“They do; but I’m thinking the American’s New York will be doin’ the fastest bit.”
“Well, well, it may be. They’re all main powerful vessels. Do you mind when the Guion’s Alaska came home in 6 days, 18 hours, 37 minutes?”
“I do, and about ten years later, I suppose, some ships were doing it in about a day less time!”
“Ay, ay, and I see they’re goin’ ahead down south too.”
“Yes, there’s fast steaming all over the world, Jemmy!”
“I told you what would happen when the compound engine came into use. I said, ‘Mark my words, now they’ve got the compound engine, they will go ahead’—and they have.”
Jemmy’s prediction has been amply verified, for almost every year since the compound engine came largely into use, has witnessed a greater speed in ocean steamers.
And the speed has not been obtained at sacrifice of comfort. On the contrary, an ocean passenger steamer belonging to any of the great passenger lines is something like a floating palace.
After the Britannic and Germanic appeared, line after line put forth fine vessels; and in 1889 was launched the White Star steamer Teutonic, which for some time held the proud position of the fastest ship on the Atlantic. She had crossed in 5 days, 16 hours, 31 minutes. The average of several trips, both for herself and her sister Majestic, was 5 days, 18 hours, 6 minutes. And they were run very close by the American liners, Paris and New York. These four vessels were among the first propelled by twin-screws. Engineers began to see that it was better to use great power in two shafts and two propellers than in one.
In July, 1892, the fine Inman (now called American) liner Paris crossed the Atlantic in 5 days, 15 hours, and 58 minutes, and in October of the same year the same vessel steamed from Liverpool, touching as usual at Queenstown, in 6 days, 2 hours, and 24 minutes—including the time at the Irish port. This was then the quickest time on record for the entire journey. From Queenstown to Sandy Hook the time was 5 days, 14 hours, and 24 minutes, a gain of 1 hour and 34 minutes on her voyage in the previous July. Her best day’s run was 530 knots.