STEAM TO INDIA AND THE EAST.
During the earlier years of commerce with India, the route from Britain
was by the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, and the Caspian, through
Persia, reaching India at its northern extremity. The sea route, _via_
the Cape of Good Hope, was discovered by the Portuguese in 1497, and
continued to be the great highway of commerce to the East until our own
times. Although circuitous, the Cape route was infinitely preferable
to that of inland seas and deserts infested by hostile tribes, to say
nothing of the advantage of reaching destinations without transhipment.
The importance of India as a field of British enterprise began with
the incorporation of the East India Company in the year 1600. From a
small trading company it gradually became a vast aggressive monopoly,
with a large standing army at its back, and a numerous fleet of ships
that served the double purpose of carrying merchandise and fighting
the French, or any other covetous enemy. In 1811, when the company
had reached the zenith of its power, it owned sixty-seven ships, each
armed with from 30 to 38 guns; thirty-one ships of from 20 to 28 guns,
and fifty-two ships of from 10 to 19 guns. The sea route to Calcutta
was over 13,000 miles, and not unfrequently a whole year was occupied
in making the round trip. In the days of clipper ships, however, the
single voyage was sometimes accomplished inside of one hundred days.
[Illustration: THE CAMEL-POST—“SHIP OF THE DESERT.”]
Lieutenant Thomas Waghorn, R. N., an English naval officer, applied
to the British Government for assistance in carrying out a project
he had conceived of opening communication by steam between Britain
and her great East Indian Empire. The result of his labours was the
opening up of the overland mail route, as it was called, consisting
at first of a steam service from Marseilles to Alexandria, thence
by camel and Nile steamer to Cairo, a caravan across the desert to
Suez, and steamers _via_ the Red Sea to Bombay and Calcutta. The next
improvement was the substitution of a railway for “The Ship of the
Desert,” in 1858, and the transmission of the English mails to Brindisi
instead of Marseilles, and finally, the construction of the Suez Canal
by Ferdinand Lesseps, the French engineer, at a cost of sixty million
dollars. The canal is ninety-nine miles long with a width of 327 feet
for 77 miles and 196 feet for the remaining 22 miles; the depth was
originally twenty-six feet throughout, but the canal is undergoing
progressive enlargement and deepening. The British Government in
1875 acquired by purchase shares in the enterprise to the value of
£4,000,000 sterling. By a convention signed in 1888, the canal was
exempted from blockade, and vessels of all nations, whether armed or
not, may pass through it in peace or in war.[27] The North German
Lloyd SS. _Frederick the Great_, of 10,500 tons register, which passed
through the canal a few months ago _en route_ for Australia, is the
largest vessel that has passed through it. The canal was first opened
for traffic in 1869.
By the overland route the distance from London to Bombay has been
reduced to 5,221 miles, and to Calcutta, 6,471 miles. The contract time
for the transmission of mails is 16½ and 18½ days respectively. Sir
Douglas Fox, engineer of the railway from Acre to Damascus, speaking
of the proposal to extend that road to the mouth of the Persian Gulf,
prophesied that in a few years the journey from Charing Cross to
India will be covered in eight days! It will be accomplished in about
the same length of time, _via_ Russia, when the great trans-Siberian
railway is completed. When that is accomplished, the actual running
time of an excursion around the world may possibly be reduced to thirty
days or even less.
* * * * *
In preceding pages reference has been almost exclusively made to the
development of steam navigation on the North Atlantic; a brief allusion
must now be made to the effects produced on the commerce of other parts
of the world by the introduction of steam power. The Atlantic steamers
were probably the first to bridge the ocean; they are, perhaps, the
most numerous to-day; certainly they include some of the largest and
most magnificent specimens of marine architecture in existence, but
they are only a wing of the world’s fleet of steamships. There are
other great lines of ocean steamers performing services of equal
importance elsewhere, though with their history and their “records” we
are less familiar. An excellent summary of the lines of communication
with India, and the East generally, is given in “Whitaker’s Almanacks”
for 1896 and 1897, under the caption of “Our Ocean Mail.” Mr.
Macdonald, in “Our Ocean Railways,” devotes a couple of chapters to an
interesting survey of this branch of our subject.
THE PENINSULAR AND ORIENTAL COMPANY,
commonly known as the “P. & O.” Co., is the second oldest steam-packet
company in existence. It had its origin in a small steamship
undertaking, started in 1836 under the name of the “Peninsular
Company,” to trade between Falmouth and Lisbon. Their first vessel was
the _William Fawcett_, a paddle-steamer of 206 tons, built in 1829. The
first steamer despatched for India by this company was the _Hindostan_
of 1,800 tons and 250 horse-power, about the year 1842. From that time
until now the history of the company has been a continuous record of
progress and prosperity They now carry the mails not only to India,
but to China and Australia, having in their service a magnificent
fleet of over sixty steamers, ranging from 2,500 tons to 7,560 tons,
and aggregating some 220,000 tons. The SS. _Caledonia_ is at present
the largest and fastest vessel employed in the Indian trade, and has
succeeded in landing her mails in Bombay within 12½ days of their
despatch from London. Their contract time for the delivery of mails
in Shanghai is 37½ days, and 35½ days to Melbourne, Australia. Over
$35,000,000 have been expended on the fleet of the P. & O. Company
in the last twenty years, and they are now building several steamers
of 8,000 tons for the mail service. Among the larger boats of the
fleet at present are the _Arcadia_, 6,670 tons; _Australia_, 6,901;
_Himalaya_, 6,898; _Oceanea_, 6,670, and the _Victoria_, 6,527 tons.
During the Crimean war, and at the time of the Indian mutiny, this
company rendered important services to the Government in the rapid
conveyance of troops and stores. The regularity with which the mail
service has been conducted is remarkable when the length of the routes
is considered. It is seldom that the mails are even an hour late in
being delivered. The ships combine all the latest improvements in their
construction, machinery and internal fittings.
[Illustration: P. & O. STEAMSHIP “CALEDONIA.”]
The P. & O. steamers leave London every Saturday for India, and
fortnightly for Australia and China. The first-class ordinary fare to
Bombay, Madras, or Calcutta by this line is £55 sterling; second-class,
from £35 to £37 10s. To Adelaide, Melbourne or Sydney, Australia,
first-class, £60 to £70; second-class, £35 to £40. To China and Japan,
first-class, £73 10s.; second-class, £42. The rates for special
accommodation are, of course, considerably higher.
* * * * *
The Orient Steam Navigation Company was formed in 1877 by two
well-known shipping firms—Anderson, Anderson & Co. and F. Green &
Co. The first steamer to leave London under the flag of the Orient
Line was the _Garonne_, acquired by purchase, and followed by the
_Chimborazo_, _Lusitania_ and _Cuzco_. Two of these are now used
on exclusively pleasure cruising voyages in the Mediterranean and
elsewhere, while a number of large and powerful ships have been built
for the mail line. The _Orient_, built by Robert Napier & Sons,
Glasgow, in 1879, was the largest steamer constructed on the Clyde up
to that time. She was 400 feet long, 5,365 tons register, and with
engines of 6,000 indicated horse-power. Her speed was seventeen knots
on her trial trip. The latest additions to the fleet are the _Ophir_,
6,057 tons; _Orizaba_, 6,077; _Oroya_, 6,057, and the _Ormuz_, 6,031
tons. The _Ophir_ is 482 feet long, 53 feet beam, and 37 feet moulded
depth. She is fitted with triple expansion engines and twin screws,
and all the other modern improvements which go to make up a “floating
palace.” The company receives a subsidy from the Imperial Government of
£85,000 sterling per annum for carrying the mails, which are despatched
fortnightly from London calling at Plymouth, Gibraltar, Naples, Port
Said, Suez, Colombo, Albany, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney, Australia.
* * * * *
The British India Steam Navigation Company dates from 1855, when the
East India Company first took steps to establish a mail service between
Calcutta and Burmah. In 1862 the name was changed from the Calcutta and
Burmah Steam Navigation Company to that which it now bears. Since then
the business has greatly increased, and it now boasts of having more
steamers than any company trading to the East. Its fleet consists of
106 vessels with a total tonnage of about 270,000. They are nearly all
called by Eastern names, such as the _Golconda_, 6,036 tons; _Matiana_,
5,000 tons; _Okhla_, 5,283 tons; _Onda_, 5,272 tons, and _Obra_, 5,456
tons. The distance annually travelled by ships of this line counts up
to 5,000,000 miles. The sailings are about fortnightly from London to
Colombo, Madras and Calcutta. The fares to Madras and Calcutta are from
£47 10s. to £52 10s., according to accommodation. The first steamers
of the line—the _Cape of Good Hope_ and the _Baltic_—were despatched
to India _via_ the Cape. The _India_ of this line is said to have been
the first steamer to pass through the Suez Canal. In 1872 a contract
was entered into with the East India Company for a monthly service from
Aden to Zanzibar. Then a coast line was established from Bombay to
Calcutta, calling at eighteen intermediate ports, with a branch line
running up the Persian Gulf. In 1880 arrangements were made with the
Government of Queensland for a mail service that soon developed into a
large trade. At the breaking out of the mutiny in 1857, a detachment of
the 35th Regiment was brought up from Ceylon to Calcutta by one of the
ships of this line most opportunely. Again, in 1863, thirteen steamers
of this fleet were taken up by the Government in connection with the
Abyssinian expedition.
Some years ago the _Quetta_, of this line, on her voyage from
Queensland, struck a rock in Torres Straits and sank in a few minutes
with the loss of 133 lives. Among the survivors was a plucky young
lady, a Miss Lacy, who, after having spent twelve hours upon a raft,
attempted to swim ashore, and kept afloat in the water for twenty-four
hours without a life-belt or support of any kind, until she was picked
up by a boat from a passing steamer.
[Illustration: THE “QUETTA” GOING UNDER, 1890.]
The Clan Line, established in 1878, has a fleet of some thirty-five
ships, all rejoicing in the prefix of “Clan” to their names. They
are comparatively small vessels, the largest of them being the _Clan
Grant_, 3,545 tons; _Clan MacArthur_, 3,934; _Clan MacIntosh_, 3,985;
_Clan MacPherson_, 3,921, and _Clan Matheson_, 3,917 tons. They run
from Glasgow and Liverpool to Bombay; from the same ports to Colombo,
Madras and Calcutta; also to Cape Colony and Natal, Delagoa Bay, Beira
and Mauritius. The saloon fare by this line from Liverpool to Madras or
Calcutta is £45; second class, £30.
The Bibby Line has long been famous on the Mediterranean. It is
now the direct route to Burmah, and controls a large share of the
trade with Ceylon and southern India. It employs five of Harland &
Wolff’s first-class steamships—the _Staffordshire_, _Shropshire_ and
_Cheshire_, twin screw ships of 6,000 tons; and the _Lancashire_ and
_Yorkshire_ of 4,260 tons each. This line is the recognized route for
officers returning from India at the expiry of furlough. The sailings
are from Liverpool to Egypt, Colombo, southern India and Rangoon. Only
first-class passengers are carried. Fare to Rangoon, £50.
The Shaw, Savill & Albion Company, formed some thirteen years ago,
has been very successful. It has five fast mail steamers—the _Arawa_,
5,026 tons; _Doric_, 4,786; _Ionic_, 4,753; _Tainui_, 5,031, and the
_Gothic_, 7,730. Besides these they have a large number of cargo
steamers and sailing ships. The _Gothic_ is said to be the largest
steamship employed in the Australian trade, and the _Arawa_ the
fastest, having made the run from Plymouth to New Zealand in 38 days,
30 minutes; and from New Zealand to Plymouth in 35 days, 3 hours, 40
minutes—the fastest on record.
The Union Steamship Company of New Zealand advertises to take
passengers from Auckland to England, _via_ San Francisco, in
_thirty-one_ days! Saloon fare, £66; steerage, £32 11s. 7d.
The Anchor Line has two services to India: (1) from Liverpool to Bombay
and Kurrachee; (2) from Liverpool to Calcutta. The sailings in each
case are about once a fortnight. Though chiefly adapted for freight,
they carry a considerable number of passengers at low rates, say, to
Bombay or Calcutta, first-class, £45, and second-class, £30. The City
Line has also two distinct services, the same as the Anchor Line, to
Bombay and Kurrachee and to Calcutta. The fares are the same. This line
has a fleet of fourteen steamers, among the largest of which are the
_City of Bombay_, 4,548 tons; _City of Vienna_, 4,672 tons; _City of
Oxford_, 4,019 tons; _City of Calcutta_, 3,906 tons.
The Hall Line, from Liverpool to Kurrachee and to Bombay, calling
at Marseilles, sails about once in three weeks. The ships are all
about four thousand tons. The fare from Liverpool to Bombay is, for
first-class, £47 10s., and for second-class, £30. The Henderson
Line has sailings from Liverpool to Rangoon every three weeks, with
accommodation for second-class passengers. The New Zealand Shipping
Company has a fine fleet of steamers, from four thousand to six
thousand tons, sailing once in three weeks from London to New Zealand
ports, Tasmania and Australia. Fare to Auckland, £68, and to Melbourne
or Sydney, £72. The North German Lloyd Line has a monthly service from
Southampton to China and Japan, and also to Australia. Holt’s Line has
sailings once a fortnight to China, Japan and Australia from Liverpool.
There are various other lines of steamers in the Eastern trade, but the
above-named are the most important, unless we include the _Messageries
Maritime_ and the _Rubattino_ Lines, both of which are formidable
competitors for the freight and passenger traffic. The former is a
French line, which has been in existence since 1852, and has attained
a high rank. The fleet numbers about sixty vessels, many of them very
large, handsomely fitted and fast. They are noted for their elaborate
_cuisine_, which attracts a certain class of travellers, and though
their rates are somewhat higher than the other first-class lines,
they have long been very popular. The line to India has sailings from
Marseilles and Trieste once a fortnight. The Messageries Company
receives a very large subsidy from the French Government. The _Ville
de la Ciotat_, built for the Australian trade, is a magnificent ship
of 6,500 tons and 7,000 horse-power. The _Rubattino_ is an Italian
line, which has a numerous fleet of steamers, chiefly adapted for the
Mediterranean trade; but they have also a number of large vessels
sailing at regular intervals from Genoa and Naples to Bombay.
* * * * *
The Eastern trade is enormous. The total exports from and to India,
Ceylon, the Straits, Labuan and Hong Kong amounted in 1889 to
$1,031,000,000. The exports and imports to and from Australia amounted
in the same year to nearly $526,000,000.[28] The net tonnage which
passed through the Suez Canal in 1894 was 8,039,105 tons.
STEAMSHIP LINES TO AFRICA.
The African Steamship Company is one of the oldest and largest shipping
concerns in the African trade. It originated in 1832 as a private
expedition by MacGregor Laird, of Liverpool, for the purpose of
exploring the Niger River. In 1852 the company received its charter,
and agreed to perform a monthly mail and passenger service to West
Africa in consideration of an annual subsidy of £30,000. The pioneer
ships were the _Forerunner_, _Faith_, _Hope_ and _Charity_. Year after
year numerous fine vessels were added to the fleet, among which are the
_Leopoldville_, 3,500 tons; _Assaye_, 4,296 tons; _Mohawk_, 5,658 tons,
and the _Mobile_, 5,780 tons. In 1891 this company amalgamated with the
Elder, Dempster Company of Liverpool, and now have regular services
from Liverpool to South-West Africa; from Hamburg and Rotterdam to West
and South-West Africa; and from Antwerp to South-West Africa.
The Union Steamship Company was first formed in 1853, with a fleet of
five small collier steamers. In 1857 a contract was obtained for a
mail service to the Cape for five years at £30,000 a year. The service
proved so satisfactory that the contract was renewed and extended.
The Union Line now carries the English mail to the Cape and Natal,
and also from Hamburg, Rotterdam, Antwerp and Southampton to Cape
Town, Port Elizabeth, East London and Natal, making calls at Madeira
and Teneriffe. The _Scot_, built for this company by the Dennys of
Dumbarton, is a fine ship of 6,850 tons, and has made the shortest
voyage on record from Southampton to Cape Town, viz., 14 days, 11
hours. The _Norman_, of 7,537 tons, one of Harland & Wolff’s steel
twin-screw ships, is the largest vessel employed in the South African
trade. The _Guelph_, _Greek_, _Gaul_ and _Goth_ are also twin-screw
ships, close upon 5,000 tons each.
The Castle Line, founded by Sir Donald Currie in 1872, has attained a
front rank in shipping circles. Since 1876 this line has carried the
Royal mails between England and South Africa. The fleet numbers some
fourteen or fifteen powerful steamers, of from 3,600 to 5,636 tons,
such as the _Tantallon Castle_, _Dunottar Castle_, _Roslin Castle_,
_Doune Castle_, etc. The voyage to the Cape of Good Hope, which used
to occupy from thirty to thirty-four days, is now accomplished by the
Castle Line in half that time. Until recently this company enjoyed an
enviable immunity from marine disasters, not having lost a single life
through mishap of any kind; but one dark and hazy night in June, 1896,
one of the best-known ships of the line—the _Drummond Castle_—while
attempting to sail through the perilous channel between the Island of
Ushant and the mainland, struck a sunken rock, and almost immediately
went to pieces, only three persons out of a ship’s company of 250
having survived to tell the tale.
* * * * *
The British and African Steam Navigation Company, established in
1868, conveys passengers and mails from Liverpool to the west coast
of Africa. It has a fleet of twenty-four steamers, and maintains seven
distinct services. It is under the management of Elder, Dempster & Co.
The ships are from 2,000 to 3,000 tons register, and derive their names
from the rivers and ports which they frequent, _e.g._, the _Bakana_,
_Batanga_, _Loanda_, _Boma_, _Calabar_, etc.
* * * * *
The Natal Line, from London to Natal, Delagoa Bay, and other East
African ports, was founded by Messrs. Ballard, King & Co. in 1879.
They employ a fleet of ten steamers, ranging from 1,600 to 2,750
tons—larger vessels being unable to cross the bar at Natal. They have
also a colonial service under contract with the Government of Natal,
from Cape Colony and Natal to Madras and Calcutta. There is also the
Aberdeen Line from London to Natal direct; the British and Colonial
Steam Navigation Company from London to South and East Africa; the East
African mail service of the British India Line, and the German East
African Line. The fares from London to Delagoa Bay vary according to
the class of ships, from 35 guineas by the Natal Line, to £67 10s. by
the British India Line.
WEST INDIES AND PACIFIC LINES.
The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, the ships of which line sail
from Southampton to the West Indies, Central America, North and South
Pacific, Brazil and River Plate, was founded in 1839, and has a large
fleet of powerful steamers. The _Danube_, _Nile_, _Clyde_, _Thames_,
_Magdalena_ and _Atrato_ are all over 5,000 tons, with engines of
from 6,773 to 7,500 indicated horse-power. Among the smaller ships is
the _Trent_, a namesake of the historic vessel which was boarded by
the United States cruiser, _San Jacinto_, in 1861, when the seizure
of Slidell and Mason nearly provoked a war with Great Britain. The
West India and Pacific Steamship Company, with a fleet of seventeen
steamers, keeps up a good line of communication between Liverpool, the
West Indies, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean seas. The _American_
and _European_ are each 7,730 tons; the _Barbadian_, _Cuban_,
_Jamaican_, _Mexican_ and _Tampican_ are from 4,020 to 4,500 tons.
* * * * *
The Pacific Steam Navigation Company, incorporated in 1840, conducts
a line of mail steamers from Liverpool to Brazil and River Plate,
continuing the voyage to the west coast of America _via_ the Straits of
Magellan. This company are the pioneers of steam navigation along the
southern shores of the Pacific, and between Europe and the West Coast.
They have also running in the Orient Line, from London to Australia,
four of their largest steamers, viz., _Orizaba_, _Oroya_, _Oruba_ and
_Orotava_, all over 6,000 tons. They have a large fleet of other ships,
such as the _Orissa_, _Orcana_, _Potosi_, _Liguria_, _Iberia_, ranging
from 4,000 to 5,000 tons each, and they are building others of large
dimensions.
Messrs. Lamport and Holt have a fine fleet, consisting of over sixty
steamers, running from Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, London, Antwerp
and New York, to Brazil, River Plate, and the west coast of South
America. A large percentage of their steamers are capable of carrying
between 5,000 and 6,000 tons of cargo, and have a speed of from 10½ to
12 knots at sea. They also carry a limited number of passengers. The
largest of their steamers are the _Canova_, 5,000 tons; _Cavour_, 5,500
tons; _Cervantes_, 5,000 tons, and the _Horace_, 4,000 tons. The Wilson
Line—Thomas Wilson, Sons & Co. (Limited), Hull—in addition to their
North American lines of steamers, have a fortnightly service to Bombay
and Kurrachee, a monthly service to Australia, and a line of steamers
running to River Plate ports, to suit the trade.
The fare from Southampton to the West India Islands runs from £25 to
£35; from New York, by the Atlas Line, $50; and to Bermuda, by the
Quebec Steamship Company, sailing from New York every Thursday, $25.
THE CANADIAN TRANS-PACIFIC STEAMSHIPS.
The idea of connecting the Atlantic with the Pacific Ocean by a railway
through British territory had long been a cherished vision of British
and Canadian statesmen, railway engineers, and travellers in the far
West; but owing to the vastness of such an enterprise for a people
of four millions, a “baseless vision” it continued to be until after
the confederation of the provinces in 1867. Twenty years before that
time, Major Carmichael Smyth, writing to “Sam Slick,” advocated the
construction, by convict labour, of a trans-continental railway through
British territory, and prepared a map on which the possible route of
such a railway was marked—almost identical with that of the Canadian
Pacific Railway.[29] Hon. Joseph Howe, in course of a speech made at
Halifax in 1851, said he believed that many of his auditors would
live to hear the whistle of the steam-engine in the passes of the
Rockies, and to make the journey from Halifax to the Pacific in five
or six days. Hon. Alexander Morris, in his lecture, “Nova Britannia,”
delivered in 1855, predicted the accomplishment of such an enterprise
in the near future. Judge Haliburton, Sir Edward Bulwer, Sir George
Simpson and other _savans_ had all prophesied after the same manner.
Sure enough, it was one of the earliest measures that came to be
discussed in the first Parliament of the new Dominion. Preliminary
surveys were commenced in 1871 by Sandford Fleming, chief engineer, and
the work of construction by the Government followed soon after. But it
early became apparent that Government machinery was ill adapted for
successfully dealing with a work of such magnitude, and one unavoidably
leading to political complications. It was therefore resolved to have
the road built by contract. Finally, in 1881, the Canadian Pacific
Railway Company was organized, the prime movers of the enterprise
being Messrs. George Stephen and Donald A. Smith, of Montreal. At
this time the Government had under construction 425 miles between
Lake Superior and Winnipeg, and 213 miles in British Columbia. This
company undertook to complete the railway from Quebec to Vancouver,
a distance of 3,078 miles, within ten years, for which they were to
receive $25,000,000 in money, and twenty-five million acres of land,
together with the sections of railway already under construction by the
Government, the entire railway when completed to remain the property
of the company. Such was the energy of the contractors and the skill
of their engineers, the railway was completed in one-half of the time
stipulated; for on the 7th of November, 1885, the last rail was laid
on the main line, and by next midsummer the whole of the vast system
was fully equipped and in running order. The opening of the Canadian
Pacific Railway was followed by an immense development of traffic.
The natural outcome of this was the inauguration of a line of
steamships from the western terminus of the road to Japan and China,
as well as to Australia. Sooner than might have been expected, three
very fine twin-screw steel ships were built at Barrow-on-Furness for
the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, under contract with the Imperial
and Dominion Governments for carrying the mails to Japan and China. The
ships are named the _Empress of India_, _Empress of China_ and _Empress
of Japan_.
The inauguration of the “Empress Line” was of the nature of a
magnificent ovation. The maiden trips of the three sisters were
largely advertised in connection with an all-the-way-around-the-world
trip, _via_ Gibraltar, Suez, Colombo, Hong Kong, Yokohama and
Vancouver, and thence by the Canadian Pacific Railway across the
continent and home again by any of the Atlantic liners, all for the
modest sum of $600. The proposal took readily, with the result that
the three ships had a full complement of cabin passengers, all of whom
expressed themselves as delighted with the arrangements which had been
made for their comfort. The first steamer, the _Empress of India_, with
141 saloon passengers, reached Hong Kong on the 23rd of March, 1891,
under easy steam, in forty-three days from Liverpool; leaving Hong Kong
on April 7th, she reached Yokohama on the 16th. She left on the 17th,
and, although encountering a very heavy gale, reached Victoria, B. C.,
in 10 days, 14 hours, 34 minutes, an average speed of 406 miles a day,
or just 17 knots an hour. The regular monthly service from Vancouver
to Japan and China commenced in the autumn of the same year. For this
service the company receives an annual subsidy of $300,000, and an
additional subvention of about $35,585 to secure their services to the
British Government whenever the vessels may be required as transports
or cruisers. The three ships are all just alike. They are painted white
and are beautiful models, with raking masts and funnels, and graceful
overhanging bows. They are each 485 feet in length, 51 feet moulded
breadth, and 36 feet in depth; gross tonnage about 6,000 tons each.
They have triple expansion engines of 10,000 indicated horse-power,
which with 89 revolutions per minute, and a consumption of only 170
tons of coal a day, drive the ships at an average speed of 17 knots
an hour. The arrangements and fittings for passengers are of the most
complete and even luxurious description. The saloons and staterooms are
tastefully decorated, handsomely furnished, and brilliantly lighted
by electricity. They have ample accommodation for 180 first-class, 32
second-class, and 600 steerage passengers, with capacity for about
4,000 tons of cargo. They cost about $1,000,000 each.
[Illustration: C. P. R. STEAMSHIP “EMPRESS OF JAPAN.”]
The distance from Vancouver to Hong Kong is 6,140 nautical miles; the
average passage is about twenty-two days. Yokohama is 4,300 knots from
Vancouver, and the average passage is from eleven to eleven and a half
days; but in August, 1891, the _Empress of Japan_ made the voyage in
9 days, 9 hours, 39 minutes, the shortest time on record, being at
the rate of eighteen and a half knots an hour. After a fairly quick
railway run across the continent to New York, and close connection with
a swift Atlantic greyhound, her mails were delivered in London in the
unprecedentedly short time of 20 days, 9 hours from Yokohama. This feat
astonished London, and gave rise to speculations of rapid communication
with the East hitherto undreamed of. Even with existing facilities, it
is now not only possible, but it is easy to go round the world by this
route in less than seventy-five days, and to do it in palatial style
for less than $1,000!
In connection with the Canadian Pacific Railway a line of steamers
commenced a monthly service in 1893 between Vancouver and Australia,
calling at Shanghai, Sandwich Islands, Brisbane, Queensland and
Sydney, N. S. W. The pioneer ships are the _Warrimoo_ and _Miowera_,
of about 5,000 tons each, which have so far given a very satisfactory
service. They receive a small subsidy from the Canadian and Australian
Governments as a means of developing trade and commerce between the
two countries, and as forging another link in the chain that binds
the colonies to the Mother Country. A third steamer, the _Aorangi_,
has recently been added to this line. The distance from Vancouver to
Sydney, direct, is 6,832 knots, and the voyage has been made by the
_Miowera_ in 19½ days, showing that with a fast Atlantic service and
close connections the quickest route from England to Australia will be
_via_ Canada.
Still more recently, the unprecedented rush of adventurous gold-seekers
to the Klondike has induced the Canadian Pacific Railway Company to
inaugurate another line of steamships to ply between Victoria and
Vancouver and ports on the northern Pacific coast. Two very fine
Clyde-built steamers have been placed on this route, the _Tartar_ and
the _Athenian_, of 4,425 and 3,882 tons, respectively. These vessels
are fitted up in first-class style, with excellent accommodation for
large numbers of passengers. With the exception of the Empress Line
of steamships to Japan and China, they are said to be much the finest
steamers on the North Pacific coast.
George Stephen, now Lord MountStephen, was born at Dufftown,
Banffshire, Scotland, June 5th, 1829: came to this country in 1850,
when he entered into business in Montreal, and was the pioneer of the
woollen manufacturers in Canada. He became President of the Bank of
Montreal and also of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which was completed
mainly through his Lordship’s energy. Sir George Stephen, Baronet—so
created in January, 1886—was elevated to the British peerage in May,
1891.
* * * * *
Donald A. Smith, now Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal, who was
associated with Lord MountStephen in the construction of the Canadian
Pacific Railway, was born at Archieston, Morayshire, August 6th, 1820.
He came to Canada in 1839 on the Hudson’s Bay Company’s staff, and
eventually became Governor of that corporation. He has represented the
city of Montreal in the Dominion Parliament, is President of the Bank
of Montreal, and Chancellor of McGill University. He succeeded Sir
Charles Tupper as High Commissioner for Canada in London in August,
1896. He received the honour of knighthood from Her Majesty the Queen
in May, 1886, and was raised to the peerage on the occasion of Her
Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee, in 1897. The gifts of both these gentlemen
for educational and philanthropic purposes have been upon a princely
scale, running up into millions of dollars.
FOOTNOTES:
[27] “Whitaker’s Almanack,” 1897, p. 543.
[28] “Our Ocean Railways,” p. 119.
[29] “Statistical Year-Book, 1896,” under Railways, p. 20.