Inman Line

The Inman & International Steamship Company, better known colloquially as the Inman Line, was one of the three largest British passenger shipping companies of the 19th century, along with the Cunard Line and White Star Line. The company was noted for their embrace of new technology, leading the drive to replace paddle steamers with screw propeller-driven ships on the Atlantic passage. The company's two best-known ships were the sister ships "SS City of New York" and "SS City of Paris".

History

The Inman Line had its roots in the Liverpool-based Liverpool and Philadelphia Steam Ship Company, which operated a line of sailing packets. It was owned by the Richardson brothers, who were Quakers. In 1850 their business partner William Inman persuaded them to buy the advanced new steamship, the SS "City of Glasgow". The ship's first voyage for her new owners was on 17 December 1850, when she sailed from Liverpool with 400 passengers, arriving at Philadelphia only 10 days later. Within a few years it had been joined by more "City" ships named after Manchester, Baltimore, and Philadelphia.cite book | last = Stolarik | first = M. Mark | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Forgotten Doors: The Other Ports of Entry to the United States | publisher = Balch Institute Press | date = 1988 | location = | pages = p. 40 | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 0944190006]

In the 1850s a steerage class ticket cost 8 shillings, several months' wages for a labourer, but business was brisk. In 1854 the "City of Manchester" made 5 voyages to Philadelphia alone, with over 500 passengers each trip. That same year disaster struck the company when the "City of Glasgow" disappeared en route to Philadelphia in March, and in September the "City of Philadelphia" ran aground on Cape Race, albeit with no loss of life.

In 1855 the Richardsons withdrew from the business after Inman violated their Quaker principles by leasing ships to France for use in the Crimean War. Inman dropped the Philadelphia service shortly after in favour of a New York service. By 1856 all the company's ships were screw-propelled in contrast to the more common paddle wheel steamers.

Until 1857 the Line ran a fortnightly service from Liverpool. That same year, following the collapse of the Collins Line, the Inman Line took its place carrying the US Mails. In 1860 they ran a weekly service, increasing in 1863 to three sailings every fortnight, and twice a week during summer in 1866. Their vessels gained a reputation for size, comfort and speed, the "City of Paris" making the trip from Cork to Halifax, Nova Scotia in under 7 days.cite book | last = Rae | first = William Fraser | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Columbia and Canada. Notes on the Great Republic and the New Dominion | publisher = Adamant Media Corporation | date = | location = | pages = pp. 23-24 | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 0543916421]

1870 saw another unfortunate incident, when the SS "City of Boston" departed Halifax for Liverpool and disappeared without trace.

Financial difficulties eventually forced the company into liquidation in 1886 and its assets were purchased by the Philadelphia-based American Line and folded into the American company.

References