BLUE RIBBON OF THE ATLANTIC

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2756, 27 April 1916, Page 6

BLUE RIBBON OF THE ATLANTIC

THE LUSITANIA'S RECORD VOYAGE. The crisis that has arisen between the United States and Germany may be traced to the sir-king of the Cunard liner Lusitania on iuay 7, 1915; off Cork, Ireland, when 1500 lives were lost, including quite a number of American citizens. Xho ill-fated liuor held the Blue Ilibbon of the Atlantic, and secured it as far back as October, 1907, when she crossed from Queonstown to Sandy Hook in the record time of i days 19 hours 52 minutes, her log furnishing the following particulars of her passage:—Arrived Sandy Hook bar, 1.17 a.m., Jimo of passage 4 days 19 hours 52 minutes; average .speed, 23.993 knots; runs per day, 41, 690, 608, 617, <iOO, 324; total distance, 2780. In an interview, Mr. Gustav Schwab, the general manager in Now York or the North German' Lloyd, said: "The Lusitania is undoubtedly a wonderful steamer, and she has made a splendid record. I am going to-day to congratulate Mr. Vernon Brown, of the Cunard Company, and, figuratively speaking, incidentally to band him the blue ribbon of the Atlantic, which tlio North German Lloyd has held for several years. Of-course-it is with regret that the North German Lloyd parts with the ribbon, which is the emblem of speed and superiority at sea, but in giving it up wo have tlio consolation of knowing that there is only one steamer iu all the world which is faster than our Kaiser Wilholm 11. ft is bettor to have held t-.nd lost the record than never to have held it at all. Tlio Lusitania has made a record of which everyone should bo proud, and we, above all others, because in order to gain the record she was cbli"cd to defeat otto of our steamers. It'appears that when the Lusitania's turbines were working at top speed, the heat in the stokehold was, so intense that one of the firemen temporarily went out of his mind. On that evening, to mark their appreciation of the day s run (008 miles) the officers gave each of the firemen a .bottle of ale, and next day tho Lusitania broke all records, making 617 knots But the firemen received no ale that night, and to this they laughingly attribute the fact that.only 600 knots were recorded the. following day. The greatest enthusiasm was displayed bv the 3000 odd passengers on board over tho record-breaking trip. A concert which was given on the last evening developed into enthusiastic speechmaking; several well-known citizens gave voice to their sentiments, congratulating England on logaining the mastery of the seas. '