CORRESP ONDENCE. 



265 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



THE FIRST TRANSATLANTIC STEAMER. 



Editor Popular Science Monthly : 



SIR : On page 424 of the January number 

 (1893) of The Popular Science Monthly 

 is given a precis of the log of the ship Savan- 

 nah, which is correct ; but the heading, The 

 First Transatlantic Steamer, is totally wrong. 



The Savannah was not the first trans- 

 atlantic steamer, but a sailer, with propelling 

 contrivances to be used in smooth water; 

 moreover, she did not carry fuel enough to 

 take her across to England by steam, and 

 she proved a failure as far as transatlantic 

 steam navigation was concerned. All this is 

 proved by her log. The transportation of a 

 steam engine and paddles by a sailing ship 

 does not constitute her a steamer in the true 

 sense of the word. 



The first genuine pioneer steamship to 

 cross the Atlantic Ocean by steam alone, and 

 the first complete success in steam naviga- 

 tion, was the steamship Royal William, built 

 at Quebec, Canada, through the enterprise 

 of Canadian merchants, by Canadian ship- 

 builders, and with Canadian money. It was 

 sent across the Atlantic Ocean in 1833, and 

 proved to be the origin of the Cunard line of 

 steamers. It was sold to the Spanish Gov- 

 ernment for a man-of-war and called the 

 Isabela Segunda, being the first war steamer 

 in the world, and was engaged in action 

 against the Carlists. Some years later she 

 went to Bordeaux, France, for repairs, but 

 her hull was condemned and a new vessel 

 was built on her model, in which the old 

 engines were placed. This vessel went into 

 service under the same name, but was 

 wrecked in 1860 on the coast of Algeria, 

 where no doubt the Royal William's engines 

 may now be found. 



I send you our Transaction, No. 20, con- 

 taining the whole attested account of the 

 Royal William, which is incontrovertible 

 proof of what I say, and proves that the 

 honor of first transatlantic steam navigation 

 belongs to Canada and Quebec city, and not 

 to the United States at all. 



The Savannah was a fraud, a veritable 

 sailing ship, built as such, subsequently took 

 on an engine and propelling contrivances 

 which could only be used in smooth water ; 

 with these she steamed out of port, then 

 sailed to England, steaming only eighty hours, 

 not consecutively, out of a passage of twenty- 

 nine days and a half, but took good care to 

 let down her paddles on coming into port, 

 making believe that she steamed the whole 

 way across the Atlantic, and, moreover, re- 

 peated this performance at every port she 



visited. The Royal William was the first 

 veritable transatlantic ocean steamship. 



F. C. Wcrtele, 

 Librarian of the Literary and Historical 

 Society of Quebec. 



Quebec, March 25, 1893. 



[All that Mr. Wurtele says of the defects 

 of the Savannah appears on the face of the 

 article we published. The title, if not strict- 

 ly accurate, reflects current speech on the 

 subject. We are glad to give our Canadian 

 neighbors the credit that is their due in the 

 matter of the Royal William. — Ed.] 



FOOD OF THE GARTER SNAKE. 



Editor Popular Science Montldy. 



Sir : In your February number, Mr. Alfred 

 G. Mayer, in speaking of the habits of the 

 garter snake, says that he is not aware of 

 their eating birds or mice. They will, when 

 kept in captivity, at least, eat the latter ani- 

 mals. I once kept one under observation for 

 a considerable time, and its only food was 

 mice. These it ate with apparent relish and 

 in greater numbers than I supposed at first 

 would be eaten. Its mode of capturing and 

 killing a mouse was also different from that 

 by which the snakes secure frogs. It lay 

 quietly coiled, with its head slightly elevated, 

 for a little time after the mouse was put into 

 the box. The latter ran to and fro over the 

 coils of the snake, as though utterly unaware 

 of the presence of an enemy. Presently the 

 snake darted forward, seized the mouse in 

 its jaws, and with lightning-like rapidity 

 coiled itself around its body — the head of 

 the snake and the mouse being invisible 

 from without the coil. The quickness of 

 the movement was decidedly startling. After 

 about one minute the coils began to slacken, 

 and the mouse rolled out, completely crushed 

 and quite dead. The snake moved away, 

 but within an hour devoured it. This snake 

 was Eutamia sirtalis. I have not found any 

 one else who has seen it take its food in this 

 way, and can not account for the actions of 

 this particular specimen. A full-grown cop- 

 perhead, under similar conditions, behaves 

 very differently. With marvelous rapidity 

 it would shoot its head forward, apparently 

 merely touching its victim. The mouse would 

 give a faint squeak, and in thirty seconds 

 would be dead and perfectly stiff. His 

 snakeship then devoured it at his leisure. 

 Wilbur S. Jackman. 

 Cook County Normal School, Chicago, III. 



