They fulfilled all the promises
which had been made. They proved the advantages of our new build
of ships; and the owners were perfectly satisfied with their
superior strength, speed, and accommodation. The Bibbys were
wise men in their day and generation. They did not stop, but
went on ordering more ships. After the Grecian and the Italian
had made two or three voyages to Alexandria, they sent us an
order for three more vessels. By our advice, they were made
twenty feet longer than the previous ones, though of no greater
beam; in other respects, they were almost identical. This was
too much for "Jack." "What!" he exclaimed, "more Bibby's
coffins?" Yes, more and more; and in the course of time, most
shipowners followed our example.
To a young firm, a repetition of orders like these was a great
advantage,--not only because of the novel design of the ships,
but also because of their constructive details. We did our best
to fit up the Egyptian, Dalmatian, and Arabian, as first-rate
vessels. Those engaged in the Mediterranean trade finding them
to be serious rivals, partly because of the great cargos which
they carried, but principally from the regularity with which they
made their voyages with such surprisingly small consumption of
coal. They were not, however, what "Jack" had been accustomed to
consider "dry ships." The ship built Dutchman fashion, with her
bluff ends, is the driest of all ships, but the least steady,
because she rises to every sea.
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