54 Book of Steamships 



a watcher: " Smoke on the horizon." 

 Some said " yes," others that it was a bird. 

 How tensely that smudge was watched 

 until there could be no doubt about it! 



It was the gallant little Sirius opening 

 up one of the greatest chapters in this 

 world's history. We learn that the church 

 bells were set ringing, cannons fired, and 

 boats shot out from the shore to greet the 

 tiny steamer. Within a few hours all this 

 had to be repeated, for the Great Western 

 was heading up the harbour. 



So ended the first great steamship 

 race across the Atlantic. Nominally the 

 honours were to the Sirius as the first 

 ship to arrive, but in actual steaming time 

 the Great Western won, taking what was 

 then the remarkable time of fifteen days 

 for a voyage of 3,125 nautical miles. The 

 Great Western burned 30 tons of coal a 

 day. 



It is interesting to find that the Great 

 Western became one of the first steamers 

 of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co., but, 



