Comments | little_details: Victorian steamboat travel times.

cupcakery in little_details

Victorian steamboat travel times.

Jun 15, 2006 18:59

I'm aware that a journey across the Atlantic took nine days by steamboat from 1855 onward, but I'm assuming this would be to New York. I can't really find anything that states how long it would take to cross from England to, say, Jamaica. I was wondering if it would take the same amount of time, or perhaps a bit longer, considering the distance ( Read more... )

~boats and other things that float, ~travel: sea travel, 1850-1859, caribbean: history, uk: history: victorian era

Comments 8

colour_my_w0rld June 15 2006, 23:39:26 UTC

find out how many miles it is to ny from england and to jamaica from england and set up a proportion. (miles to ny / 9 days = miles to jamaica / x)

bandgeek June 15 2006, 23:49:37 UTC

The calculations might be a little more complicated than a simple mph rate, because of sea lanes, winds, etc. -- boats, like planes, often travel along certain paths because of weather, geography, etc. It also matters what direction you're going, depending on headwinds and tailwinds. A sea map should show what are usually curved lines that indicate those paths.

I don't know the specifics about traveling to Jamaica, but my guess is that even with all those things considered, it wouldn't be ridiculous for you to just tack on a few extra days to the estimate and have it be believable. :)

Is it totally rude to ask a questioner a question? justjayj June 16 2006, 13:25:43 UTC

Hey, I recognize that question.

My characters are crossing the Atlantic in 1853. I'm trying to get them from Baltimore to Portsmouth/Southhampton or similar, and all I can get info on is New York to Liverpool. Have you come across anything but the NY run?

Re: Is it totally rude to ask a questioner a question? cupcakery June 16 2006, 14:58:58 UTC

Really, all I can get is that it would take somewhere around just under twenty days to cross the Atlantic in 1853 (There was some sort of break-through in 1855 to make steamboats go faster). I got my information from in Daily Life in Victorian England by Sally Mitchell. Sorry. ^^

Re: Is it totally rude to ask a questioner a question? justjayj June 16 2006, 15:01:34 UTC

*sigh* Same here. I'm getting 16-19 days, and all of it is NY/Liverpool. Well, I'll let you know if I find anything that'll help you.

Re: Is it totally rude to ask a questioner a question? cupcakery June 16 2006, 15:32:32 UTC

Clearly, these people totally need to understand that we need to go other places in Victorian times. New York is not the only shipping route, people! XD

Thread 5

reapermum June 18 2006, 11:18:04 UTC

I'm no expert here so I wonder could the ships carry enough coal to make a direct crossing from the Caribbean? Would people have used NY as a hub and travel up from the Gulf or the Caribbean in a smaller ship? I don't know the answers, I merely offer the suggestion.