Beginning of Atlantic Ferry 59 



Mclver, of Liverpool. They went all out 

 with Cunard in raising what seems to us 

 a small sum for a company who must 

 own at least four ships to fulfil the con- 

 tract. This was 270,000, a sum which 

 would not buy a second-rate liner of 

 to-day. The money obtained, the trio 

 went ahead and placed contracts for the 

 four vessels on the Clyde. 



The Mail contract was for seven years, 

 and it worked out at about 3,300 for 

 the voyage to the States and back. 

 With such small ships as were laid down 

 it followed that the mail subsidy would 

 defray a great deal of the cost of the 

 running. If only a moderate number of 

 passengers were carried and a small 

 amount of the best paying kind of cargo 

 available, success was assured always 

 supposing the steamship could rise to the 

 task. 



The directors of the new company, 

 which at first rejoiced in the high-sound- 

 ing title of " The British and North 



