The Speed of Steamships. The Fastest Time on Record-The Path of Progress.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 74, 1 November 1884, Page 5

The Speed of Steamships. The Fastest Time on Record -The Path of Progress.

The extraordinary passage recently made by the steamship Oregon from Qneenstown to New York scores the highest rate of speed ever accomplished across the Atlantic. A voyage of nearly 3,000 miles in six days 9 hours' and 22 minutes may well be exulted over by every lover of progress as a triumph in steam navigation that gives the Oregon the claim of having carried off from all competitors the blue pennant of the Atlantic Ocean. In the history of the nineteenth century mechanical appliances to locomotion by land and sea afford material for the most sensational chapters, but decidely the strides made in the design and finish of ocean palaces leave in distance the greatest feats connected with railway construction. Some are yet living who recollect well the great excitement among ship-owners and seafaring men when the startling news was heaid of a steamer having ppvlmined the voyage across the Atlantic in 26 days. This steamer's carrying capacity wa3 only 350 tons, and the engine power was equal to that of 150 horses. She left Savannah on the 26th of May, 1819, and arrived at Liverpool at noon on the 20th of June. The "run" was not looked upon with any degree of favour by maritime men, the " crack " sailing vessels of the day, famed as Liverpool liners, having frequently during the summer months crossed over in much less time. Engine power was very limited in the early days of steamship construction. In April, IS3S, the steamship Sirius left Cork for New York, and after a run of 18 days landed her passengers in the commercial metropolis, thus gaining for the owners the honour of having made the rirst transatlantic voyage from Ireland to America. The popular and well known ship built at Bristol, England, and known as the Gtreat Western, left that port four days after the Sirius sailed from Cork, and in the evening of April 22 readied New York, and was greeted by thousands of the populace. The great success of the Cunard line stirred upon both sides of the Atlantic a considerable spirit of competition, the late E. K. Collins of New York taking the lead. That enterprising shipowner once declared he would build a steamer capable of making the passage between New York and Livei'pool in ten days, a feat at that period supposed to be beyond possibility. The last and fleetest of the Collins line, the Adriatic, performed one voyage between Gal way, Ireland and New York in something under nine days. A still more remarkable feat was accomplished by this steamer. Captain George Nicholson, who commanded the Adr : atic during the short term of the Galway line of transatlantic steam navigation, made the voyage from Galway to St. Johns, Newfoundland, a dis tance of 1,660 miles, in a few hours over four days, the shortest run ever made between the Old World and the New. Mr Collins effected many improvements in shipbuilding He had his vessels constructed with flat instead of sharp floors, and introduced sevei'al changes and improvements in spars and rigging which are still in vogue, but the most effective of his novelties mas the augmentation of the driving power of his iieet. While referring to the wonderful improvement in the remodelling of ships' hulls, the masting and sail rig, the most valuable of all the advantages conferred on ocean travellers has been the increase of propulsive power. The Cunard steamer Asia, built in 1850, was of 2.-J2O toiifc and 750 horse-power, and the Great Britain, of 3,440 tons, had been fitted up with 1,000 horsepower engines Average voyages in those days across the A tlantu- were lurely under twelve day.*-, but piogrees in engineering art bi ought about gieat changes. In July, 1563, the Cunard steamer Scotia steamed from Liverpool to New York in nine days two hours. The Inman liner City of Brussels, in December, 1867, made the voyage from Sandy Hook to Koche's Point (Queenbtown) in seven days twenty -two hours Other lines of Atlantic steamers shared the success, the White Star liners taking a high place in rapid pas-sages. The " greyhound of the Atlantic," as the Alaska, of the Guion line, has been called, is of 10,000 tons burden and 10,000 horse-power, and astonished the martime world by a voyage of 6 days and 20 hours ! Still, great as was that triumph of speed, it has been exceeded by a recent voyapfe of the Oregon, lately purchased from the Guion by the Cunard Company. The record which she beat was her own of 6 days 10 hours and 10 minutes. TheOregon leftQueenstownat4 o'clock on Sunday afternoon, August 17, and was sighted off Sandy Hook at 9 o'clock p.m.. Saturday, the 23rd, making her time 6 days 9 hours and 22 minutes, where she got the flood tide over the bar and came to quarantine, where she lay over night. Her passengers who attended church in Queenstown the morning of the day she sailed were in time to attend services on the following Sunday in New York City.

A new diversion — hunting the " codlin moth " which has fallen to the lot of our Cuetom-Houso officials, was vigorously pursu»d by these functionaries of " red-tape " in one of the wharf-sheds lately. The large consignment of 1,800 cases American apples which arrived per Zealandia was started on at an early hour this morning, when, all hands being fresh and eager for the fray, each case was opened and the contents minutely inspected. This method, however, proved exceedingly tedious, and the prospect of several days' steady work at such unusual employment induced the "searchers after grubs" to hit upon a much easier plan, which merely consisted in overlooking the outside of the cases as they were carried from tho shed to drays outside. Very often the much-dreaded "moth" — it was usually in the caterpillar state by the way — was seen plainly in crevices <>f t c woodwork, neatly hidden by a iliicklyworked web, and this caused alaijje number of cases to be put on one hide as "condemned." Probably 10 per cent, was treated in this manner, and it now remains to be decided how this " bad lob" is to be dealt with. The Collector of Customs has communicated with headquarters on the subject, so that consignees will probably hear 'further particulars tomorrow,