Читать книгу Diary in America, Series Two - Фредерик Марриет - Страница 6

The most general, the most rapid, the most agreeable, and, at the same time, the most dangerous, of American travelling is by steam boats. It will be as well to give the reader an idea of the extent of this navigation by putting before him the lengths of some of the principal rivers in the United States.

	Miles.
Missouri and Mississippi	4490
Do. to its junction with the Mississippi	3181
Mississippi proper, to its junction with the Missouri	1600
Do. to the Gulf of Mexico	2910
Arkansas River, a branch of the Mississippi	2170
St. Lawrence River, including the Lakes	2075
Platte River, a branch of the Missouri	1600
Red River, a branch of the Mississippi	1500
Ohio River, Do. Do.	1372
Columbia River, empties into the Pacific Ocean,	1315
Kansas River, a branch of the Missouri	1200
Yellowstone Do. Do.	1100
Tennessee Do. Ohio	756
Alabama River, empties into the Gulf of Mexico	575
Cumberland River, a branch of the Ohio	570
Susquehanna River, empties into Chesapeake Bay	460
Illinois River, a branch of the Mississippi	430
Appalachicola River, empties into the Gulf of Mexico	425
St. John's River, New Brunswick, rises in Maine	415
Connecticut River, empties into Long Island Sound	410
Wabash River, a branch of the Ohio	360
Delaware River, empties into the Atlantic Ocean	355
James River, empties into Chesapeake Bay	350
Roanoke River, empties into Albemarle Sound	350
Great Pedee River, empties into Atlantic Ocean	350
Santee River, empties into Atlantic Ocean	340
Potomac River, empties into Chesapeake Bay	335
Hudson River, empties into Atlantic Ocean	320
Altamaha River, empties into Atlantic Ocean	300
Savannah River, empties into Atlantic Ocean	290

Voice from America.

Many of the largest of these rivers are at present running through deserts—others possess but a scanty population on their banks; but, as the west fills up, they will be teeming with life, and the harvest of industry will freight many more hundreds of vessels than those which at present disturb their waters.

The Americans have an idea that they are very far ahead of us in steam navigation, a great error which I could not persuade them of. In the first place, their machinery is not by any means equal to ours; in the next, they have no sea-going steam vessels, which after all is the great desideratum of steam navigation. Even in the number and tonnage of their mercantile steam vessels they are not equal to us, as I shall presently show, nor have they yet arrived to that security in steam navigation which we have.

The return of vessels belonging to the Mercantile Steam Marine of Great Britain, made by the Commissioners on the Report of steam-vessel accidents in 1839, is, number of vessels, 810; tonnage, 157,840; horse power, 63,250.

Mr. Levi Woodbury’s Report to Congress in December, 1838, states the number of American steam vessels to be 800, and the tonnage to be 155,473; horse power, 57,019.

It is but fair to state, that the Americans have the credit of having sent the first steam vessel across the Atlantic. In 1819, a steam vessel, built at New York, crossed from Savannah to Liverpool in twenty-six days.

The number of sea-going steam vessels in England is two hundred and eighty-two, while in the United States they have not more than ten at the outside calculation. In the size of our vessels also we are far superior to them. I here insert a table, shewing the dimensions of our largest vessels, as given in the Report to the House of Commons, and another of the largest American vessels collected from the Report of Mr. Levi Woodbury to Congress.

Table shewing some of the Dimensions of the Hull and Machinery of the five largest ships yet built or building.

(Table to be added in a later edition.)

But the point on which we are so vastly superior to the Americans, is in our steam vessels of war. They have but one in the United States, named the Fulton the Second. The following is a list of those belonging to the Government of Great Britain, with their tonnage:—

	Tons.		Tons.		Tons.
Acheron	722	Fearless	165	Myrtle	116
Adder	237	Firebrand	495	Otter	237
Advice	475	Fire Fly	550	Phoenix	809
African	295	Flamer	496	Pigmy	230
Alban	294	Fury	166	Pike	112
Ariel	149	Gleaner	306	Pluto	365
Asp	112	Gorgon	1111	Prospero	244
Avon	361	Hecate	815	Redwing	139
Beaver	128	Hecla	815	Radamanthus	813
Blazer	527	Hermes	716	Salamander	818
Boxer	159	Hydra	818	Shearwater	343
Carron	294	Jasper	230	Spitfire	553
Charon	125	Kite	300	Sprightly	234
Columbia	360	Lightning	296	Strombolo	966
Comet	238	Lucifer	387	Swallow	133
Confiance	295	Medea	835	Tartarus	523
Cuckoo	234	Medusa	889	Urgent	583
Cyclops	1190	Megaera	717	Vesuvius	966
Dasher	260	Merlin	889	Volcano	720
Dee	704	Messenger	733	Widgeon	164
Doterel	723	Meteor	296	Wildfire	186
Echo	298	Monkey	211	Zephyr	237