The New York herald., 1922-07-24
NO MORE ATLANTIC
SHIP SPEED TESTS
Competition of Ocean Grey
hounds in Pre-War Days
Has Vanished.
COST OF FUEL TOO HIGH
No Likelihood of Shifting
Terminal to Plymouth
or Falmouth.
COST OF FUEL TOO HIGH

| Special Cable to THE NKw YORK HERALD.
Copyright, .lses. by THE New YoRK HERALD
New York Herald Bureau.
London. July 23,
There is little possibility of speeding
up the time of crossing the Atlantic
according to shipping authorities here
There seems to be a general understand
ing among the big companies not to re;
turn to the speed competitions carried
on before the war and Southampton has
proved so convenient and useful for dis,
charging both Continental and British
passengers that there is little possibility
of shifting either to Plymouth or Fal.
mouth. thousai call at either place
might land passengers in London twenty
four hours earlier than at present.
The Majestic frequently passes Plym-
outh thirty hours before she arrives
at Southampton, according to THE New
York HERALD correspondent at Piym-
outh. The United States Lines also
back up the decision Of the Cunard and
White Star lines against calls at west
England ports. They assert that only 10
per cent. Of their passengers on slow
ships calling at Plymouth and then
coming on to London get off at Plym-
outh, on account Of the seven or eight
hour railway journey, preferring 10
spend another twenty-four hours aboard
the ship and arrive direct In London.
Falmouth StandE No Chance.
In discussing the possibilities of de-
veloping Falmouth for port of call as
advocated by Henry Japp In letter to
the Times. representatives of the ship
ping companies. here say that it would
take millions to make Falmouth or st.
Just suitable port. According to sea-
faring men knowing Falmouth Bay.
when the wind blows er,nl-tf1e south or
southwest for few days real Atlantic
rollers pitch into Carrick roadstead
there. making navigation. much less the
berthing of ships, hazardous.
1t would require tremendous deep
water sea wall to mako the harbor safe
before the development could begin. No
money Is available for such development
unless the shipping comapnies contribute
1t. and with the railroads now grouped
SO that the lines serving Southampton
and Falmouth are practically the same
corporation there is no likelihood Of the
money coming from the railroads.
The Southampton investment repre-
sents many millions of pounds. includ-
ing berths in which all the great express
steamships. the Aouitania, Majestic.
Berengaria. Homeric. Olympic and
Mauretania can lie side by side without
interfering with each other. South
ampton also possesses the unique ad-
vantage of four tides daily instead Of
two. The tide sets in at Southampton
when the water from the west passes
the Isle OF Wight and three hours later
It again sets in from the eastern pas
sage so that the rise and fall relatively
are Insignificant az well as affording
two high tides.
Shippers also point to the experience
of the Cunard line, which tried Fish
guard before the war, and though the
final port was Liverpool, with a four
hour rail journey to London, the per-
centage of passengers using Fishguard.
with a six or seven hour rail- journey,
did not warrant the extra cost of main
tanning the port. Many passengers also
did not want to risk the difficult land
ing In tenders when the sea was run
ming high. into Fishguard roads.
No speed Competition.
Both Cunard and White Star officials
are inclined to insist that their ocean
greyhounds are making practically as
swift trip across the Atlantic as be-
fore the war. declaring that the Majes-
tics average is "a knots and the Maui
retania's the same, which is as good as
anything the Mauretania or the Lusi-
tania did in their prime. They say
there Is a disposition to compare the
old Ave day sea passages with the pres
ent time required>in going from city
to city. They admitted. however, that
even the sea passages are now running
six days against five before the war.
The high cost Of operation. particu-
larly as to fuel. also makes the COM
panies unwilling to enter a speed COM
petition. The cost of fuel to get extra
knots above the ships economical speed
ing rate, increases enormously 1t is
admitted that with oil fuel the stoker
problem has practically been eliminated
in forcing steam. but most OF the big
ships were adapted for oil before the
oil costs started to soar.
1t is also admitted that passenger
fares have Increased more than the oil
costs since before the war. but officials
insist that the increase SO far has not
kept up with the general increase in the
cost OF running the ships. and with the
demand small for great speed the COM
panies say that greater speed would
not pay.
There would be more passengers who
would kick over the vibration, which
cannot be eliminated in even the best
ships when they are forced to great
speed. than there wou1d be those who
would appreciate the saving OF few
hours between New York and London"