induced by foreign traffic increased steadily, there was no other
marked improvement in the service until 1870, when the Oceanic Steam
Navigation Company entered upon its career. In this case also the legal
title of the corporation has been forgotten in the popular adoption of
a short name to designate the line; and this new enterprise has been
known almost from the beginning as the White Star line. Their first
steamship was the Oceanic, and its model and appointments throughout
became the pioneer of the great fleet that now plies regularly between
this country and Europe. It was not so much that the proprietors of
the White Star line endeavored to outdo their rivals in conveniences
for passengers, table-fare, and the like, but that they heeded the
complaints of the travellers who suffered from the noise and motion in
their state-rooms in the after-part of the boat. In the old style of
steamships the passenger who desired to sleep had to contend against
the noise of the screw, the creaking of the steering apparatus, and
the most extreme motion possible upon the vessel. The White Star line
arranged its saloons and state-rooms so as to bring them as near as
possible to the centre of gravity; placing them, therefore, amidships.
[Illustration: Smoking-room of a French Liner.]
It is not essential now to state what mechanical improvements this
change involved further than to say that previous to this date the
cabin quarters in sailing-vessels and steamships, both naval and
mercantile, were located in the after-part of the ship, and this for
the reason that it enabled the passengers to fully occupy that part
of the ship which was not invaded by the crew for working purposes.
The year 1870, therefore, marks an epoch in steam navigation, and the
vessels of all the principal lines, built since that date have been
conformed to the model set by the Oceanic, and the best ships of to-day
are so arranged that the passengers who pay the highest rates are
located in all their necessary movements in the central part of the
vessel.
From year to year the speed has been improved, until so many steamships
are classed as racers that the rivalry has come to be centred in
appointments and luxurious accommodation. The inauguration of the
Oceanic Company marked the beginning of what may be called the second
epoch in transatlantic travel, and with the first voyage of the City
of New York a third epoch was begun. This last period, into which we
have hardly entered, is distinguished by the twin-screw steamship.
There are now nine great vessels of this class in the passenger service
between European ports and New York: the City of New York and the City
of Paris, of the Inman line; the Majestic and the Teutonic, of the
White Star line; the Augusta Victoria, the Columbia, the Normannia,
and the Fürst Bismarck, of the Hamburg-American line; and La Touraine
of the French line. These new vessels are not remarkably superior
to the best single-screw steamships in the matter of speed, and any
advantage gained in this respect may be attributed to their having
greater horse-power. As may be seen from the record of fast passages,
the Etruria and the Umbria, of the Cunard line, are not only very close
seconds to the best twin-screw ships, but are even ahead of several of
the new type of vessel. The great merit of the twin-screw ship lies in
the increased safety which its mechanism insures. It admits of avoiding
obstacles that would surely wreck a single-screw vessel, of better
handling in case of collision, and of surer progress in the event of
the breaking of a shaft.
Such steamships as the City of New York and the City of Paris, of
the Inman line (which is now controlled by American capital, and may
in a sense be regarded as an American enterprise), are designed so as
to carry about 500 first-cabin passengers each, and the Etruria and
Umbria, of the Cunard line, about 600; but these vessels carry less
steerage passengers than other ships, which adds greatly to the comfort
of saloon passengers. It is not probable that the $700,000 expended
for the construction of a vessel of the Collins line would much more
than suffice to pay for the decorations and conveniences afforded to
passengers on the Inman ships. In correspondence with modern ideas
they are subdivided into twenty-four water-tight compartments, and
this, with due allowance for the architect’s notions, has led to the
supplying of bath-rooms about the ship, according to the number of
passengers carried; several suites of rooms on the promenade and saloon
decks are arranged with bath-rooms and toilet-rooms. The second-class
passengers have also their own bath-rooms, smoking-room, and saloon
dining-room. The steerage is so divided that the third-class passengers
are not only away forward, but aft also; and they have the whole of one
deck to themselves for promenading and getting glimpses of ocean view.
These are features that apply to so many of the best steamships now
plying between New York and European ports, that it would be unjust
to describe any one ship as against another; but as the City of New
York in 1890 made the highest average speed of all the Atlantic
“greyhounds,” and for that matter the highest average speed of any
steamship in the world, it is but fair to mention her wonderful
performance. During the year 1890 she made eight trips to the eastward,
and the average of each trip from Sandy Hook lightship to Roche’s
Point, Queenstown Harbor, was six days, four hours, and five minutes;
the average of her eight trips to the westward from Roche’s Point to
Sandy Hook lightship was six days, five hours, and forty-four minutes.
On the four trips each way from August to November, inclusive, her
average west-bound voyages were six days and forty-two minutes, and
the east-bound voyages six days and fifty-three minutes. For the whole
season on her trips to the eastward she averaged 19.12 knots per hour,
and to the westward 18.91 knots per hour. She has made a slightly
better average than her sister, the favorite City of Paris, and she
beat her powerful rival, the Teutonic, seven times out of ten during
the season of 1890.
The fastest westward trip on record is that of the Teutonic, her
time of 5 days, 16 hours, and 30 minutes being made in August, 1891.
Her best eastward trip was made in September, 1891, in 5 days, 21
hours, and 22 minutes, which is also the fastest trip on record to the
eastward.
The following table gives the records of fourteen of the most important
transatlantic steamships:
_Best Records up to October 1, 1891._
----------------+------------+----------+-----------------+-----------
Name. | Fastest |Direction.| Date. | Line.
| passage. | | |
----------------+------------+----------+-----------------+-----------
| D. H. M. | | |
Teutonic |{ 5 16 30 | Westward | August, 1891 }|White Star.
|{ 5 21 22 | Eastward | September, 1891}|
| | | |
Majestic |{ 5 18 8 | Westward | August, 1891 }|White Star.
|{ 5 23 13 | Eastward | September, 1890}|
| | | |
City of Paris |{ 5 19 18 | Westward | August, 1889 }|Inman.
|{ 5 22 50 | Eastward | December, 1889 }|
| | | |
City of New York|{ 5 21 19 | Westward | October, 1890 }|Inman.
|{ 5 22 50 | Eastward | September, 1891}|
| | | |
Etruria |{ 6 1 50 | Westward | September, 1889}|Cunard.
|{ 6 4 40 | Eastward | April, 1888 }|
| | | |
Umbria |{ 6 3 29 | Westward | August, 1890 }|Cunard.
|{ 6 3 4 | Eastward | November, 1888 }|
| | | |
|{ 6 14 15 | Westward | May, 1891 }|
Fürst Bismarck |{ (_Maiden trip_) }|Hamburg.
|{ 6 12 58 | Eastward | September, 1891}|
| | | |
Columbia |{ 6 16 2 | Westward | June, 1890 }|Hamburg.
|{ 6 15 0 | Eastward | October, 1890 }|
| | | |
Normannia |{ 6 17 2 | Westward | August, 1890 }|Hamburg.
|{ 6 17 20 | Eastward | September, 1890}|
| | | |
Augusta Victoria|{ 6 22 40 | Westward | October, 1890 }|Hamburg.
|{ 6 22 32 | Eastward | September, 1890}|
| | | |
Havel |{ 6 23 52 | Westward | May, 1891 }|North
|{ 6 19 5 | Eastward | September, 1891}|German.
| | | |
Spree |{ 6 21 20 | Westward | August, 1891 }|North
|{ 6 20 10 | Eastward | July, 1891 }|German.
| | | |
Lahn |{ 6 22 42 | Westward | August, 1889 }|North
|{ 6 23 18 | Eastward | October, 1889 }|German.
| | | |
|{ 6 23 58 | Westward | June, 1891 }|
La Touraine |{ (_Maiden trip_) }|French.
|{ 7 4 16 | Eastward | July, 1891 }|
----------------+------------+----------+-----------------+-----------
NOTE.—For table of records in 1890, see page 45; for a comparison of
records from the Sirius to the Teutonic, see page 78.
The trips of the first six vessels in the above table are measured
between Sandy Hook lightship and Roche’s Point, the entrance to
Queenstown Harbor; the North German Lloyd and the Hamburg-American
lines measure the trips between Sandy Hook lightship and the Needles,
near Southampton; and the French line, between Sandy Hook lightship
and Havre.
The fast ships of several lines now make a seven-days’ journey from
port to port; these lines are the Cunard, Inman, White Star, North
German Lloyd, Hamburg-American, French, Guion, and Anchor. Their
vessels are well fitted, the passengers find every convenience at
hand, and, barring extremely bad weather, the traveller may imagine
that he is confined but a few days to a first rate hotel on land.
Nevertheless, it may be worth while to mention one or two comparatively
minor features that have been introduced lately to make the journey
to Europe comfortable. The Midland Railway Company of England and the
London & Northwestern Railway Company have both adopted the American
system of checking baggage, and it is now possible to have your trunks
checked at your house for delivery in London, although the steamship
may terminate its journey at Liverpool. This service naturally calls
for a small extra fee, but it is hardly more than would be charged
by an expressman who would take your trunks to the dock where the
steamship lies awaiting your departure. It is quite the custom now,
also, for steamship companies to issue letters of credit to passengers,
who, for one reason or another, may not care to deposit their moneys
with the banking houses. On one line, at least, passengers can rent
steamer-chairs previous to sailing at fifty cents each for the trip,
and when they arrive on board they simply apply to the deck-steward for
their chairs. At the offices of all the principal lines steamer-chairs
may be engaged at the time tickets are procured, but the price charged
for the trip is one dollar; the enterprise being managed by an
independent concern who have obtained the privilege from the different
lines.
Every traveller may have at least one interesting souvenir of the
voyage across the Atlantic. The names of the passengers, and in some
cases their home addresses, are neatly printed upon folios along with a
blank chart for recording the progress of the voyage, and more or less
information about the company, the vessel, and the fleet of which it
is a member. A sufficient number of these passenger lists are printed
to assure one at least for every cabin passenger, and the lists are
usually distributed in the saloon soon after the vessel leaves her
dock. They are not only prized as souvenirs, but they are invaluable
in assisting one to make acquaintances—or avoid them, for that matter.
It is the custom of the Inman and Guion lines to distribute passenger
lists at the gang-plank just previous to the sailing of the vessel,
so that friends of passengers may carry away a token of the great
journey, and speculate as to how companionable this or another person
will prove to the party in which they are especially interested. On
nearly all the larger vessels there is a miniature newspaper printed by
the ship’s printer, which gives the usual amount of “local” gossip and
happenings peculiar to the surroundings; articles are contributed by
the passengers, and sometimes there is a good deal of talent on board.
Reports of concerts and domestic entertainments, etc., are given.
[Illustration: The Gang-plank—just before sailing.]
Rivalry between the various lines has led to the establishment of
agencies in various parts of this country and Europe.
Abroad the agents seek mainly, if not exclusively, to induce
emigration. In this country the agents deal almost exclusively with
those to whom travel has become a well-earned luxury. The central
point of agencies is in Chicago. The agents there control the
territory west of Chicago, and are in constant communication with the
head-offices in New York, and they have their sub-agents scattered
about everywhere, but especially in the Northwest. The New York offices
are promptly informed by the Chicago agents concerning the number of
people booked for certain steamships, and the chief stewards make
provision accordingly.
* * * * *
Before showing how the steward has to provide for his passengers,
it will be interesting to note, as well as may be, the increase in
transatlantic voyaging. Exact records of cabin passengers have not been
kept until within a few years; but it will be remembered that in the
time of the clipper ships ten first-cabin passengers was the average on
a ship. As it is now, the different steamship lines entering the port
of New York employ several men to look after the landing of passengers.
Their duties are mainly directed to steerage people; but recently they
have also kept records of those who come over in either first or second
class. From these records, kept in the Barge Office in New York City,
it appears that ocean travel varies according to the business situation
in this country. Following is an exhibit of the number of cabin
passengers that arrived at this port during the years between 1881
and 1890, inclusive: 1881, 51,229; 1882, 57,947; 1883, 58,596; 1884,
59,503; 1885, 55,160; 1886, 68,742; 1887, 78,792; 1888, 86,302; 1889,
96,686; 1890, 99,189.
From one point of view, at least, these figures are very striking.
In 1889 there was a great show in Paris that attracted world-wide
attention and interest. In the spring of that year every steamship
agent announced to prospective passengers that all vessels would
be crowded, and that the volume of passenger traffic between the
continents would swamp the capacity of every line. But the figures
speak for themselves. Viewing the increase of oceanic travel, it
appears that the financial depression of 1884 kept many people at home
who otherwise might have crossed the ocean. After that distressing
season had passed travel resumed its normal condition, and an increase
may be noted with each year. When finances in this country had been
somewhat adjusted we find that 86,302 cabin passengers landed at New
York in 1888. Then came the Paris Exposition, and the record for
1889 is 96,686. That was the greatest year for ocean travel known
theretofore. Yet 1890 came along, and the record of 1889 had been
broken. The total number of arrivals of cabin passengers for that year
being 99,189.
[Illustration: The Saloon of a Hamburg Steamer.]
These figures mean that Americans are getting rich enough to travel:
nothing more. An agent of an excursion company said to me during 1889:
“It doesn’t need an Exposition in Paris to induce travel. Europe is the
loadstone! All we have to do is to show people that they can get to
_Europe_ at a moderate cost, and that fetches ’em.”
The same men who keep these records at the Barge Office say that at
least eighty per cent. of the arrivals from Europe represent people
who live in this country; that is, that not more than 20,000 people
during 1890 arrived in New York who did not live here, or who were not
returning to their homes. Furthermore, it should be noted here that New
York has become to so great a degree the port to which transatlantic
business tends, that not more than fifteen per cent. of either
immigrants or cabin passengers land at any other port. A few go to
Boston, or Philadelphia, or Baltimore; and a few come in _via_ Quebec
and the northern border; but the figures at New York really represent
the volume of passenger traffic.
[Illustration: The Pilot Boarding.]
It is not possible to give an exact comparison between the traffic now
and when passenger steamships first began to run between this country
and Europe; but it will be remembered that the Cunards, beginning in
1840, had only four regular vessels. Now there are twelve steamship
lines who have regular sailing days each week, and some have sailings
twice and three times a week; they all terminate or begin in New York,
and on these lines there are eighty-five steamships which carry saloon
and steerage passengers. These lines make landings at Queenstown,
Liverpool, Southampton, Havre, Bremen, Hamburg, Moville (Londonderry),
Glasgow, Antwerp, Boulogne, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen. No
line employs less than four boats, and the Hamburg-American line keeps
nineteen in commission. The North German Lloyd Company has the largest
fleet of express steamships; there are twelve in commission between New
York, Southampton, and Bremen. This great fleet of eighty-five vessels
is composed of the following lines, given in the order in which they
were established: Cunard line, 1840; Inman line, 1850; Allan line,
1853; Hamburg-American line, 1856; Anchor line, 1856; North German
Lloyd line, 1857; French line (Compagnie Générale Transatlantique),
1862; Guion line, 1864; White Star line, 1870; Netherlands line,
1872; Red Star line, 1873; Thingvalla line, 1879. Besides these lines
there is also the Anchor line, Fabre line, and the Florio line to
Mediterranean ports; Wilson line to London, and also to Hull; National
line to London, and also to Liverpool; Hill line to London; Union
line to Hamburg; and Baltic line to Stettin. All these lines carry
passengers.
This record, of course, takes no account of the lines to the South
American continent or to Pacific ports. Freight lines, of which there
are several, are out of the question for the moment.
* * * * *
A great many passengers are more anxious about the table-fare upon an
ocean steamship than about the state-rooms, saloons, smoking-rooms, and
other matters of transient comfort. There is really no need for worry
about the table. There is always enough, and on the best boats there is
always a great variety.
On one of the recent departures of a great liner from this port her
larder was stocked as follows:
20,000 pounds of fresh beef (a portion of this, although all was
available, was intended for the return trip, beef being cheaper
here than in Liverpool); fresh pork, 500 pounds; mutton, 3,500
pounds; lamb, 450 pounds; veal, 500 pounds; sausage, 200 pounds;
liver, 230 pounds; corned beef, 2,900 pounds; salt pork, 2,200
pounds; bacon, 479 pounds; hams, 500 pounds; tongues, 8 dozen;
sweetbreads, 200; fish, assorted, 2,100 pounds; oysters, 5,000;
clams, 5,000; soft-shell crabs, 500; green turtle, 200 pounds;
turkeys, 50; geese, 50; fowls, 248; chickens, 150; squabs, 300;
snipe, 500; quail, 500; ducklings, 216; wild game, 108 pair. Butter,
1,500 pounds; eggs, 1,200; condensed milk, 400 quarts; fresh milk,
1,000 quarts; ice cream, 400 quarts. Apples, 12 barrels; pears,
10 boxes; musk-melons, 100; water melons, 60; oranges, 16 boxes;
peaches, 10 crates; bananas, 10 bunches; huckleberries, 100 quarts;
gooseberries, 100 quarts; cherries, 250 quarts; currants, 100 pounds;
grapes, 75 pounds; lemons, 14 cases; pineapples, 100; plums, 150
quarts; strawberries, 250 quarts; raspberries, 250 quarts. Flour,
125 barrels; potatoes, 140 barrels; lettuce, 72 dozen; asparagus,
30 dozen; green peas, beans, tomatoes, 15 crates each; Brussels
sprouts, 10 baskets. Crackers, cakes in large variety, and a quantity
of pickles, sauces, spices, extracts, pâtés de foie gras, truffles,
caviare, canned and dried and fresh vegetables, and general groceries
in the most generous quantity. About 500 other items appeared on her
list of stores, besides wines, spirits, beer, mineral waters, cigars,
etc.
* * * * *
One of the bills of fare presented to first-cabin passengers from
such a commissariat is here given.
SOUPS.
Turtle and Spring.
FISH.
Scotch Salmon and Sauce Hollandaise.
ENTRÉES.
Blanquettes de Poulet aux Champignons.
Filets de Bœuf à la Bordelaise.
Cailles sur Canapés.
JOINTS.
Saddle of Mutton and Jelly.
Beef and Yorkshire Pudding.
York Ham and Champagne Sauce.
POULTRY.
Roast Turkey and Truffles.
Spring Ducklings.
VEGETABLES.
Pommes de Terre Duchesse.
Asparagus. Potatoes. Parsnips.
SWEETS.
International Pudding.
Rhubarb with Custard.
Strawberry Jam. Tartlets. Sandwich.
PASTRY.
Genoese Pastry. Marlborough Pudding.
Gooseberry Soufflés.
Lemon Cream.
DESSERT.
Seville Oranges. Black Hamburg Grapes.
English Walnuts. Madeira Nuts. Cantaloupes.
Café Noir.
Following is a literal copy of a bill of fare for a second-cabin dinner
on a favorite steamship:
SOUP.—Julienne.
FISH.—Boiled Rock Fish, butter sauce.
MEATS.—Haricot of mutton; roast beef, baked potatoes; boiled mutton,
caper sauce; mashed turnips; potatoes.
Rice pudding; apple tart; small pastry. Biscuits and cheese.
So the accommodations on board ship have kept pace with the growing
traffic and the increasing demand for luxurious appointments. Vessels
now are lighted by electricity in every quarter, including even the
steerage; there is ample room for exercises and games on deck; there
are well-stocked libraries and music-rooms, no well-ordered ship being
without a piano or organ, and some have both; smoking-rooms are usually
on the upper deck; electric annunciators are handy; bath-rooms are
numerous; the thrashing of the screw is heard faintly at the worst;
there is plenty and a variety of food; and in short, the majority of
cabin passengers fare for a week better, and are surrounded by more
appointments of wealth and luxury, than they are accustomed to in their
own homes.
[Illustration: The End of the Voyage.]
Some specialty interesting features have been introduced into the
North German Lloyd service, and also on the express steamers of the
Hamburg-American line to make a voyage attractive. Among these is the
band that accompanies every vessel. The performers are the stewards of
the second cabin, who must not only be good waiters but also musicians
as well. They play through the long first-cabin dinner, which lasts
from one to two hours, and again on deck in the evening. There are no
Sunday services on these boats, but in the morning the band plays hymn
tunes, and in the evening there is a “sacred” concert. All German and
American holidays are observed on board, special attention being paid
to the Fourth of July and Washington’s Birthday, and particularly so
on an eastward trip if the holiday occurs when the vessel is only a day
or so out from New York; when Christmas comes to the travellers at sea,
they find themselves in the midst of a German festival, in which there
is no lack of a brightly adorned and illuminated tree. The steerage
passengers are not forgotten on these occasions; amusements and a
special feast are provided for them.
The French line has some remarkable features of its own. Baggage may be
checked by it to any point in France. The company provides a special
train that waits on the steamship dock in Havre, and on the arrival of
the vessel from New York takes the passengers and baggage to Paris at
once, and puts them in close connection with trains for other parts of
the continent. This system of transfer and checking baggage applies not
only to cabin passengers, but to those in the steerage as well, and the
French line is the only line that makes such arrangements. It is also
the only line (except the Netherlands which touches at Boulogne for
Paris) that supplies immigrants with all necessary utensils, including
bedding; and, more than that, it provides a wholesome wine at all meals
in the steerage, and cognac once a day.
For the last eight years the French Government have permitted some of
their naval officers to command the steamships of the French line, and
in case of war they would retain command of these ships, which are
specially constructed armed cruisers. All the crew must have served a
certain time on a French man-of-war.