A cautionary 19th century tale about the nature and pace of technological improvements is conveyed by today’s #stampoftheday, a 1944 stamp commemorating the voyage of the SS Savannah, which, on June 19, 1815, (sort of) became the first steamship to cross the Atlantic.

The ship was originally designed to only be a sail-powered packet that could carry freight and passengers. But while it was still being constructed, Moses Rogers, a leading sea captain, convinced a prosperous shipping firm from Savannah, Georgia, to purchase the ship, convert it to a steamship that could carry both freight and passengers across the Atlantic. As the ship was too small to carry much fuel, the engine was intended only for use in calm weather. Moreover, to reduce drag and avoid damage when the engine was being used in use, the ship was fitted with a unique retractable paddlewheel system (one that apparently was never used on any other ship).

When news of the ship’s planned transatlantic voyage became public, some called it a “steam coffin.” Rogers was unable to get men to join the crew until he went to his hometown of New London, Connecticut where people knew and trusted him. After a successful two-hour trial voyage in New York harbor, the ship went to Savannah where it was greeted by large and enthusiastic crowd. President James Monroe visited Georgia and took a trip on the Savannah before it left Georgia, was so impressed by the ship that he suggested its owners bring it to Washington after the transatlantic voyage so members of Congress could inspect it and possibly purchase it for use against Cuban pirates.

Despite the favorable reception, the ship’s owners couldn’t convince anyone to actually book a voyage – or ship freignt—on the inaugural trans-Atlantic voyage. So when the Savannah departed Georgia on May 22, 1819, it was empty except for its crew and fuel. Nevertheless, the voyage went well. On May 29, the schooner Contract saw the ship from a distance emitting large amounts of smoke. They assumed it was a ship on fire and followed it for several hours, but were never able to catch up. They later discovered it had been the steamship Savannah and the Contract’s commander said it was “a proud moment of Yankee skill and enterprise.” On June 2, the Savannah passed the sailing ship Pluto, whose crew gave the steamship three cheers as “the happiest effort of mechanical genius that ever sailed the western sea.” On June 19, as the Savannah was getting close to England, a British warship spotted the smoking Savannah. Unable to catch up, they they fired warning shots that convinced Rogers to halt so his boat could be inspected.

Finally, on June 20, the Savannah reached Liverpool, where it was greeted by hundreds of ships in the harbor. They dropped anchor at 6 pm, bringing their trip to an end after 29 days and 11 hours. Of that, they used the steam engine for a total of 80 hours, which has led many to question whether it really should be called the first steamship to cross the Atlantic. (Such critics instead credit the SS Royal William, a Canadian side-wheel paddle steamship, that crossed the Atlantic in 1833, using boilers all but one day of the 25-day crossing, the exception being the day they used sails while they shut the boilers down for maintenance and cleaning,

Few, however, quibbled with this at the time. Several thousand people visited the Savannah while it was in Liverpool for 25 days. It then became the first steamship to in the Baltic Sea, where it made stops in Denmark, Sweden, and Russia. Crowds turned out to see the ship and the Russian and Swedish governments both tried to buy the ship. However, Rogers thought their offers were too low and refused them. Instead, the Savannah returned home, arriving in Savannah on November 30.

Although mechanically successful, the Savannah was a a commercial failure. In January 1820, a fire destroyed much of the city of Savannah, including the offices of its owners, who were sold the ship to help cover their losses. The new owners removed the engine and converted the ship to a sailing packet that carried freight and passengers between New York and Savannah, Georgia, until it was destroyed after ran aground along the south shore of Long Island in November 1821.

The engine had a somewhat better fate. It was purchased (for $1,600) by the owners of the Allaire Iron Works, which had originally built the engine cylinder. They held onto it for many years and, more than two decades later, displayed it at the New York Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1856. (Allaire, by the way, was a leading marine engineering firm; after its founder retired stepped down in 1850 it was taken over by Cornelius Vanderbilt, who made a fortune in shipping and railroads and is the patriarch of the wealthy and influential Vanderbilt family.)

So, the SS Savannah showed that while a steamship was capable of crossing the ocean, that didn’t necessarily mean that it was a good idea at the time. The main problem was that because the engine and fuel took up so much space, the ship couldn’t compete with its slower, sail-powered competitors. Moreover, potential passengers were wary of the new technology. As a result, it took almost two decades before more efficient steamships began making regular crossings of the Atlantic, and almost three decades before another American-owned steamship made the trip.

If I tried, I could find some deeper meaning in all of this. But for today, I’ll leave it at noting that there’s something here about the need to press forward, even knowing that such efforts may not bear fruit for a long time.

Safe safe, be well, fight for justice and work for peace.