| Show t r I It K 1 Maritime Day a Recalls Ships That a Pioneered in n Trans Atlantic Traffic By ELMO SCOTT WATSON f j r I J JI JJ I e y yr r J w Ci Citizens zens of New York Gather at The Battery to Welcome the Great Western at the End of Her Record Breaking Trip I ICi Across the Atlantic in 1838 From a Contemporary Print Whereas in Public Resolution Resolution Resolution tion 7 approved Ma May 1933 it itis itis itis is stated that on May 22 1819 the steamship The SaVannah departed from Savannah Ga on oh the the first successful trans trans- transoceanic transoceanic transoceanic oceanic voyage under steam I propulsion thus making making- a ma- ma material material ma material contribution to the ad- ad adI advancement advancement ad advancement transport I of ocean transportation transportation t tation and Whereas by said resolution I the President of the United States is author authorized zed and re- re requested requested re requested f I quested annually to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States State's to toI I observe May 22 of each year as I National Maritime Day I Now therefore I Franklin FranklinD I D Roosevelt President of the United States of America by II virtue of the authority vested in me do hereby issue mr my proclamation proc proc- proclamation i calling upon the peo peo- people I pIe of the United States to ob- ob observe observe ob observe serve May 22 1933 as Nation Nation- National al Maritime l Day by displaying the flag at their homes or oth oth- oth- oth other other r er suitable places and I here here- hereby hereby hereby by direct that government of- of officials officials of officials I display the thc flag on all government buildings on that I day In witness whereof I have havel l i hereunto set my hand r rJ J Don Done in the city of Wash Vash Washington V ash ash- ashington ington ton this twentieth day of J May in the year of Our Lord nineteen hundred and thirty thirty- three thirty 4 I three and of the thc independence of the United States of Amer Amer- America America America ica the thc one hundred d and fifty fifty- seventh fifty seventh I I was the document I which added another letter I red letter day to our Jur t ourt calendar three years ago and Rave gave c a us os another another er occasion for an nn an- annual nn nual wide nation lIe cele celebration bration Since that Olat I time the observance of I Maritime I a r I t I m e day has helped make mke Americans Increasing increasing- Increasingly ly Iy conscious of their heritage as a l seafaring people and of or the status or of the United States as ns one of or the principal maritime nations of or the thel world orld l Although the recent launching or of orthe the Queen Mary has placed Great Gleat Britain the thc traditional Mistress or of I the Seas ahead In the race among the nations to have the largest fin fin- finest fin finest I est est and fastest ocean liners yet Iet the I fact remains that all nil of or these bats Ing lag Ing palaces trace back to the prod prod- products products t of American Ingenuity and American daring more than a cent cen cen- cen century century j tury ago For the lie He de France the Rex ilex the Europa the and the Queen Mary all Mary all of them r are lineal descendants of those crude little steamboats which John Johns s Fitch Robert Kobert Fulton Samuell lorey Samuel Morey William Longstreet Elijah I Ormsbee Ormsbee bce bee Oliver Evans Eans nobert Robert R n Liv- Liv Livingston Liv-Ingston Liv Jamest Ingston John Stevens and James I t Humsey built and operated In the streams of the eastern United States And the captain of or a mod mod- modern modern ern luxury liner who guides Its tons of or steel across the At Atlantic lantic ocean In less than a week weck Is j but following the trail blazed b by hy a Yankee skipper with his 3 ton boat Loat when he be made hIs Ills epochal voy voy- voy voyage ape voy-ape a age e years cars ago ngo and aud took three weeks to do It That man was Capt Moses flog Rog Rogers ers of New v London Conn and we celebrate Maritime day on May 22 or of each year now v because on May t 22 2 IS 1819 his ship the thc Savannah de- de departed de departed parted from Savannah Ga on the first successful transoceanic voya voyage e I under oDder steam propulsion thus mak mak- making making ing In a material contribution to the advancement of ocean transportation tion Although Maritime day honors primarily the achievement of or the Savannah Its celebration each year serves to recall the names of or other ships which 1111 have played playe a D part tn in inthe the development of trans Atlantic trims s sc traffic the Ihl ih flint t apt apt c Moses Rogers Rogen had shown the pos pos- possibilities pos pos- possibilities possibilities of or steam transportation across the ocean other Americans were slow alow to follow his example Daring seamen though they were they clung to their sailing fast-sailing clip clip- clippers clippers pers and packets because they nr- nr argued ar argued gued that such ships were cheaper to operate since the steamshIps steamshIp's fuel and machinery took up too much precious cargo space and that they were safer because of or less danger of or fire and explosions as ns was the caso cuo on what the Indians had called the big fire canoes The British however saw great reat possibilities possibilities In trans AtlantIc steam navIgation and since they did so much to develop It It it It Is only omy faIr fairon I on Maritime day to take note or of theIr ships which In link link- linking linking ing America and Europe more close close- closely closely closely ly together There Is s a special rea- rea reason reason rea reason son for doing this In the case of or one whIch can be rc regarded arlell somewhat as asan asan an an American ship since she was built and operated by our Canadian cousins That was the wooden pad pall steamer dle-steamer the Royal Hoyal William which made the first crossing of or the Atlantic using steam all the way The Royal noyal William built at Quebec Que Que- Quebec Quebec bec was launched In April ISn and towed to Montreal to he fitted with engines developing de OO horse horsepower horsepower power pow r Her lIer cost when ready for sea was Her lIer dimensions were len length th over all feet depth or of hold bold IS feet breadth over paddle paddle- paddle boxes boxes 44 feet reet She was orIginally Intended to ply between Montreal and Quebec and Nova Nom Scotia and the enterprise of or building her ber was carrIed out by a group of or Quebec I Early In August 1833 1533 she Bhe left lert Quebec for Pictou In the Northum Northumberland berland strait where she remained a few tew days coaling storing repair repaIr- repaIrIng repairing ing lag engines and awaiting passengers passengers gers Eventually on August 17 she steamed out of Pictou harbor for England master was John Me- Me McDougalL Mc-DougalL Mc DougalL During DorIng the voyage the starboard engIne was disabled and the vessel sprang a leak After 25 J eventful days and nights the tile Royal noyal William arrived at Gravesend Ten days later the vessel was sold for and chartered to the Ole Portuguese government as a l troopship In 1831 the ship was bought by hY the Spaniards sent to Gravesend to be converted Into a n war steamer and named nd re named the Ysabel Segunda Later she to the Spanish coast and on May 5 1830 In the nayor nay flay or of orSan ofSan ofSan San Sebastian she earned carnell the dis dis- dis distinction distinction of or being the first steamer or of orwar war to fire a n hostile shot I 1810 1510 she was sent to Bordeaux for repairs but was converted Into a hulk Her lIer engines were transferred to a n new v shIp of or the same name which uHf ulti ulti- ulti ultimately ultimately sank oft off the Algerian coast during a violent storm In After the voyage or the loyal noal WIllIam the next neat Important event In trans-AtlantIc trans steamship hIstory was the tle arrival In New York on April 22 2 1838 of or the British shIp SIrIus for which has also been claimed the honor of or being the first boat to cross the thc Atlantic using only steam for propulsion Although a memorial tablet In the Canadian house bouse of or commons commemorates the the feat of or the Royal loyal William as be be- be PRESIDENT HOOVER United Shies R e 0 s longN fee reel long N Oi Oil 1300 Lh- Lh l r IO 20 fools 01 peed I tlE ILE DE FRANCE Fc Frenzel I Ions 0 reel feel long 1250 passengers v 23 01 speed peed REX e tons 0 r V fu reel long 1050 76 tools oh speed pud EUROPA Germe tons Pa h feel Ion 9 r x t xa 26 speed r r- r lEVIA LEVIATHAN THAN Untied Stites tons 0 fee 9 i ir r 2500 a r N 24 oh spud speed 1 QUEEN MARY Gu Greet ion 10 1018 ft ee long 2500 32 loots hoh speed How the Competition to Build the Largest Finest and Fastest Ocean Liners Has Gone Forward During Recent Years and Halifax merchants assisted by bya bya bya a grant of from the govern govern- government government government ment of or Lower Canada Among the shareholders appear the names or of three Cunard brothers one of or whom later Inter founded foundell the present Cunard line After three moderately successful voyages In 1831 1531 to Halifax and in- in intermediate In Intermediate ports she slie laid up for the wInter In 1832 owing to a cholera epIdemic she slie made malle only one voyage and her owners became bankrupt In the spring of or 1833 1533 a new com com- company com company pany was formed whIch purchased the vessel and for a time used her herfor herfor herfor for towing and local excursIons Then In June 1833 1533 she sailed on a trIp to Boston where she was en- en en enthusiastically received as being the first steamship flying the Union Jack to enter a United States port portOn On her return to Quebec her own own- owners ers era decided to send her to England for sale It was on thIs tills voa voyage e that she made history demonstrating to the thc world the feasibility of navigating at In ing the oceans by means of steam steam- propelled vessels notwithstanding the declaration of critics that they might ac a II well ell talk of making avo a voy- voy aura In 10 I the moon c D 1 y i-y r t ft fr-ft m Ing lag the first to use steam all the way some historians assert that the Royal loyal William like the Savan Savan- Savannah Savannah nah frequently resorted to sails The Sirius had bad left Liverpool on March 23 28 and arid put out for Queens Queen town Queens town Ireland where after refueling she set out for America on April 4 lI had she quit Queenstown when her crew mutinied Any nt- nt attempt at attempt tempt to cross the Atlantic by steam alone was as plain suicide so the sail sail- sailors sailors ors declared and they refused to go ahead But nut the mutiny was put down and the vessel continued on her u ay The Sirius arrived off Sandy look Hook In Inthe Inthe Inthe the late afternoon of or April 22 and ran upon a n reef reet She bad to walt wait for tor forthe forthe the Incoming tide to lift her from thIs reef reer and It was not until ten o'clock at night nl ht that she reached the Battery Even at ot that late hour ever everybody holly who was able to do so hurried to the vu waterfront to catch n a glimpse or of orthe the steamship that had hall made the trip across the ocean In the record time of or 20 26 J days Sailors and other denizens of or the waterfront built hu huge c pitch fires on the beach near Jones Wharf where the SirIus was tied up BO so that the populace mIght 1 see her Her er arrival was the signal for Informal parades and drinkIng sprees of or a kind never before seen In the city But the welcome given ghen to the SIrIus was as nothing compared to that which greeted another shIp when It arrived In New York the very next day April 23 1838 That was the famous Great Western estern des des- destined destined des destined tined to become the first steamer to tomake tomake make regular trips across the At- At Atlantic Atlantic At Atlantic lantic and thus Inaugurate a n new v nevera era In ocean transportation But Dut the thing which aroused the wildest en- en enthusiasm en enthusiasm among the citizenry or of New York on that April day OS 03 years ago afo was the fact that the Great Western had arrived only 17 hours behind the Sirius despite the fact that she left England 11 days after her rha rival That meant she hall had made the crossing In 1 15 das da's days l I Moreover It had been a n stop non non crossIng and the city staged much the same kind of or celebration whIch It was to put on nearly a hundred years later In welcoming another stop stop non trip across the Atlantic James R n N com com- commander commander commander mander of or the Great Western was the Colonel Lindbergh of or his day Honors were showered upon hIm He and his officers were wined and dined with an extravagance never ne before known In the history of or New NewYork NewYork NewYork York Guards had to he stationed around both the Sirius and the Great Grent Western to keep souvenIr hunters from tearing them to pieces There were pitched ell battles between the police pollee and the revellers who stormed the quays qua's In their attempts to get et near the vessels The Sirius mav may have been a n won won- wonder wonder der to behold wIth with her length lenth of or feet beam of or 25 i feet tonnage or of and speed of or ICO knots a n day But the Great Western was a n mar mar- marvel marvel vel She was the largest and fastest thIng afloat She was 2 G feet long had a beam benm of or GS ri feet and a n ton ton- tonnage ton tonnage nage of or 13 10 Her lIer her two engines were capable of or furnishing 70 horse horsepower pow pow- power er Indicated and she traveled at the terrific rate of or knots a l day Before the Sirius returned to Eng Eng- England Eng Eng- England England land she advertised her passage rates In the New York newspapers For lor a n cabin they were Sl 10 ing provisions and wine and for second cabin 80 SO with provisions and wine James Gordon Bennett UennEtt went to Europe aboard the Sirius on her return trip a n journey or of which he was always proud When the Great Western started for England on May 7 New v York gave L her er nearly ns as great a n send off send as Its welcome had been For every everyone everyone one lne realized that this marked the beginning of a n new epoch In marl mar mar- time marl time history Two T years later the Great Britain the first Iron ocean liner and the first steamer driven by bya bya bya a screw propeller across the ocean was vas launched In England In 1830 18 also the Cunard line obtained the backing of or the British government In the form of or a profitable mall con COD contract contract tract and In that year the tho Cunard shIp Brittania the first of or a line or of splendId ships which have since plied the Atlantic arrived In Bos nos- Bos- Bos Boston Boston ton there to be greeted by much the same enthusiasm as ns had hall greet greeted ell the Gre Great t Western In New York By lly 1850 the Cunard steamers hall had taken the thc best passenger trade awaY from the sailing ships and Ameri AmerI- AmerIcans Americans Americans cans realized that they must also resort to steam It Ir they were to hold theIr own with the British Their first steamers built for trans Atlan transAtlantIc tIc service proved to be too slow to compete with the English lines but butIn butin butIn In the fifties the famous AmerIcan Collins line began operating n a fleet or of swift luxurious steamships whIch outstripped their British rivals and succeeded In recovering a large part or of the Atlantic passenger trade The modern era of or ocean liners dates from IS 1875 1575 when experiments proved that steel hulls bulls were strong strong- stronger er lighter and more buoyant Ulan than Iron Again the Cunard line pioneered pio- pio pioneered pio pioneered with the the first hulled steel bulled trans-AtlantIc trans liner which was built In 1880 1850 The fhe next |
