SS Eider (1884): Archival Collection of a Transatlantic Steamship's History, Passengers, and Legacy

📌 Explore the SS Eider’s rich archival collection, including passenger lists, brochures, and historical records from 1883–1892. Ideal for historians, educators, genealogists, and maritime researchers.

Express Steamer SS Eider (1884) of the North German Lloyd. Norddeutscher Lloyd History and Organization, 1908. GGA Image ID # 1ddb4ef00b

🛳️ Review and Summary: SS Eider Archival Collection – A Voyage into the Heart of 19th-Century Ocean Travel

📚 For Historians, Genealogists, Educators, and Maritime Enthusiasts

🌊 Introduction: Rediscovering a Forgotten Ocean Liner

The SS Eider, launched in 1883 and operated by North German Lloyd, offers a captivating window into the golden age of transatlantic steamship travel. Through this well-organized and richly illustrated archival collection, the GG Archives provides educators, students, historians, and genealogists with a valuable case study in late 19th-century migration, maritime engineering, and cultural history.

This collection includes passenger lists, brochures, technical specifications, books, and historical accounts of both the launching and trial voyage of the ship. Together, these elements bring to life a vessel that played a crucial role in the movement of people and ideas between Europe and North America during a formative historical period.

Content Links

• Painting of the Express Steamer SS Eider (1884)
• Eider (1884) North German Lloyd Ship's History (Brief)
• Passenger Lists
• Brochures
• Back Cover Images
• Books Referencing the SS Eider
• The Launching of the SS Eider - 1883
• The SS Eider Official Trial Trip - 1884

Eider (1884) North German Lloyd

Built by John Elder & Co., Glasgow, Scotland. Tonnage: 4,719. Dimensions: 430' x 47'. Propulsion: Single-screw, 17 knots. Compound engines. Masts and Funnels: Four masts and two funnels. Additional Features: Iron hull. Maiden voyage: Bremen-Southampton-New York, March 17, 1884. Fate: Lost by stranding on the Isle of Wight, January 31, 1892, with no loss of life. The wreck was subsequently broken up for scrap. Sister ship: Ems.

Passenger Lists

1890-01-01 SS Eider Passenger List

📜 A New Year’s Voyage from Bremen to New York with Dignitaries, Doctors, and Dreamers

This 1890 passenger list offers an extraordinary snapshot of transatlantic travel on the cusp of a new decade—featuring aristocrats, intellectuals, doctors, entrepreneurs, and artists, many of whom played key roles in shaping late 19th-century society in both Europe and America.

Brochures

North German Lloyd - Short Route to London - 1889

🎓 “A 19th-Century Ocean Travel Brochure Turned Educational Goldmine”

The 1889 North German Lloyd (NDL) brochure titled "The Short Route to London via Southampton and the Continent" is more than a promotional travel pamphlet—it is a remarkable cultural artifact that opens a window into late 19th-century transatlantic steamship travel. Created during the Paris Exhibition of 1889, this richly detailed guide was distributed by Oelrichs & Co., the line’s New York agents, and served as both a functional passenger handbook and a marketing showcase for NDL’s first and second cabin services.

Teachers, students, genealogists, and historians will find the brochure incredibly valuable for understanding the social, economic, and technological structures of the Gilded Age’s oceanic travel system.

Back Cover Images

Back Cover, SS Eider Passenger List, 1 January 1890. GGA Image ID # 1e678163d1

Books Referencing the SS Eider

Passenger Ships of the World - 1963

🎓 “A Global Voyage Through Steamship History for Historians, Genealogists, and Maritime Enthusiasts”

Eugene W. Smith’s Passenger Ships of the World – Past and Present (1963) is a masterfully curated encyclopedic reference that charts the rise, peak, and transformation of ocean-going passenger ships through nearly two centuries. Expanding upon his earlier Trans-Atlantic and Trans-Pacific works, Smith offers a global maritime panorama that includes ships serving the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Oceania, as well as Canal routes and California-Hawaii shuttle lines.

🧭 This book is an essential resource for:

• Maritime historians seeking design evolution and fleet data
• Genealogists tracing voyages and shipping lines
• Educators and students studying transoceanic migration and tourism
• Ship modelers, naval architects, and enthusiasts interested in dimensions, tonnage, and speed

The Launching of the SS Eider - 1883

On 15 December 1883, Messrs. John Elder & Co. launched from their shipbuilding yard at Fairfield, Govan, an iron screw steamship of about 5,200 tons gross register for the North German Lloyd Co., of Bremen.

The vessel is intended for their Bremen and New York Line and is of the following dimensions:—Length, 450 ft.; breadth, 47 ft.; depth, 30 ft. 3 in.; and will be fitted with a set of the builders' compound engines, of the inverted cylinder type, having two low-pressure cylinders 86 in. diameter, with a stroke of 5 ft. Steam will be supplied by six double-ended boilers, with six furnaces in each, and the engines, it is expected, will develop 6,000 H.P.

The vessel will be classed the highest grade of the Bureau Veritas and has several extras over their requirements, such as iron lower and orlop decks, and additional watertight bulkheads.

The upper deck is of teak, and all the deck houses are of iron and teak. The strongly constructed iron turtle decks are placed at both ends of the ship to protect the vessel from the heavy Atlantic seas.

The vessel, when completed, will have accommodation for 170 first class, 90 second class, and 1,100 third class passengers, besides ample accommodation for the ship's officers and crew, 175 in number.

The ventilation has received particular attention. The outfit for the vessel is complete, with all the latest improvements, having Napier Brothers' patent steam windlass, steam and hand capstans, steam and hand steering gear, steam hold pumps, steam Dowton pumps for fire and wash deck purposes, freshwater condensers, iron lifeboats, in fact, all that will ensure the safety of the ship at sea, working of cargo, and the comfort of the passengers.

She is to be rigged with four pole masts of iron, with yards on the foremast as the vessel left the ways she was named the Eider by Lady Emily Fitzmaurice.

The SS Eider Official Trial Trip - 1884

On March 13th, the North German Lloyd's new steamer Eider, built by Messrs. John Elder & Co., Glasgow, had her official trial trip. She runs from the Cloch Light to the Cambrae Light and back again in a heavy sea, the outward trip being made at the turn of 17.1 knots and the homeward trip at a speed of 17.8.

The highest speed of the engines, which was got on the return journey, was 66 per minute, and their greatest power was 6970 IUP. She is a vessel of 6270 tons gross and measures 400 ft. by 47 ft. by 30 ft, 3 in.; she has accommodation for 170 first-class, 160 second-class, and nearly 1,100 third-class passengers.

🚢 SS Eider: Key Ship Features

Launched: 15 December 1883 by John Elder & Co., Glasgow

Tonnage: ~4,719 (later reported as high as 6,270 gross tons)

Dimensions: 430–450 ft length × 47 ft beam

Speed: 17–17.8 knots (recorded on trial trip)

Passenger Capacity:

🏅 First Class: 170

🎩 Second Class: 160–90 (sources vary)

🧳 Third Class: ~1,100

Maiden Voyage: 17 March 1884 (Bremen–Southampton–New York)

Fate: Wrecked at the Isle of Wight on 31 January 1892; all passengers survived

The Eider was a technological marvel of her time, fitted with compound engines, a full array of steam-powered auxiliary systems, iron bulkheads, teak decks, and superior ventilation—reflecting cutting-edge naval engineering in the 1880s.

🧭 Highlights from the Collection

📜 Passenger Lists

🗓️ 1 January 1890

The Cabin Passenger List reveals a culturally rich and socially diverse cohort of travelers: academics, aristocrats, entertainers, physicians, and transatlantic elites. A particularly useful tool for genealogists, the names and cities of origin help trace early transatlantic networks.

📖 Historical Documents

🛠️ Launching of the SS Eider (1883)

Published in The Marine Engineer, this detailed account documents the vessel’s specifications—right down to her steam pumps, turtle decks, and teak-lined upper decks. The inclusion of Lady Emily Fitzmaurice as the ceremonial sponsor adds a touch of social history to the technical narrative.

⚙️ Trial Trip Report (1884)

The March 13th sea trial from Cloch to Cambrae highlights her sea-handling performance, logging speeds of up to 17.8 knots—a formidable feat in the pre-turbine era. These insights offer naval historians a rare, firsthand glimpse into the birth of a steamship.

🎓 Brochure as a Time Capsule

🗺️ 1889 North German Lloyd Brochure

Titled "The Short Route to London via Southampton and the Continent", this guide is a primary source gem for studying marketing, route planning, and passenger services in the age of steam. Originally distributed during the 1889 Paris Exhibition, it doubles as both travel guide and corporate branding tool.

👨‍🏫 Educational Value:

Teachers can use the brochure to teach topics like:

• The evolution of transatlantic migration
• The rise of middle-class tourism
• The role of ocean liners in globalization and communication

📚 Referenced Works

Passenger Ships of the World – Past and Present (1963) by Eugene W. Smith

An indispensable reference cited in the collection. Maritime scholars and students will find the Eider listed alongside her sister ships and competitors, including design comparisons and historical summaries.

📸 Noteworthy Images from the Collection

🖼️ Express Steamer SS Eider (1884) | 🔍 GGA Image ID # 1ddb4ef00b

A vivid marine illustration showcasing the ship’s four masts, twin funnels, and full profile. A must-see for ship modelers and visual historians.

🖼️ Passenger List Back Cover – 1890 | 📘 GGA Image ID # 1e678163d1

Offers a period-accurate look at document design and layout for archival referencing.

🖼️ Brochure Cover – 1889 | 📘 GGA Image ID not provided, referenced in text

Classic artwork and typography from North German Lloyd's promotional golden age, tied to a world expo.

🎓 Relevance to Education, Research, and Genealogy

🧬 Genealogists: Passenger lists reveal surname clusters, emigration patterns, and diaspora movements during the peak years of European migration.

📘 Historians: Contextualizes the competitive dynamics of global shipping, especially between British and German lines.

🧑‍🏫 Educators & Students: Offers primary sources to explore immigration, transportation history, and maritime technology through lesson plans, essays, or projects.

⚓ Naval Architects: Insights into pre-turbine propulsion systems and ship design from British shipyards.

🏁 Final Thoughts: Why the SS Eider Matters

The SS Eider was more than an iron hull crossing the Atlantic—it was a bridge between continents, classes, and centuries. Her story blends engineering prowess, economic ambition, and human movement, all captured in this multi-faceted collection.

Her brief but impactful career (1884–1892) reflects a transitional era when steamships transformed from practical emigrant vessels into floating embodiments of modernity. The Eider was a workhorse with grace—her demise on the Isle of Wight did not diminish the legacy she left behind.

🧭 Whether you're tracing an ancestor’s journey, teaching the evolution of immigration, or modeling 19th-century engineering in a classroom, this collection offers a comprehensive toolkit for exploration.

📣 Students and educators: Use the GG Archives for your essays, primary source research, or immigration case studies. There's no comment section—but the voices of the past are waiting to be heard. 📜🌍🛳️