CHAPTER XUI,
 

(1817*1825.)
 

Pint Line of Fnoket Ships Ettablished—Arrirsl of the Great, Eastern-
Body of Oeneral Uontgomety Xransfentd—Beoeption to lafoyette
—Organisation of First Savings Bank.

Two eventa of Importance woro evolved In 1S17. One may he Bald to
have been foreshadowed from the start of the city hy the fact that ample
channels of communication wltb the interior by water existed, and the
other to have been the result of a demand for the extension of a great busl-
Does already soundly established. The first of these events was the forming
by Isaac Wright & Son, Francis Thompson, Benjamin Marahall and Jere¬
miah Thompson of Che flrst regular line of packet ships to Liverpool, known
as the "Black Ball Line," which sailed regularly on the flrst day of every
month throughout the year. They were named the Pacific, the Amity, the
William Thompson and tbe James Cropper, and were vessola of between
400 and &00 tons—large ships as ships went in those days. Four years
later a second lino, the Red Star, was established by Byrnes, Trimble St Co-,
with four ships, the Manhattan, the Hercules, the Pnntbea and the Ueteor,
which sailed on the 24th of each month. The business of the country was
In an unusually flourishing condition at this time, and the competitive
instinct forced the Black Ball Line to add four more ships, to sail on the
ICth of each month, A little later the Swallow Tall Line was eatabliahed by
Messrs. Flsh, Grlnnell A Co. and Thaddeus Phelps & Co. Four ships were
in this service, sailing on the 8th of each month. Thus, communication
was established between Now Tork and Liverpool by a fleet of sixteen
vessels, making from each end of the line weekly departures the year
round.

The honor of.flrst demonstrating the feasibility of navigating the
ocean hy steam belongs to this country, aa In ISIS the Savannah, of 300
tons, which had been built tho previous year In one of New York City's
shipyards, sailed from here to the city in Georgia for which she was named.
Two mouths later, on May 20, she left Savannah direct for Liverpool,
accomplishing the trip In twenty-two days. The sensation she created
extended Into court circles, and It was suspected that her errand was to
rescue Napoleon from St. Helena. From Liverpool she wont to Copen¬
hagen, and thence to St Petersburg and to Norway. She returned to Savan¬
nah in twenty-five days. It was not until April £3, 1338, that tbe flrst
English steamship—If she may be so called, as she was a sailing vessel
fitted up as a steamer—arrived at Jones's Wharf, Pier 14, East River. She
was named the Slrlus^ and sailed from LlTOrpool, bringing over forty-four

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