Vanderbilt European Steamship Line Archival Collection
The Vanderbilt European Steamship Line plied between New York, Southampton, Le Havre, and Bremen. The Ships included the SS North Star and SS Admiral - Fast packet vessels of about 2500 tons each. The price of passage as of June 1856 was $100 for the first Cabin, $60 for Second Cabin.
The ships were constructed with six solid permanent watertight bulkheads, and in safety, comfort, and appointments are second to no vessel afloat. Steerage passengers were housed in four-berth cabins - a rather luxurious arrangement for that era. Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877) was the owner of the company.
A Glimpse into 19th-Century Transatlantic Migration
The 1854 Steerage Passage Contract for Naber Vinceut (possibly Vincerot) aboard the SS Admiral of the Vanderbilt European Steamship Line provides a rare and invaluable look into mid-19th-century transatlantic migration. This contract, issued in Le Havre, France, for a voyage to New York, details the strict regulations, challenging conditions, and immigrant expectations for steerage passengers.
This contract serves as a primary source document illuminating the economic realities, legal restrictions, and onboard experiences of 19th-century immigrants. It is a remarkable artifact that showcases how early ocean travel was structured for European emigrants, particularly those traveling in steerage, the most affordable but least comfortable class.
In the 1850s, American clipper ships ranged all the seas, carrying a larger percentage of the world's trade than has ever been transported in American bottoms since. The fast packets of Vanderbilt's European Steamship Line, the United States Steamship Line, and the famous Black Ball Line were more important on the transatlantic run than the new British Cunarders.
Advertisement: Vanderbilt European Mail Steamship Line, 1858. Chrystie, Schlössmann & Co., in Le Havre and Mainz. Frankfurter Journal, 11 September 1858. GGA Image ID # 2145a3b8a0
Advertisement: Vanderbilt European Mail Steamship Line, 1858. Chrystie, Schlössmann & Co., in Le Havre and Mainz. Der Eilbote, 9 September 1858. GGA Image ID # 2145ac6380
1858 Advertisement: The Vanderbilt European Steam Ship Line.
THE VANDERBILT EUROPEAN STEAM SHIP LINE. TTNITED STATES MAIL STEAMERS from Southampton or Cowes to New C York—The Vanderbilt, CAPT. LEFEVRE 5.500 tons, and 2,500 horse power; the North Star, CAIT. JONES, 2,500 tons, and 1,000 horse power; the Northern Light, CAPT. TINKELPAUGH, 1500 tons, and 1,000 horse power ; and the Ariel, CAPT. LUDLOW, 2,000 tons, and 800 horse power, will leave Southampton or Cowes for New York« as follows, viz.:—— Artel Oct. 6th. Vanderbilt Oct. 13th. Northern Light Nov. 3rd. North Star Nov. 10th. Vanderbilt Nov. 24th. Ariel Dec. 1st. The above Steamers are fitted with water-tight compartments. Price of Passage per Vanderbilt:—First Class, ±20 and £25; Second Class. £14: Steerage, £8; per North Star, Northern Light. and Ariel— First Class, £17 ; Second Class, £10 and £12 : Steerage, £8. For freight, passage, and further particulars, apply to Mesars. DUNLOP & SCHOALES, Southampton ; Oakford & Co., 67. Gracechurch Street, London, EC.; MR. ALBERT N. CHRISTIE, 27, Rue Richelieu, near the Rue Rivoli, Paris; and MESSRS. CHRISTIE, SCHLOEMANN & Co.» General Agents, Havre and Mayence. .. [1-10-D. & S.-49.
Vanderbilt’s European Line
The first of this line, the steamer North Star, left here on Saturday, the 21st of April, direct for Havre; she will be followed by the Arid on the 20th of May, and after this, these steamers are to leave here, and Havre every three weeks like clockwork, ensuring a reliable and consistent service.
This is indicative of great confidence in the speed and endurance of these vessels: it is what the Collins steamers have been doing since the loss of the Arctic—that is, they leave every two weeks with three steamers, which is the same duty as for two steamers to go every three weeks. Added to this, Havre is a route a day longer than hence to Liverpool.
The construction of the new steamer of this line is well underway and progressing rapidly. The SS North Star, with dimensions that will remain largely consistent, is a testament to modern engineering.
It features a length at the load line of 320 feet, a beam of 45 feet, a hold of 31.6 feet, and two vertical beam engines. These engines, with cylinders 85 inches in diameter and a piston stroke of 12 feet, power waterwheels with a 41-foot diameter and 104-foot blades.
The hull is expertly built by J. Simonson at Greenpoint, and the engines, a masterpiece of the Allaire Works, are a testament to their engineering prowess. Mr. W. A. Lighthall, the well-known engineer, is the superintendent of her machinery, ensuring the highest standards of operation.
"Vanderbilt's European Line," in The Artizan Journal, Vol. XIII, No. CXLIX, 1 June 1855, p.129
