Proceedings of the Polytechnic Association. 879 



length and breadth of beam ; and in order to obtain light draft to 

 make their floors flat, and to carry them well fore and aft. We were 

 also, as already remarked, tlie flrst to discover the eflicacy of the 

 hollow water, or wave line in diminishing friction and displacing the 

 water from the ship's track. 



These were improvements conceded to ns at the time when the 

 English demonstrated the practicability of steam propulsion in the 

 trans-Atlantic carrying trade. It is just thirty years since the occur- 

 rence of this most important event. The Sirius, Great Western, and 

 other steamers of about the same class, excited the wonder and admira- 

 tion of iSTew Yorkers by their symmetry of design and success. Thou- 

 sands of people came from liuudreds of miles to get a sight of these 

 marvels of naval architecture, and they were really fine ships and 

 crossed the ocean within two or three days as quickly as the fleetest 

 steamers of the present diO-j. But in point of size and comfort thej 

 were far behind the latter. 



At this time our lake and river boats had reached a speed not since 

 surpassed. There were many splendid and seaworthy sieamers on 

 Lake Erie, such as the City of Bufialo, which made their twenty 

 English miles an hour, without any over pressure of steam. How, 

 then, has it come to pass that we have allowed ourselves to be dis- 

 tanced on the ocean ? How has it happened that our pride has 

 become so humbled that we have abandoned the ocean field to our 

 competitors ? It is often alleged by superficial writers that our 

 trans-Atlantic carrying trade was destroyed by rebel cruisers during 

 the civil war. Nothing is more incorrect than such assertions. They 

 are simply false. If true, how is it we have not recovered some 

 share of it during tlie four years of peace that has since ensued. The 

 truth is, we had lost it before the war began. 



To make the subject more clear let us go back to the time when 

 England established a weekly line of steamers across the Atlantic, 

 sustained by a postal contract with the government. This was the 

 turning point in the competition for the trans-Atlantic trade. Our 

 government should then have met the case promptly ; nothing, how- 

 ever, was done for ten years longer. Our merchants and ship build- 

 ers were content to make some improvements in their sailing vessels. 

 They gloried in their fast clippers, and believed in their ability to 

 maintain their position as the carriers of freight and emigrants; and 

 such is the tenacity with which trade continues to follow old accus- 

 tomed chaimels of communication, they actually succeeded for sev- 



