The Paddle Steamer “President” — “the first great disaster in the transatlantic steamship trade” “Painted by S. Walters, engraved by R.G. and A. W. Reeve.” Source: Muir's Bygone Liverpool, Plate 38. [Click on image to enlarge it.]
Text accompanying the engraving
This ill-fated vessel was built on the Thames by Messrs. Curling and Young, in the year 1840, for the British and American Steam Navigation Company, of Bristol. She was the largest and most powerful steamship of her day, her tonnage being 2360, and the indicated horse-power of her engines (built at Liverpool by Messrs. Fawcett and Preston) was 540. She sailed from Liverpool on her first voyage on August 1, 1840, and arrived at New York on August 17, 1840. On her third homeward voyage she left New York on March 12, 1841, with 136 passengers, and was never heard of again. Her loss constituted the first great disaster in the transatlantic steamship trade. The picture represents her at anchor in the Mersey. [39]
Formatting and text by George P. Landow. You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the Internet Archive and the University of Toronto and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.
Reference
Muir, Ramsay. Bygone Liverpool illustrated by ninety-seven plates reproduced from original paintings, drawings, manuscripts, and prints with historical descriptions by Henry S. and Harold E. Young. Liverpool: Henry Young and Sons, 1913. Internet Archive version of a copy in the University of Toronto Library
Last modified 14 January 2013