. and owned
ny the British and American Steam
Navigation company. OF London. The
same company was then building the
! Royal Victoria which entered the
transatlantic service later.
She Would Look Small Now.
Closely following tina Sirius, Che
Great Western steamed up the har-
Dor. She had been built expressly
for the voyage, and, leaving Bristol.
England. fifteen days before, had
made the mora speedy crossing. She
had -four masts and huge black
funnel" Her length over all was
2ss feet. breadth thirty-five and one
half feet (including the paddle boxes
fifty-nine feet eight inchesl: her
drauEht. loaded. sixteen feet eight
inches: tonnage, LAO: horsepower,
450,
Contrast with these figures those
OF the Mauretania and Lusitania:
Length. $50 feet: beam. eighty.
eight. tonnage. $4,000; horsepower.
| $1,000; draught Cloaded), thirty-sev-
en- feet, six inches: speed, twenty-five
knots: passengers. 2,300. And with
those Of the Aquitania:
Length. GOT feet; breadth ninety
seven: tonnage. $4,000; speed. TWEEN
ty-three knots: passenger accommo-
dation, 4,210.
The britannia, the first mail steam
er. Of the Cunard line. in 1910. was
OF LISA tons. TAO horsepower. and
had speed of eight knots. The
Comet. built on the Clyde shortly ar
ter Robert Fuiton's Claremont made
| its appearance on the Hudson. had
only three horsepower.
The Great Western was owned by
the Great Western Steamship COM
pany, and commanded by Lieutenant
/ James Hosken, r. ". Both this ship
and the Sirius were far larger than
any of the sailing vessels which had
thus far. monopoiized Atlantic trade.
In speaking Of the excitement in the
city ON tho day that marked an epoch
In commerce and international rela-
lions. the. Herald, then published By
James Gordon Bennett, the elder,
said:
The approach Of the Great wes-
tern TO the harbor. and In front OF
the Battery was most magnificent
She looked black and blackguard-
! as all the British steamships gener-