Collins Line
Encyclopedia
The Collins Line is the common name for the American
shipping
company started by Israel Collins and then built up by his son Edward Knight Collins
. Under Edward Collins' guidance, the company grew to be a serious competitor on the transatlantic routes to the British
Cunard
shipping company.
. The firm traded in a fairly small way. In 1824, Israel was joined by his son Edward. In January 1825, Edward took advantage of a cotton shortage in England
to charter a schooner in order to get to Charleston, South Carolina
, ahead of his competitors and corner the market in cotton. This was the turning point in the company. In 1827, the company started a line of packets sailing between New York and Veracruz
on the Mexican coast. The line prospered. Israel Collins died in 1831, and Edward took over management of a New York-New Orleans packet line. He made a great success of this venture as well.
and returned with the largest cargo yet brought to New York. From then on, the company was a serious competitor for the transatlantic trade. At that time, all of the competing shipping firms were American. Collins' ships predominantly carried cotton for the English cotton industry. The firm continued to commission the largest ships that it could, and three vessels, Garrick, Sheridan, and Siddons, were added to the fleet. In 1838 the 1,030-ton Roscius was added, larger than any competitor. At that time, Collins' main rival was the Black Ball Line
, also of New York.
, owned by the British Great Western Steamship Company
, crossed the Atlantic in 15 days and heralded a new age in the transatlantic trade. Two years later, the British & North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, commonly known as Cunard Line
, began transatlantic steam packet service between Liverpool
and Halifax
, after winning the tender for subsidies from the British admiralty. In 1840–41, four ships were delivered to Cunard for this service, with two additional ships following in 1844.
Dissatisfied with the dominance of British companies in the transatlantic mail packet trade, the US Congress decided to begin a state-subsidized service of their own in 1845. The United States Postmaster General
Office invited tenders from US-based shipping companies for a service from New York
to ports in Northern Europe
. Four companies, including a group led by Collins, submitted their proposals. A five-year tender of carrying mail from New York to Bremen
was eventually awarded to the Ocean Steam Navigation Company, led by Edward Mills, which began service in 1846.
In 1849, the US Postmaster General Office invited companies to submit bids for a 10-year federal government-subsidized mail service contract between New York and Liverpool
, in direct competition with Cunard, which had opened a similar service in 1848. Collins submitted his ambitious plan to operate a weekly service on the route with five ships superior to those of Cunard in every way. Collins' proposal convinced the authorities and the tender was awarded to his New York & Liverpool United States' Mail Steamship Company, commonly known as the Collins Line. Due to the financial constraints of building five ships, the service was eventually scaled down to a bi-weekly operation using four ships. Collins hired the young George Steers
, who later designed the famous yacht America
, to design his new ships. Named , , and , the new ships were superior to those of Cunard Line in many ways. At nearly 3,000 tons, they were twice as large as Cunard's largest ships, at maximum speed of 12 knots faster, and included many new innovations such as steam-heating, running water and a ventilation system in all accommodations. Other features included bathing cabins, a hairdressing salon and separate lounges for men and women.
The Atlantic was the first ship in service, beginning her maiden voyage on 27 April 1850. With the crossing from New York to Liverpool taking 10 days and 16 hours, the ship clipped 12 hours off the existing Cunard record. Atlantic and her sister ships consistently bettered the crossing times of the Cunard ships, and the Baltic became the first mail ship to cross in less than ten days. However, due to their high speeds the Collins steamers were also extremely uneconomic, with fuel consumption at 87 tons of coal per day (compared to a mere 37 tons for Cunard ships). Additionally, the ships required constant expensive repairs due to structural damage to their wooden hulls caused by their excessively powerful engines.
Within two years of its initial oceanic voyage, the Collins Line was in financial trouble. The annual federal subsidy of $385,000, which its organizers and major investors first believed was sufficient to assure profitability, appeared seriously inadequate. Collins and his backers, in viewing the profitable and expanding operations of their transatlantic competitor, Cunard Lines, believed there was both need and justification for a substantial increase in the subsidy, especially in light of additional support Cunard was receiving. Cunard's annual subsidy had been considerably more than doubled — from £55,000 ($275,000) to £145,000 ($725,000) between 1839 and 1846 - and by 1852 it had been increased to £173,340 ($866,700). To make matters worse, by 1852 Cunard was offering at least twice as many sailings to North America as Collins. This was especially the case during the unprofitable winter season when the Collins Line ran only one steamer per month across the Atlantic, while Cunard — now operating from New York as well as Boston — maintained a weekly schedule by providing alternate bi-weekly services between both New York and Boston and its British terminus at Liverpool.
As a consequence, in early January 1852, the Collins Line, with the support of both the Postmaster-General and the Secretary of the Navy, petitioned Congress for a major increase in subsidy. Notwithstanding the popularity of its huge, fast and luxurious vessels, Collins had been losing money steadily. Shareholders had not received a cent in dividends and the stock was selling far below its initial offering price. And now the US government was asking the line to increase the frequency of its winter sailings simply to match the current Cunard schedule between New York and Liverpool. In these circumstances, Edward Collins maintained, the subsidy would have to be more than doubled just to break even. He therefore sought an increase to $858,000 per year.
Discussion of the subsidy persisted until a compromise was hammered out, under which Congress after December 1854 would be free to terminate the increase upon giving Collins six month's notice.
, Newfoundland, she collided with the 250-ton French iron propeller ship SS Vesta, and was holed in three places. The Arctic had no watertight compartments and began to fill with water. The captain tried to reach land before the ship sank, but only fifteen miles from shore, the ship rolled over and sank. 322 passengers are said to have perished. The next day Collins went to meet his family, but received a letter from the captain telling him that his wife and two children were dead.
Grief stricken though Collins was, he did not give up his determination to dominate the transatlantic trade. He began to plan a new ship that would be bigger, faster and more luxurious than the rest, the Adriatic.
In 1856, before the new ship had been completed, the Pacific
disappeared without trace while on a voyage from Liverpool. It was believed that she most probably hit an iceberg, and that about 240 people perished. In 1991, the Pacific was reported to have been found off the coast of Wales.
to Newfoundland in only 5 days 19¾ hours. The collapse of the Collins line left Cunard with very little opposition in the Atlantic, as the Great Western Steamship Company
had already ceased trading.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
shipping
Shipping
Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...
company started by Israel Collins and then built up by his son Edward Knight Collins
Edward Knight Collins
Edward Knight Collins I was an American shipping magnate.-Biography:He was born on August 5, 1802 in Truro, Massachusetts to Israel Gross Collins and Mary Ann Knight . His mother was a neice of Sir Edward Knight and she died shortly afterEdward was born. He was then raised by his aunts...
. Under Edward Collins' guidance, the company grew to be a serious competitor on the transatlantic routes to the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Cunard
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
shipping company.
Early days
The Collins Line, as it was commonly known at the time, were the ships and lines run by the shipping company, I. G. Collins (later I. G. Collins and Son). Israel Collins had left the sea in 1818 to establish the shipping company in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The firm traded in a fairly small way. In 1824, Israel was joined by his son Edward. In January 1825, Edward took advantage of a cotton shortage in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to charter a schooner in order to get to Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, ahead of his competitors and corner the market in cotton. This was the turning point in the company. In 1827, the company started a line of packets sailing between New York and Veracruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
on the Mexican coast. The line prospered. Israel Collins died in 1831, and Edward took over management of a New York-New Orleans packet line. He made a great success of this venture as well.
Transatlantic freight trade
Up until 1835 the company had not seriously competed in the transatlantic trade, but in that year it received a new ship, the Shakspeare. The ship was dispatched to LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and returned with the largest cargo yet brought to New York. From then on, the company was a serious competitor for the transatlantic trade. At that time, all of the competing shipping firms were American. Collins' ships predominantly carried cotton for the English cotton industry. The firm continued to commission the largest ships that it could, and three vessels, Garrick, Sheridan, and Siddons, were added to the fleet. In 1838 the 1,030-ton Roscius was added, larger than any competitor. At that time, Collins' main rival was the Black Ball Line
Black Ball Line (trans-Atlantic packet)
The Black Ball Line initially consisted of four packet ships, the Amity, Courier, Pacific and the James Monroe. All of these were running between Liverpool, England and New York City. This first scheduled trans-Atlantic service was founded in 1817...
, also of New York.
Transatlantic mail and passenger service
In 1838, the SS Great WesternGreat Western
Great Western can refer to:* The Great Western Railway, a United Kingdom railway company nationalised in 1948 and that has since lent its name to:** Great Western Main Line, a principal passenger and freight rail route...
, owned by the British Great Western Steamship Company
Great Western Steamship Company
The Great Western Steam Ship Company operated the first regular transatlantic steamer service from 1838 until 1846. Related to the Great Western Railway, the company's directors expected their new enterprise to achieve the position that was ultimately secured by the Cunard Line...
, crossed the Atlantic in 15 days and heralded a new age in the transatlantic trade. Two years later, the British & North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, commonly known as Cunard Line
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
, began transatlantic steam packet service between Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, after winning the tender for subsidies from the British admiralty. In 1840–41, four ships were delivered to Cunard for this service, with two additional ships following in 1844.
Dissatisfied with the dominance of British companies in the transatlantic mail packet trade, the US Congress decided to begin a state-subsidized service of their own in 1845. The United States Postmaster General
United States Postmaster General
The United States Postmaster General is the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence...
Office invited tenders from US-based shipping companies for a service from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to ports in Northern Europe
Northern Europe
Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
. Four companies, including a group led by Collins, submitted their proposals. A five-year tender of carrying mail from New York to Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
was eventually awarded to the Ocean Steam Navigation Company, led by Edward Mills, which began service in 1846.
In 1849, the US Postmaster General Office invited companies to submit bids for a 10-year federal government-subsidized mail service contract between New York and Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, in direct competition with Cunard, which had opened a similar service in 1848. Collins submitted his ambitious plan to operate a weekly service on the route with five ships superior to those of Cunard in every way. Collins' proposal convinced the authorities and the tender was awarded to his New York & Liverpool United States' Mail Steamship Company, commonly known as the Collins Line. Due to the financial constraints of building five ships, the service was eventually scaled down to a bi-weekly operation using four ships. Collins hired the young George Steers
George Steers
George Steers was a designer of yachts best known for the famous racing yacht America. He founded a shipyard with his brother, George Steers and Co, and died in an accident just as he was landing a major contract to build boats for the Russian Czar....
, who later designed the famous yacht America
America (yacht)
The America was a 19th century racing yacht that was the first to win the eponymous international sailing trophy now known as the America's Cup; in 1851 the trophy was known as the Royal Yacht Squadron's "One Hundred Guinea Cup", but was later renamed after the original winning yacht...
, to design his new ships. Named , , and , the new ships were superior to those of Cunard Line in many ways. At nearly 3,000 tons, they were twice as large as Cunard's largest ships, at maximum speed of 12 knots faster, and included many new innovations such as steam-heating, running water and a ventilation system in all accommodations. Other features included bathing cabins, a hairdressing salon and separate lounges for men and women.
The Atlantic was the first ship in service, beginning her maiden voyage on 27 April 1850. With the crossing from New York to Liverpool taking 10 days and 16 hours, the ship clipped 12 hours off the existing Cunard record. Atlantic and her sister ships consistently bettered the crossing times of the Cunard ships, and the Baltic became the first mail ship to cross in less than ten days. However, due to their high speeds the Collins steamers were also extremely uneconomic, with fuel consumption at 87 tons of coal per day (compared to a mere 37 tons for Cunard ships). Additionally, the ships required constant expensive repairs due to structural damage to their wooden hulls caused by their excessively powerful engines.
Within two years of its initial oceanic voyage, the Collins Line was in financial trouble. The annual federal subsidy of $385,000, which its organizers and major investors first believed was sufficient to assure profitability, appeared seriously inadequate. Collins and his backers, in viewing the profitable and expanding operations of their transatlantic competitor, Cunard Lines, believed there was both need and justification for a substantial increase in the subsidy, especially in light of additional support Cunard was receiving. Cunard's annual subsidy had been considerably more than doubled — from £55,000 ($275,000) to £145,000 ($725,000) between 1839 and 1846 - and by 1852 it had been increased to £173,340 ($866,700). To make matters worse, by 1852 Cunard was offering at least twice as many sailings to North America as Collins. This was especially the case during the unprofitable winter season when the Collins Line ran only one steamer per month across the Atlantic, while Cunard — now operating from New York as well as Boston — maintained a weekly schedule by providing alternate bi-weekly services between both New York and Boston and its British terminus at Liverpool.
As a consequence, in early January 1852, the Collins Line, with the support of both the Postmaster-General and the Secretary of the Navy, petitioned Congress for a major increase in subsidy. Notwithstanding the popularity of its huge, fast and luxurious vessels, Collins had been losing money steadily. Shareholders had not received a cent in dividends and the stock was selling far below its initial offering price. And now the US government was asking the line to increase the frequency of its winter sailings simply to match the current Cunard schedule between New York and Liverpool. In these circumstances, Edward Collins maintained, the subsidy would have to be more than doubled just to break even. He therefore sought an increase to $858,000 per year.
Discussion of the subsidy persisted until a compromise was hammered out, under which Congress after December 1854 would be free to terminate the increase upon giving Collins six month's notice.
Disasters
On 21 September 1854, the Arctic left Liverpool with 233 passengers, including Collins' wife, their only daughter 19 year old Mary Ann and youngest son 15 year old Henry Coit. The ship had a good crossing until she encountered thick fog less than sixty miles from the US coast. In the fog off Cape RaceCape Race
Cape Race is a point of land located at the southeastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland, Canada. Its name is thought to come from the original Portuguese name for this cape, "Raso", or "bare"...
, Newfoundland, she collided with the 250-ton French iron propeller ship SS Vesta, and was holed in three places. The Arctic had no watertight compartments and began to fill with water. The captain tried to reach land before the ship sank, but only fifteen miles from shore, the ship rolled over and sank. 322 passengers are said to have perished. The next day Collins went to meet his family, but received a letter from the captain telling him that his wife and two children were dead.
Grief stricken though Collins was, he did not give up his determination to dominate the transatlantic trade. He began to plan a new ship that would be bigger, faster and more luxurious than the rest, the Adriatic.
In 1856, before the new ship had been completed, the Pacific
Pacific (Collins Line ship)
SS Pacific was a wooden-hulled sidewheel steamer built in 1849 for transatlantic service with the American Collins Line. Designed to outclass their chief rivals from the British-owned Cunard Line, Pacific and her three sister ships—Atlantic, and — were the largest, fastest and most well-appointed...
disappeared without trace while on a voyage from Liverpool. It was believed that she most probably hit an iceberg, and that about 240 people perished. In 1991, the Pacific was reported to have been found off the coast of Wales.
End of the company
The Adriatic was launched on April 7, 1856. She was 355 feet (108.2 m) long and was 3,670 tons, with a maximum speed of 13 knots (7.1 m/s). She was intended to begin service in November, but due to technical problems, she did not run her sea trials until 1857. In August 1857, shortly before the onset of a brief but severe depression, Congress finally gave the required six-month notice of a subsidy reduction to the pre-1852 amount of $385,000 yearly for only twenty trips. By the next February, the Collins Line had suspended operations, and on 1 April 1858, in the midst of bankruptcy proceedings, its remaining vessels were sold at auction. The Adriatic only made one voyage for Collins’ company under these circumstances. The Atlantic made a sailing in December 1857 and Baltic made one in January 1858, but in February the planned sailing of the Atlantic was cancelled and the company was wound up. The Adriatic, in the service of her new owners, made a crossing from GalwayGalway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
to Newfoundland in only 5 days 19¾ hours. The collapse of the Collins line left Cunard with very little opposition in the Atlantic, as the Great Western Steamship Company
Great Western Steamship Company
The Great Western Steam Ship Company operated the first regular transatlantic steamer service from 1838 until 1846. Related to the Great Western Railway, the company's directors expected their new enterprise to achieve the position that was ultimately secured by the Cunard Line...
had already ceased trading.
Resource
- Whitney, Ralph. American Heritage.com "The Unlucky Collins Line" http://www.americanheritage.com/content/unlucky-collins-line (retrieved Sept 23, 2011).
- "The Ship List"
- McKee, Marguerite M. "The Ship Subsidy Question in United States Politics," Smith College Studies in History, VIII (October, 1922).