When she came into the Mersey that memorable day in February of 1871 her immense length in comparison with her beam was instantly noticeable. I have already explained the value of length in ocean travel, but here was a ship with a beam exactly one-tenth of her 420 feet length. Sir Edward Harland knew what he was about when designing so novel a craft, and in spite of the general comments that the _Oceanic_ would prove a bad sea-boat, and unfit to face the terrors of an Atlantic winter’s gale, she showed that science in ship-building is of more avail than the blind following of an existing convention. Nor did she encumber herself with the usual heavy, high bulwarks that we noticed in the _City of Paris_, but, instead, she substituted iron railings, and for a perfectly sound reason. The old method gave to a ship a false security, for it could not altogether prevent a sea from coming on board, and when the latter had come over the ship the bulwarks tended to keep it there, whereas the _Oceanic’s_ railings allowed the sea to flow off immediately and freely, as she shook herself and rose to the next wave. The long, narrow wooden deck-house that we also noticed on the _City of Paris_ was also discarded, but another deck of iron was added. With her, too, disappeared most of the objections to the propeller--at any rate, in the higher-priced accommodation, since the saloon passengers for the first time were placed not at the stern of the ship (where the vibration and jarring of the propeller were most felt), but amidships and forward of the machinery. The saloon extended the entire width of the ship, whilst the numerous state-rooms were forward and abaft of the saloon. Furthermore, to an extent that had never been known on an Atlantic liner, the use of glass side-lights was employed, and these were made much larger than was customary, so that the interior of the ship was rendered much lighter, as it was also made more airy.