22 



Chapter 



SPEED, ELEGANCE AND LUXURY 



W, 



HEN did ocean travel on the Atlantic reach its peak? 

 When were the best ships built? When was the age o£ speed, elegance 

 and luxury? 



The answer is not hard to find. The answer is now. It was yester- 

 day; it is today; it will be tomorrow. 



When the earliest Atlantic liners, the packets, were leaving New 

 York before 1820 newspaper reporters were reaching for their most 

 extravagant adjectives to describe the beauty and comfort of these 

 ships: the fine large rooms, the elegant fittings and appointments, the 

 generous and tasteful food. Today, almost a century and a half later, 

 as each new liner comes into the harbor the same phrases are still 

 used. This is no criticism of the writers; I appreciate their difficulty 

 and share their problem. 



It means that over the years ships have grown and changed so rap- 

 idly as to earn the surprise and admiration of each new generation. 

 There have been occasions when the claims were understood by the 

 owners and accepted by the public as hopes rather than as fulfill- 

 ments. Today, however, the luxury liner fully deserves its title for 

 in many respects the services it provided are unrivaled even ashore. 



First-class living quarters on a superliner are still referred to as 

 "cabins" supposedly out of respect for tradition. Many of them, with 

 equal justice, could be called apartments, for they may contain sitting 

 room, bedroom, bath, serving pantry in various combinations. They 



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