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American Transatlantic Line (Continued from Page 15) size, speed, and excellent behavior in heavy weather, as also their interior elegance, marked them as decidedly the finest ships of their time. In con- trast, the four ships built for the new American Steamship Co. in the 1870’s have been practically forgotten. Yet this quartet succeeded notably in that prime mission of all merchant ships, the earning of profits, where the Collins steamers failed miserably. The Philadelphia liners broke no rec- ords of course, for they were not built for such expensive work. But they served on the Atlantic for something like a quarter of a century, for the greater part of their career remain- ing the only liners on the Atlantic flying the American flag. Let us have a close look at these unsung heroes. The first ship was launched Aug. 15, 1872, receiving the name PENNSYL- vANIA. She inaugurated the service of the line May 22, 1873, with her de- parture from Philadelphia on that date for her maiden voyage. Particulars of the Pennsylvania The PENNSYLVANIA was a fine steam- ship of rather more than average size. She measured 3104 tons gross register on dimensions of 343.0 by 43.0 by 31.9 feet, the length over all coming to 355 feet. Her engines con- sisted of a conventional two-cylinder compound set of the now prevailing inverted direct-acting type. The high pressure cylinder was 57 inches in diameter and the low pressure of 90 inches; both cranks were driven at a piston stroke of four feet. There were three cylindrical boilers of the double-ended type, with a steam pres. sure capacity of 60 pounds to the square inch, a high figure for those days, the limit then being about 70 pounds on the seas; altogether the furnaces were 18 in number. Quoted as of 500 nominal, the installation was credited as being capable of develop- ing over 2500 indicated horsepower. It was stated on good authority that the rate of consumption was at 40 tons coal per day. According to this the engines, working just on the double-expansion plan recently pop-- ularized, must have been remarkably efficient for the times. A pound and a half of coal per indicated horse- power per hour was certainly the last word in economy then. In compari- son, the latest Cunard installation yet required about two pounds; to be exact, the Smon’s new compound en- gines of that year were rated at 1.96 pounds per indicated horsepower per hour, while those of the newly-built Nantes had a consumption of 1.95 pounds. The PENNSYLVANIA’s screw propel- ler was of a four-blade design, meas- uring 17 feet in diameter and having a pitch of 24 feet. There was just one funnel. Or bo She was fitted with accommodations for 76 passengers in the first cabin, and for approximately 800 in the in- termediate class and the steerage. Her crew numbered 90. There was deadweight capacity for 1760 tons of cargo plus 800 tons of coal in the bunkers. At a capacity load the ship drew about 20 feet of water. Her cargo space was report- ed as of 3854 tons measurement, or for 5141 bales of compressed cotton. Total Cost Only $600,000 According to an official statement by the company the cost of the PENN- SYLVANIA, complete, ready for sea, came to about $600,000. The second vessel, the OHIO, was launched Oct. 30, 1872, and placed in service in August of 1873. The third, the InpranA, took the water March 25, 1873, and commenced running in October following. Finally, the I Lt1- NOIS appeared in service in January, 1874. These later units were repeti- tions of the PENNSYLVANIA, all four ships having been constructed to pre- cisely the same design. The building contract had _ stipu- lated-an average speed of 114% knots for the vessels, the expectation being however that they would merit a 13- knot rating. Let us see. Their ocean course lay between Cape Henlopen and Queenstown, which was figured as being, for their speed, about eight hours longer than the New York-Queenstown route. Taking as an example the perform- ance of the Inuinors as detailed in an article published in a contemporary issue of the Nautical Magazine, we observe that from March, 1874, to Feb- ruary into March, 1876, this ship en- gaged in eighteen round voyages across the Atlantic—her second to nineteenth inclusive. Through this two-year period, over the Cape Hen- lopen-Queenstown stretch, the ‘average running time of the Irnrrmots to the eastward was 9 days 15 hours and 26 minutes and the average speed 12.62 knots; to the westward the figures - worked out at 10-21-38 and. 11.16 knots. The mean of the thirty-six passages both ways was 10-6-32 or 11.89 knots. Thus she more than lived up to the promise of 11% knots in service. Best Passage at 13.66 Knots In the course of that period her quickest passage to the eastward was done in 9-3-1383, and as she covered a total of 2995 miles thereby she main- tained what was likewise her best av- erage speed in that time, 13.66 knots; the occasion was her thirteenth voy- age, June, 1875. To the westward her best time was 9-15-18, over a course of 2960 miles, the speed—12.80 knots—being also her best average in that direction (voyage No. 11, April 1875). So, striking a mean of her best averages both ways to neutralize the wind and current conditions pe- MARINE REVIEW—March, 1931 culiar to the transatlantic routes, we may conclude her to have proven rather better than a 13-knot ship. However the Ouro had on one Oc- casion crossed in the time of 8.23.9 corresponding to a smart New York run of 8-15-0. The PENNsytvanra did still better, at 8-19-12. But this lat. ter feat was decidedly eclipsed by the ILLINOIS, and as late as October, 1889 when she ran from Queenstown fs Cape Henlopen in 8-10-34, a perform. ance that would have done credit to even the early White Star liners, In rank among transatlantic steam. ships, then, these American liners ¢or. responded pretty well to those crack German liners of their time, the FRISIA, POMMERANIA, NECKAR, and ODER. What excellent workmanship had entered into their construction can be appreciated from a paragraph that ap- peared in Hngineering (London), in the issue of April 6, 1877: “American Steam Shipbuilding— The four steamers of the American Steamship Co., the PENNSyLvanta, the Ou10, the INDIANA, and the Ixutvors., all built in Philadelphia and of Amer- ican iron, are stated to have made such a favorable impression on Eng- lish underwriters that they have been accorded a rate of insurance lower than that of any other steamers in the transatlantic trade, two of the Cunarders excepted.” General Grant on World Tour In entering upon his memorable trip around the world upon the con- clusion of his second term as Presi- dent of the United States, General Grant departed from Philadelphia for the first leg of the tour May 17, 1877, aboard the INDIANA. The American Steamship Co. must have done a prosperous business in those early years, for although its quartet of liners were kept in con- tinuous operation, it was yet found advisable to engage additional ton- nage to run with them. It was in re- spect to such a supplemental vessel that the line sustained a_ reverse, when the chartered ABBOTSFORD Was wrecked off Anglesea, June 19, 1875. This ABBoTsrorD was a British steam- ship of 2554 tons gross, built in 1878. However, the event was unattended by loss of life. Around 1880 the earnings dropped off to some extent. In the years fol- lowing the service was carried on in conjunction with several new British steamers, the BririsH Krinea, the BRIT- ISH QUEEN, the BritisH Crown, the BririsH Prince, the Brrr1sH PRINCESS, the Lorp Gouen, and the older LorD Crive, vessels ranging from 3300 to just under 4000 tons gross. Coincident with the American Steamship Co. there had been organ- ized at Philadelphia in May, 1871, the International Navigation Co. in which officers of the other company were also interested. This Interna- tional Navigation Co. in the course of