Steam-navigation -- History; Steamboat lines -- History; Steamboats -- History
The CAMPANIA has maintained an average speed for twelve months, on
her eastward runs, of 21·88 knots per hour, while the LUCANIA for the
same period shows an average speed of 22·01 knots. The Mediterranean
service has within the last few years been greatly improved by the
addition of four new steel steamships, each of about 3,000 tons
burthen. These are the PAVIA (1897), TYRIA (1897), CYPRIA (1898)
and VERIA (1899). The Boston service also comprises the following
modern steel twin-screw steamships:—IVERNIA and SAXONIA, built in
1900, the ULTONIA in 1898, and the SYLVANIA in 1895. The IVERNIA and
SAXONIA are practically alike, and call for some special notice. They
are the largest ships carrying passengers and cargo to Boston. The
principal dimensions of the ships are—Length 600 feet, beam 64 feet 3
inches and depth 41 feet 6 inches. The gross tonnage is 14,027 tons,
measurement capacity 20,000 tons, while the displacement is no less
than 25,000 tons. In their ordinary work across the Atlantic they
carry 200 first, 220 second, and about 1,900 third-class passengers.
If engaged in trooping, each ship could carry 200 officers and
3,500 men, together with 10,000 tons of stores. The features of the
ships, next to their huge size, are the spaciousness and comfort of
their passenger accommodation and their steadiness, which is most
remarkable, and which makes sea sickness almost impossible. Aerial
telegraphy is in regular operation on board these two vessels. The
Cunard was the first steamship company to systematically adopt this
latest development of electrical science. It was in the LUCANIA
that Mr. Marconi’s system was first set up, and so pleased were the
Directors with the results that they at once decided to adopt the
invention in their other steamers, the CAMPANIA, LUCANIA, ETRURIA,
UMBRIA, CARPATHIA, AURANIA, IVERNIA and SAXONIA all being now thus
equipped.
[Illustration: R.M.S. LUCANIA. Cunard Steamship Co.]
In October, 1903, the LUCANIA was the medium selected by the inventor
for further experiments in wireless telegraphy, and on the voyage
from New York to Liverpool completed on October 10th, Signor Marconi
successfully accomplished a wonderful feat, and a newspaper with
real news fresh from the Marconi stations at Cape Breton, Nova
Scotia, and Poldhu, Cornwall, was published every day. Messages were
transmitted over a distance of 2,000 miles as accurately as over the
same number of feet or yards, so that passengers on board the LUCANIA
had their printed newspaper, the “Cunard Bulletin,” every day of the
voyage, containing the most interesting events on both continents.
Just before arrival in Liverpool a larger edition of the “Cunard
Bulletin,” a weekly issue, was printed giving an epitome of the news
recorded in the six daily publications during the voyage, and marking
a fresh era in oceanic journalism.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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