98 Book of Engineering 



Steam came first to the river, and here 

 the early paddlers were hopelessly out- 

 classed by the fast sailers; indeed, on 

 American waters in the early days of steam 

 the skippers of the sailing craft would 

 return their passengers' fares if they did 

 not arrive well ahead of the steam-boat. 



A hundred years ago the Atlantic had 

 been crossed with ships having steam, not 

 yet could they be called steamers, as they 

 used their engines much in the same way 

 as a sailing boat to-day would use her 

 auxiliary power in the shape of a small 

 motor engine. 



It was in 1838 that the Sirius a tiny 

 cross-channel steamer opened up the 

 Atlantic Ferry under steam. Her speed was 

 only that of a sailing ship but she was 

 able to maintain it all the way across. 

 Call it ten miles an hour all the way and 

 we are not far out. So soon as the Cunarders 

 had opened up their glorious record of safe 

 and speedy travel on the ocean that was 

 in 1840 speed began to mount. The first 

 Cunarder did very little better than the 



