148 ALL AFLOAT 



No other firm has ever had to face such a 

 storm of persistent adversity. But the in- 

 domitable Allans emerged triumphant ; and 

 by the time of Confederation, in 1867, the worst 

 was over. Thenceforth they were first in all 

 respects till very recently. In the introduction of 

 shipbuilding improvements they are without a 

 rival still. Their Bavarian was the first Atlantic 

 liner entirely built of steel ; their Parisian the 

 first to be fitted with bilge keels ; their Virginian 

 and Victorian the first to use the turbine. 



There are only two other salient features of 

 Canadian steamer history that can be men- 

 tioned beside the Royal William and the Allans : 

 the Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Company 

 and the Canadian Pacific Railway's merchant 

 fleet. True, neither of these comes into quite 

 the same class. The Royal William occupies 

 an absolutely unique position in the world at 

 large. The Allans are more intimately con- 

 nected with the history of Canadian shipping 

 than any other family or firm. Both the 

 Royal William and the Allans are landmarks. 

 But the Richelieu and Ontario Navigation 

 Company and the Canadian Pacific Railway 

 Company have also shown abundant energy 

 turned to effective national account. 



The Richelieu Steamboat Company was 



