THIS well-known line takes its name from Samuel Cunard (afterwards Sir Samuel), a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, who had for some time been conducting the mail service between Halifax, Boston, Newfoundland and Bermuda, and who had long been revolving in his mind the idea of establishing a regular line of ocean mail steamers, but could not find the necessary financial backing in his native country. Proceeding to Britain, Mr. Cunard fortunately fell in with Robert Napier, the famous Clyde ship-builder and engineer, who entered heartily into his proposals and introduced him to George Burns (afterwards Sir George), one of the foremost men in shipping circles at that time, and a man of large means. Through him Mr. Cunard was introduced to David MacIver, of Liverpool, who was of a kindred spirit. The result before long was a partnership of these three with a subscribed capital of £270,000 sterling, and the obtaining of a contract with the British Government for seven years to institute and maintain a steam service from Liverpool to Halifax and Boston, twice a month during eight months of the year and once a month in winter, for an annual subsidy of £60,000. Subsequent stipulations made by the Admiralty were accompanied by an increase of the subsidy to £80,000. At the end of seven years the contract was renewed, but for a weekly service in summer, and twice a month in winter. Saturday then became the regular day of sailing from Liverpool, and New York was adopted as one of the American termini. In 1848, when it was found that a weekly service was required, the subsidy was increased to £156,000 per annum. In 1860, to facilitate the despatch of the mails, the boats began to call at Queenstown both going out and returning home, as they still continue to do. In January, 1868, a new mail contract came into operation, under which the Cunard Line received £70,000 a year for a direct weekly service to New York. In the following year Halifax was left out of the programme, although a separate branch line continued to run to Boston as it still does.
“BRITANNIA,” FIRST OF THE CUNARD LINE, 1840.
The original name of the company was “The British and North American Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company,” but it soon took the less cumbrous title of “The Cunard Steamship Company, Limited.” The Cunard Line commenced its service from Liverpool to North America on the anniversary of American Independence, the 4th of July, 1840, superseding as mail-carriers the ten-gun sailing brigs of earlier days.[13]
THE “NIAGARA,” AS A TRANSPORT IN 1855.
The first fleet consisted of four side-wheel steamers, each 207 feet long, 34⅓ feet beam and 22½ feet deep. Their wooden hulls were constructed by four different builders on the Clyde—the Acadia by John Wood, the Britannia by Robert Duncan & Co.; the Caledonia by Charles Wood, and the Columbia by Robert Steele. All four were built after the same model, closely resembling that of the Great Western. They were all supplied with engines of the side-lever type, by Robert Napier & Sons, 403 horse-power, nominal, with cylinders of 72½ inches diameter and 82 inches stroke. They burned about forty-four tons of coal per day, and carried a steam pressure of 9 pounds to the square inch. The Britannia, commanded by Captain Woodruff, R.N., sailed on her first westward voyage on July 4th, and after calling at Halifax, reached Boston on the 19th, having made the passage in 14 days, 8 hours, including detention at Halifax. So great was the enthusiasm in Boston, it is said that Mr. Cunard, who had come out in the Britannia, received eighteen hundred invitations to dinner during the first twenty-four hours of his stay in the city! From that time until now the service has been maintained with marvellous regularity, and the line has an unrivalled reputation for safety. During all these intervening years the ships of the Cunard Line have crossed and recrossed the stormy Atlantic without the loss of a single life. In the early days of the service, the Unicorn, formerly of the Glasgow and Liverpool Line, plied between Quebec and Pictou, N.S., in connection with the Atlantic steamers, and is said to have been the first transatlantic steamer to reach Boston, on June 2nd, 1840. The Unicorn was commanded by Captain Walter Douglas—a great favourite with his passengers—and the boat was a very fine one indeed.
The second contract, calling for weekly sailings, necessitated a larger fleet of steamers. To meet this demand four new ships were built, and took their places on the line in 1848, namely, the America, Niagara, Canada and Europa. Each of these was 251 feet long, of 1,800 tons burthen and 750 horse-power. They had an average speed of 10½ knots an hour. And so, from time to time, as the exigencies of trade and the need for enlarged passenger accommodation demanded, fresh additions were made to the fleet, each succeeding ship surpassing its predecessors in size, equipment and speed. The Persia, built in 1856, was the first of the iron boats: the Scotia, in 1862, was the last of the paddle-wheel steamers. They were both very fine ships of 3,300 and 3,871 tons, respectively, accounted the best specimens of marine architecture then afloat. The China, launched in 1862, was the first Cunard single-screw steamer. She was followed, in 1867, by the Russia, the queen of ocean steamers in her day. Passing a number of intervening ships, we come, in 1881, to the Servia, the first of the line built of steel—a magnificent vessel, 515 feet long, 7,392 tons, 9,900 horse-power, and attaining a speed of 16.7 knots.