Chapter 21

"Important national considerations, aside from the design to engross for British bottoms and British capital the trade and intercourse of the commercial world, and especially with the American continent and islands, entered into the Government plan. It was ascertained to be a far less expensive mode of maintaining a naval steam force adapted to the purposes of Government, and to any emergency that might require these ships for other than mail purposes, than to build, equip, and keep in service national steamships of war. The experiment has proved its adequacy to the intended object; and it continues not only to receive the approval of the Admiralty and Government of England, but to be continually undergoing enlargement and expansion."

"The West-India mail steam line was proposed to the British Government in April, 1839, by sundry merchants of London. A charter was granted to the contractors in that year, under the title of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. It embraced the following routes:

"1. _Outward Atlantic Route._--From Southampton to Madeira, Barbados and Grenada--steamer, every 15 days.

"2. _Trinidad Route._--From Grenada to Trinidad and Barbados--steamer, every 15 days.

"3. _Demarara Route._--From Grenada to Courland Bay, (Tobago)--steamer, every 15 days.

"4. _Northern Islands Route._--From Grenada to St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Martinique, Dominique, Guadalupe, Antigua, Montserrat, Nevis, St. Kitt's, Tortola, St. Thomas, and St. John's, (Porto Rico)--steamer, every 15 days.

"5. _Jamaica and Mexican Route._--From Grenada to Jacmel, (Hayti,) Kingston, Havana, Vera Cruz, and Tampico--steamer, every 30 days.

"6. _Jamaica and St. Iago de Cuba Route._--From Grenada to Jacmel, Kingston, St. Iago de Cuba, St. Juan's, (Porto Rico,) and St. Thomas--steamer, every 30 days.

"7. _Bermuda, Havana, and Jamaica Route._--From St. Thomas to Bermuda, Nassau, Havana, Kingston, Jacmel, St. Juan's, and St. Thomas--steamer, every 30 days.

"8. _Homeward Fayal Route._--From St. Thomas to Southampton--steamer, every 30 days.

"9. _Laguayra Route._--From Grenada to Laguayra, Porto Cabello, and St. Thomas--steamer, every 30 days.

"10. _Panama and St. Iago de Cuba Route._--From Kingston (Jamaica) to Santa Martha, Carthagena, Chagres, and St. Juan de Nicaragua--steamer, every 30 days.

"11. _Honduras Route._--From Havana to Balize, (Honduras)--sailing schooner, every 30 days."

"The contract system, combining the efficient features of an extended commercial and Government steam marine, was thus adopted after full investigation on the subject by the Board of Admiralty, the Treasury, and the different Government Departments, including the Post Master General. The merits and benefits of this system have been tested by England. That Government was the first to engage in it, and, as we have already stated, fully approve, and are constantly extending it. The Committee of Inquiry of Parliament, as we have already quoted, say truly that it 'had tended largely to increase the steam tonnage of that country, to encourage private enterprise in scientific discovery, and the regulation and economical management of steam.' After an examination of it in the most scientific and practical manner, that Government regards it as altogether more economical for the nation, and for the general public interests, than the exclusive employment of Government vessels. The ships built by the contract companies have far exceeded in speed and other essential qualities the ships constructed by Government. A far greater amount of service was obtained, at a cost much less than would be incurred by Government in building, equipping, manning, and running national vessels for even a partial performance of the same service. Individual and associated skill, enterprise, and capital were called into requisition, and, aided by Government means, contributed to enlarge, extend, and fortify the naval and commercial power of England.

"The practical operation of this great system of steam lines was to place within the reach of English vessels, of a semi-national character, and ready to be converted into ships of war, our entire Southern coast and harbors, besides yielding to them the foreign trade, commerce, and letter-carrying, by steam, to and from all parts of our country. To meet and counteract this state of things, became the object and duty of the American Congress and Government. It was the more obvious at that time particularly, engaged as we were in a war with Mexico, and our only means of coast defense of any force being a single steamer, and she not capable of entering the Southern harbors, while English steam fleets literally filled and occupied our waters. To counteract, so far as was demanded by the requirements of our own commerce, and the defense of our coast, a monopoly so formidable, which had grown up under the direct and liberal cooperation of the English Government, and the supposed superiority of English machinery, required the aid of Congress; for it was evident that unaided American enterprise and capital could not cope with it. Accordingly, at the close of the session of 1847, the Congress of the United States passed an act authorizing the Secretary of the Navy to contract with sundry parties and different steam lines for the construction of ocean steamships, as part of the plan of a combined naval and commercial steam marine, in connection with the mail service."

After enumerating the various lines established by Congress, he further says:

"These (with the previously authorized line from New-York to Bremen) were the various parts of a complete and important plan adapted to the growing wants of the public service, and for providing an adequate steam marine, whenever the exigencies of the country might require it, and for facilitating intercourse and the transmission of the mails between remote parts of our own country and other nations. For the due performance of it in all its ramifications, it required a large aggregate of capital, skill, and intelligent enterprise. After a lapse of nearly three years, portions of the undertaking have gone into efficient operation; and already the fruits of it--its utility, and its advantages and benefits to the American government and people--have been demonstrated. When the various parts shall be completed, and the plan in all its features shall be in full operation, its immediate practical results, aside from its prospective effectiveness in furnishing a class of war steamers for any ultimate purpose of the American Government, will be found fully to justify the action of Congress and the participation and favor of the Government, and confirm the public confidence in its great utility and value."

"When it came to the knowledge of the English government that Congress had entered into contracts establishing steam lines to Chagres, Havana, and New-Orleans, its first movement to counteract or discourage the proposed American line in that direction was to run branches of the Royal West-India mail line from Bermuda to New-York, and from Jamaica to New-Orleans and Mobile. Now that the American line to Chagres has gone into full operation, and the news from the Pacific comes by this line to New-York, and thence to Liverpool, some fifteen days sooner than the same news brought by the British line,[J] the English government has revised, enlarged, and extended its West-India line. It has entered into a new contract with the Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company, a material feature of which is to run a mail line direct from Southampton to St. Thomas, and thence to Chagres and back, twice a month, with steamers of larger capacity and power, and with a proposed speed of from twelve to fourteen miles per hour. For this line, five or six new steamships are, under the contract, to be built, while the old vessels are to form branches from this main line or trunk to other of the routes of this great and extended plan of steam intercourse and letter-carrying; at the same time that government will withdraw its branches to the Balize, Mobile, and New-York, extend its line to Rio de Janeiro, and enlarge its line in the Pacific, from Panama to Valparaiso, converting it from a monthly to a semi-monthly route. These movements show not only the immediate results of American enterprise in ocean steamships, and the important consequences, aside from any purposes of coast and harbor defense, to which it has already led, but the strong public reasons on the part of our Government to foster, continue, and encourage it. It has already counteracted the best efforts of the large and long-established English steam lines, and transferred the commerce and letter-carrying so long exclusively enjoyed by them to American ships. If promoted and favored by the Congress of the United States, it will still meet and counteract the new efforts of the English Government to recover the ground which American skill, enterprise, and capital, aided by the Government, have won from them.

[J] "By the contract of 1846 with the West-India Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company, the voyage from Chagres to Southampton is performed in 33 days. By the United States Mail Steamship Company the voyage from Chagres to New-York, and thence to Liverpool, is performed in 22 days.

"In relation to the comparative cost to the two governments by which these lines of ocean steamers, in connection with the naval and mail service, are maintained, it will be seen that the British Government pays as much for its single West-India and Chagres line as the American Government pays for all its lines--Liverpool and New-York, New-York and Bremen, New-York and Havre, New-York, Havana, New-Orleans, and Chagres, and Panama and San Francisco. The entire annual payments by the British Government amount [This was in 1850.--T.R.] to $3,180,000. Those by the American Government, when all its lines shall be in full service, will be $1,215,000. The British-West India Mail Steam-Packet Company are paid $3.08 per mile for mail service: the United States Mail Steamship Company, $1.88 per mile."

The Committee presented some few queries to Commodore M.C. Perry on the capabilities of the postal steamers for war purposes, to which he replies thus:

"I now proceed to reply to the first division of the inquiry, as follows:

"Question first: 'Whether the steamships employed in the transportation of the United States mail, under contract with the Navy Department, or any other steamships employed in the transportation of our foreign mails, are, in all respects, suitable for immediate conversion into steamers for war purposes, capable of carrying the armament or battery appropriate to the class specified in the contract?'

"In answer to the foregoing (first) question, I am of opinion that they are _not_ 'in all respects suitable.'

"Question second: 'And if not suitable for such immediate conversion, whether they could be altered so as to make them efficient war steamers?'

"Answer: The following named Atlantic steamers maybe converted, by slight alteration, into war steamers of the first class:

"_Of Collins's line._ The Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, and Baltic.

"_Of Law's line._ The Ohio, Georgia, and Illinois.

"_Of Mortimer Livingston's line._ The Humboldt and Franklin.

"_Pacific steamers--of Aspinwall's line._ First class, the Golden Gate. Second class, the Panama, Oregon, California, and Columbia.

"The foregoing vessels of the respective contracts are variously constructed as to materials, fastening, strength, and model.

"Question third: 'And if so, what alterations would be necessary to be made, and at what expense, to make them war steamers of the first class:'

"Answer: If these vessels had been originally constructed comformably to the _spirit_ (though it was not called for by the letter) of the contracts, as they should have been, and all English mail steamers now are, _in anticipation of their possible conversion, into war vessels_, the cost of converting them would be much less.

"Most of them were completed before I was ordered to their supervision; but I lost no time, after entering upon the duty, in calling the attention of the contractors to this important consideration, an observance of which would not have added more than one per cent upon the cost of construction.

"In altering these vessels so as to make them available for war purposes, the most simple, expeditious, and economical plan would be to razee them, or cut off their upper decks and cabins forward and abaft the wheel-houses; not by tearing them to pieces and defacing the costly ornamental work, which, though of no value to the Government, still need not be destroyed.

"The razeeing should be effected by sawing the top timbers, and cutting off by sections the whole of the upper dock, excepting the space between the wheel-houses, thus leaving the greater part of the main deck exposed and for the accommodation of the armament, and enough of the sides above that deck to answer for bulwarks and side-ports.

"Below, it would only be necessary to remove the state-rooms not wanted for the accommodation of the officers, and convert the after-hold and fore and main orlops into magazines, store-rooms, shot and shell lockers, etc., etc.

"According to my calculation, the cost of the conversion of either of the before mentioned vessels, exclusive of armaments, repair of machinery and ordinary repair, would not, or certainly _ought_ not, exceed, for steamers of the first class, $20,000, and for those of the second class, $15,000; and it could be readily done for this at any of our navy yards, provided that _useless_ alterations were not made.

"It should be taken into view that those mail steamers, if called into service as war vessels, would be considered as forming an auxiliary force to the regularly constructed ships, and hence the impolicy of expending much money on them. The requisites of sound hulls and powerful engines, with efficient armaments, should alone be considered, leaving superfluous ornament out of the question.

"The armaments of the respective vessels would, of course, be a separate cost; and to arrange the guns on the upper deck, it would only be required to close up three or four of the hatches or sky-lights; to strengthen the deck by additional beams and stanchions; to cut ports, and construct the pivot and other carriages; probably it might be desirable to shift the capstan and cables.

"With respect to the description and weight of the respective armaments, I am clearly of opinion that the first-class steamers already named could easily carry each _four_ 10-inch Paixhan guns on pivots, two forward and two aft, of the weight of those in the Mississippi; _ten_ 8-inch Paixhans, as side-guns, ditto.

"The _second-class_ steamers could with equal ease carry each _two_ 8-inch Paixhans on pivots, one forward and one aft, and _six_ 6-inch ditto, as side-guns.

"With the additional strengthening recommended, I am perfectly satisfied that the armaments suggested would not, in the least, incommode the vessels. Indeed, the weight of armament would be actually less than that which would be taken away by the removal of the upper decks and cabins, and the miscellaneous articles usually stowed on one or the other of two decks--such, for instance, as ice, of which not less than forty tons is generally packed in one mass; nor would the munitions and provisions required for the war vessel be of greater weight than the goods now carried as freight, saying nothing of the provisions and stores carried by the steamers for an average of 150 to 250 souls, including crew and passengers.

"It may again be remarked, that steamers thus brought into service would be far inferior to regularly constructed and appointed war vessels; yet in the general operations of a maritime war, they would render good service, and especially would they be useful, from their great speed, as dispatch vessels, and for the transportation of troops, always being capable of attack and defense, and of overhauling or escaping from an enemy."

Captain Skiddy, the Special Naval Constructor appointed by the Government to superintend the building of all the mail packets, says in a letter to Com. Perry:

"In reply I will commence with the first-class ships, which are the 'Atlantic,' 'Pacific,' 'Baltic,' and 'Arctic,' of Collins' Liverpool line; the 'Franklin' and 'Humboldt' of Mortimer Livingston's Havre line.

"These ships, although equal in strength, probably, to any steamships afloat, are not suitable for _immediate_ war purposes, but can be made efficient in four or six weeks, capable of carrying the armament or battery of a first-class frigate--say four ten-inch guns and twelve eight-inch guns. These alterations would consist of a removal of the deck-houses, spar or upper deck, forward and abaft the paddle-wheel boxes, fitting the after and forward bulwarks in sections, cutting port-holes, fitting hammock cloths or nettings, putting in extra beams and knees, and stanchions, moving the windlass below, building magazines, shell-rooms, officers' rooms, etc., etc. The cost of all these alterations and fixtures would not exceed ($15,000 or $20,000) twenty thousand dollars each ship. These ships would then be relieved of about one hundred and fifty tons weight, or nearly double the weight of guns and carriages, with less resistance to water and wind, adding an increase to their already great speed."

In the case of all these steamers, that is, of the Havre and Bremen, the Collins, the Aspinwall, and the Pacific lines, Commodore Perry reported that they "_were capable of being easily converted into war steamers of the first class_."

PAPER F.

OCEAN STEAM LINES OF THE WORLD.