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 passage. | Direction. | Date. | Line. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
