The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-04-03
FIRST TRANSATLANTIC
 STEAMSHIP LEET CORK
 z7 YEARS AGO TODAY

Today marks the SeYenty-SeVenth anniversary of one Of the most inn the departure from Cork of the Sir ius, the first vessel to cross the At lantic wholly under her own steam. ] All that remains of that staunch little fl 2-ton pioneer of the transatlantic steam passenger trade is number of brass paper weights, made from the metal work of the Sirius, after she had been wrecked in Bal1ycotton Bay in 1847. Capt, Roberts, the commander Of the Sirius on her
 maiden voyage across the Atlantic. was later transferred to the Presi- dent. which went down with all on board Thus both the Sirius and her commander had a tragic end.
 The Sirius made the voyage from Cork in nineteen days, reaching New York only a, few hours before the Great Western, another steamship which had sailed from Bristol. The l latter madeA the best hmes crossing the ocean in fifteen days and the Sirius came near losing the honor of being the hrst transatlantic steam vessel
 The Sirius had a passenger list of seven on her initial voyage under steam power across the Atlantic. The youngest of these passengers, Vincent F. Ransomes then four years old, was recently reported to be living in Wilt shire, England, where he was long the rector Of a parish church The Ran some party, consisting of Vincent, his l father, sister and elder brother. com pTdsed more than half of the passen- gers
 or that memorable voyage the Key. l Vincent Ransome wrote:
 Aside from us four there were two l quite noted passengers aboard. MT. | F7f f71 ter Miss Dayenport-t their name was ErealIy Crumnaies-and I remember that he was in a most nervous state. afraid lest we should go down when ever we encountered rough seas.
 When we began our voyage upon 1 the Sirius, she was laden almost l down to the waters edge, most of her coal being on deck We had noth- l ing but rough weather. and she was ! but a sort of akin on the water, so I you may we'll imagine we had many l unpleasant and trying experiences.
 ssWhen about fortnight out fuel
 began to run short, and all spare l yards and woodwork had to be sacri- need to feed the furnAce. Resin had to be taken from the cargo. This was mixed with the coal ashes, ana So Nthe steam was kept up.
 I Toward the end of this voyage o1
 nineteen days we had a startling in I C1QGGI, IOE we ran dSTOUn11 at SS41Qy
 Hook a few hours before entering New York harBor It was a still
 quiet night. and the tide was low
 When it rose they backed the pad
 dies. and got the steamer off, and she l g1ided into her berth not long before
 the Great Western, the delay nearly
 losing her the palm of the first steam ivoyage aer oss the Atlantic.
 The arrival Of the Sirius and the I Great Western marked the beginning
 of steam passenger traffic between
 Great Britain and America, although
 number of years passed before the
 steamships offered much advantage l in speed and accommodations over the l sailing vessels. The Sirius, of Az
 tons burden. was a schooner -rigged fship, and was ITS feet over all, RvitE
 a beam of twenty-five feet and a depth l of eighteen feet. The accommoda- l lions for Messengers were of the
 crudest sort and they were supposed
 to provide and prepare their own food. The Sirius originally started l from London, but encountered such
 severe weather that she had to put fn Ito Cork for repairs Several of the I passengers who had bearded the ves- l ssl left it at Cork, forfeiting their passage money rather than risk the
 dangers of voyage across the At lantic in a steam-propelled vessel