Her saloon is 67 feet long by 20 feet wide. Her interior fittings are truly elegant, the woodwork being of white holly, satinwood, rosewood, &c., so combined and diversified as to present an exceedingly rich and costly appearance. In the drawing room the ornaments consist of costly mirrors, bronze-work, stained glass, paintings, &c. Between the panels connecting the staterooms are the arms of the different states of the confederacy painted in the highest style of art, and framed with bronze-work. The pillars between are inlaid with mirrors, framed with rosewood, and at the top and bottom are bronzed sea-shells of costly workmanship. In the centre of each are allegorical figures representing the ocean mythology of the ancients, in bronze and burnished gold. The ceiling is elaborately wrought, carved and gilded. The cabin windows in the stern are of painted glass, having representations of New York, Boston and Philadelphia painted on each. There is in addition another apartment equally beautifully arranged and ornamented, for the exclusive use of ladies. Both apartments are heated by steam, an improvement now for the first time introduced in steamships. The dining room (60 feet long) is furnished in an equally elegant style with the drawing room. The staterooms, which are light and airy, are beautifully furnished and ornamented, and combine every convenience that practical science and experience could suggest. It would occupy more space than can be spared to detail the magnificence of the furniture of the Atlantic; the carpets are of the richest description; the table-slabs are of Brocatelli marble. Each stateroom has an elegant sofa; the berths are of satinwood, and the curtains of rich damask.
The Atlantic left New York on the 27th April, 1850, with nearly a hundred passengers, and a valuable cargo, under the command of Captain West. Shortly after leaving Sandy Hook she got entangled amongst some drift ice, which did considerable damage to her floats. This mishap was a serious drawback to her, inasmuch as the engines had to be worked at a reduced rate to prevent the floats from being torn from the wheels altogether, and the weather was too boisterous to admit of them being repaired. During the five succeeding days, the noble vessel continued to prosecute her voyage to the satisfaction of her captain and all on board. On the 3rd May, however, an accident of a more formidable nature occurred, one of her condensers giving way. After a fruitless attempt to adjust the machinery, the vessel having been hove to forty hours, Captain West decided to pursue his course, the steam being kept at a low point in consequence, which considerably retarded the vessel’s progress during the remainder of her passage.
The American steamers were swifter than their British rivals, and for a few years were the favourites with the travelling public. According to a return published in the “New York Herald” on the 1st January, 1853, the number of passengers carried during the eleven months January to November (inclusive), 1852, were:—
| By Collins Line, New York to Liverpool | 2,420 |
| ” Cunard Line do. do. | 1,783 |
| ” Collins Line, Liverpool to New York | 1,886 |
| ” Cunard Line do. do. | 1,186 |
It will be noticed that the majority of passengers carried were from New York to Liverpool, the explanation of this unusual circumstance being that it was at the time of the great rush to the Australian goldfields, when it was no uncommon thing for a Melbourne packet to sail from the Mersey with from five to six hundred passengers. Nor were the receipts from passage money the only source of revenue available for the Collins steamers. They were loyally supported by American shippers and importers, and the receipts from freight were large, although the rate on fine goods had been lowered from £7 10s. to £4 per ton.
Notwithstanding the large income derived from these sources, the service was only maintained for a period of about ten years. The heavy disbursements and the numerous casualties which befell the steamers, especially the loss of the Arctic (as narrated in the following chapter) and of the Pacific, with all on board, led to the collapse of the company.
R.M.S. “Umbria” in Mid-Atlantic
FOOTNOTES:
[19] “Illustrated London News,” 18th May, 1850.