From a Photograph. By permission of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co.
In addition to those already mentioned whose coming certainly was intimately connected with the evolution of the steamship, we might mention Messrs. George Thompson and Company’s Aberdeen Line, which at one time was famous for its fine fleet of sailing ships. This line was established in 1824, the year of incorporation of the General Steam Navigation Co. Six years later the Harrison Line arose, though the Allan Line, which dates back to 1820, did not run its first steamer until 1854. The well-known Hull firm of Messrs. Thomas Wilson and Sons appeared in 1835, and the African Steamship Company three years earlier. In 1849 the City Line, now amalgamated with the Ellerman Line, was founded, as also were Messrs. Houlder Brothers. The Anchor Line came in 1852, and the Castle Mail Packets Company, which is now amalgamated with the Union Line to form the Union-Castle Line. The British East India Company dates from 1855, and the Donaldson Line a year earlier. The year 1856 saw the inauguration of Messrs. J. T. Rennie and Sons’ Aberdeen Line to South Africa, and in 1866 the Booth Line was first started, whilst the Collins Line had been formed in 1850, the Inman Line the same year, the North German Lloyd in 1858, the Compagnie Transatlantique in 1861, the National Line in 1863, and the Guion Line (originally Williams and Guion) in 1866. Some of the last-mentioned are now extinct, and have been dealt with in another chapter. Within the last few months the P. and O. Company have absorbed the Lund Line, and the shipping interests of the late Sir Alfred Jones have been consolidated by Lord Pirrie, whose name is so well known by his close connection with the firm of Harland and Wolff. During 1910 another Atlantic service was inaugurated by the appearance of the Royal Line, which the Canadian Northern Railway Company is running between Bristol and the Dominion. Their two ships the Royal Edward and the Royal George were originally built under different names for an express service between Marseilles and Alexandria, but that venture was not found profitable. They have recently been modified to suit the North Atlantic route and are representative of the finest examples of the modern steamship, though not so large as the biggest liners. Propelled by turbines driving triple screws, they have all the luxury of the most up-to-date ships, with lifts, wireless telegraphy, special dining-room for children, cafés and many other up-to-date features. The Royal Line is thus another instance of a new steamship organisation stepping right into the front rank at the first effort. If it is alleged that some of the older lines engaged on the South Atlantic and Eastern routes have not shown that same progressive spirit which the North Atlantic companies have exhibited, at least recent ships have shown that everything is being done which can be expected, short of reaching the mammoth dimensions of the Atlantic liners. Passengers voyaging to Australia, India, South Africa, and South America, for example, realise that they are destined to remain at sea for a long period, and the question of the utmost speed is not of primary importance. Owing partly to the American spirit of speed and the much shorter distance which separates the two continents, the voyage between England and New York has become rather an elongated channel passage than a journey in which one settles oneself down for weeks, and the incentives to make it shorter still are never for a moment wanting.
The recent additions to the P. and O. fleet are indicative that progress is not confined to any one route. A new epoch in the history of this company began when the first of their “M” class was added. Reckoning them historically from 1903 these are the Moldavia, Marmora, Mongolia, Macedonia, Mooltan, Malwa, Mantua, and the Morea. The smallest of these, the Moldavia, is of 9,500 tons; the largest are the last three mentioned, which are of 11,000 tons, and though wireless telegraphy has not played the same conspicuous part as on the Atlantic, yet this is now being installed in all the P. and O. mail steamers on the Bombay and Australian routes. Two new steamers, also of the “M” class, are being built, to be called respectively the Medina and the Maloja, which will be thus fitted. It is no doubt owing to the slowness with which Australia, India, and Ceylon have adopted land installations that a corresponding reluctance has been found in the case of the steamships to adopt what is so significant a feature of the modern steamship. [The illustration facing page 216] shows one of this “M” class, the Mooltan, coming to her berth in the Tilbury Dock, whilst [the opposite illustration] will afford some idea of the starting platform in her engine room. Her measurements are: length 520·4 feet, beam 58·3 feet, and depth 33·2 feet; her tonnage is 9,621, with an indicated horse-power of 15,000. She was built in 1905 by Messrs. Caird and Company, of Greenock. It was owing to the increase in size of the new P. and O. ships that the comparatively recent transfer was made of the company’s mail and passenger steamers from the Royal Albert Dock to Tilbury.
THE STARTING PLATFORM IN THE ENGINE ROOM OF THE “MOOLTAN.”
From a Photograph. By permission of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co.
The Union-Castle fleet is composed partly of those ships which belonged at the time of amalgamation to the old Castle Line, and partly of those which were of the Union Line. In addition to these, new steamships have been since brought out to swell the list. The depression in South Africa consequent on the Boer War necessitated a careful consideration before the addition of other mail steamers, but the Balmoral Castle (see [opposite page 220]), which was completed in 1910, and her sister the Edinburgh Castle, are the largest and most powerful vessels employed in the South African trade. This Balmoral Castle has a gross tonnage of about 13,000, with an indicated horse-power of 12,500, and is fitted with twin-screws. Fitted, of course, with water-tight bulkheads and cellular bottom, every modern improvement has been taken advantage of in her internal arrangement with regard to the service for which she was built. The Balmoral Castle has a deck space larger than that usually given in this line, the first and second class having practically the whole of the boat deck; whilst by joining the poop and promenade deck the third class have their deck space doubled. She is installed with the modern loud-speaking telephones between the bridge and engine-room and the extremities of the ship. Wireless telegraphy has not been installed, but a room has been specially built and equipped if it is decided hereafter to adopt this apparatus. On the fore-mast head a Morse signalling lamp has been placed for long distance signalling, and a semaphore after the Admiralty pattern on the bridge for short distance signalling. She is propelled by two sets of quadruple-expansion engines, and has ten boilers.
The White Star Line, in addition to their regular mail and passenger service across the North Atlantic, have three special freight and live-stock steamers—viz. the Georgic, of 10,077 tons, the Cevic of 8,301 tons, and the Bovic of 6,583 tons—all of these having twin-screws. Besides these they possess four ships engaged on the New Zealand route, five on the Australian trade, besides two smaller ships for freight.
We have already mentioned the Ivernia and Saxonia as belonging to the intermediate, economical types which the Cunard Company own in addition to their bigger liners. They also carry on a Mediterranean service from New York to Gibraltar, the Italian and Adriatic ports, to Algiers and Alexandria. The North German Lloyd Company also own a number of smaller steamships employed in intermediate service to ports other than those served by their fast liners, the largest being of about 6,000 tons.
The American Line, which was formerly the old Inman organisation, own besides the Philadelphia, already discussed, the New York, the St. Louis, and St. Paul, but the last two, each being only 11,629 tons, are the largest of their small fleet. Besides the Anchor and the Allan Lines and the new Royal Line the Canadian Pacific Railway now maintains a long connection by steamship and railway from Liverpool right away to Hong Kong through Canada. The Empress of Britain, with her quadruple-expansion engines and twin-screws, is one of the finest steamships on the Canadian route.