1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:04,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class from how 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot Com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:16,799 Speaker 1: I'm Holly Fry and I'm Tracy V. Wilson. So, the 4 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:19,759 Speaker 1: sinking of the r M S Titanic on April fifteenth 5 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:24,319 Speaker 1: is perhaps the most famous of all maritime disasters, but 6 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:26,480 Speaker 1: it's not as though that was the first time passengers 7 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:30,400 Speaker 1: were cruising on a ship. Well before the Titanic, passengers 8 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 1: were traveling across the Atlantic Ocean between Europe and North America. Uh. 9 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 1: And I know that it might seem like we're travel 10 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:40,000 Speaker 1: obsessed lately because we keep talking about our Paris trip, 11 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:42,199 Speaker 1: which you can still sign up for uh if you 12 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:44,240 Speaker 1: go to our website and click on the Paris Trip 13 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 1: link at the top of the page. But this actually 14 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: came up in a whole other avenue. There is another 15 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:53,440 Speaker 1: another podcast project I'm working on, which hopefully you will 16 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 1: know more about soon. But the subject of cruises came 17 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:58,800 Speaker 1: up on it, and it it piqued my interest in 18 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 1: terms of where it had come for the historically. So 19 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 1: here we are, I decided I should do a whole 20 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 1: episode where I can just look at that on this show. 21 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:09,840 Speaker 1: So I thought it would be really interesting to examine 22 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 1: the early years of the cruise industry, way before what 23 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:16,839 Speaker 1: we think of as a cruise ship today ever existed. 24 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,280 Speaker 1: They were not floating cities at this point. Uh. And 25 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:23,400 Speaker 1: we're breaking this one sort of into two sections. So first, 26 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:26,200 Speaker 1: we're going to talk about the initial push for ships 27 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 1: to start carrying passengers as a part of their business 28 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:32,480 Speaker 1: model rather than just an add on in empty cargo space. 29 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: And second, the first true cruise ship and it's relatively 30 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: short period of service. For those of you who like 31 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:44,119 Speaker 1: maritime disasters delight, there's a little bit of that involved here. Um. 32 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:47,080 Speaker 1: There is also, we should warn you an instance of suicide, 33 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 1: so if that is not something you're comfortable hearing about, 34 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: be warned. It happens late in the episode, and we 35 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 1: will give you a heads up as we near that point. 36 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: It's actually going to be right after the second sponsor break. 37 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 1: Ships were of course carrying cargo across the Atlantic, four 38 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:05,520 Speaker 1: centuries before the idea of carrying passengers and any sort 39 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:10,080 Speaker 1: of vacation since existed. The man who was often credited 40 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:14,640 Speaker 1: with first shifting this mindset is Jeremiah Thompson. At the time, Thompson, 41 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:17,239 Speaker 1: who was a textile importer, had this idea. He was 42 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:19,239 Speaker 1: living in New York, but he had been born in 43 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:21,600 Speaker 1: New Yorkshire in northern England, and he had made that 44 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:25,400 Speaker 1: journey across the Atlantic himself by boat when he emigrated 45 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: as a teenager. Yeah, definitely not in any sort of vacations, 46 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: since we have talked before about when people would book 47 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:35,400 Speaker 1: passage on trans Atlantic ships just to get from one 48 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 1: to the other and the various ways they have to 49 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:43,000 Speaker 1: shove in with parcels and animals and unpleasant conditions. So 50 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 1: this was definitely that kind of thing when he made 51 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:49,640 Speaker 1: the crossing as a team and Thompson, his uncle, and 52 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 1: three associates had all been working together in the textile 53 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 1: trade in New York and they owned a number of 54 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,959 Speaker 1: ships that they used for that purpose. And while their 55 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:01,160 Speaker 1: cargo ships, like others, accepted past singer bookings, it was 56 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: definitely a secondary aspect of their business. Passengers were not prioritized. 57 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:09,959 Speaker 1: Everything was basically timed and planned around the goods that 58 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 1: were aboard the ship, and as such, schedules were almost 59 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 1: always inconsistent, which left would be travelers in a sort 60 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:19,360 Speaker 1: of hurry up and wait situation. While the shipping company 61 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: held departure up for loading more cargo or waiting for 62 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:26,680 Speaker 1: ideal weather. But Thompson realized that they could probably make 63 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 1: more money by prioritizing passengers, their comfort and their schedules. 64 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 1: Thompson and his business partners announced their intentions to do 65 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 1: just that in the Papers of New York in late 66 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 1: nine In order to furnish frequent and regular conveyances for 67 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 1: goods and passengers, the subscribers have undertaken to establish a 68 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:50,160 Speaker 1: line of vessels between New York and Liverpool to sail 69 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:52,880 Speaker 1: from each place on a certain day and every month 70 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 1: throughout the year. This was, on its own, an entirely 71 00:03:56,560 --> 00:04:00,160 Speaker 1: novel concept, but the notice went on to promote d 72 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 1: crossings of the North Atlantic also novel and quote. Accommodations 73 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 1: for passengers are uncommonly extensive and commodious, so for the 74 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 1: first time a company was offering up the idea of 75 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:16,720 Speaker 1: actual comfort while crossing the ocean. They may have sounded unreal, 76 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 1: but Thompson and his associates were professional shippers after all, 77 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 1: and they knew how to run a business. In January 78 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:26,640 Speaker 1: of eighteen eighteen, the first two of their ships departed 79 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:30,360 Speaker 1: New York right on schedule, and the company stayed on schedule. 80 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: That also had to add new ships to meet demand, 81 00:04:33,720 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 1: and ended up running two ships each way per month. 82 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:39,839 Speaker 1: Their line came to be known as the black Ball 83 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:43,239 Speaker 1: Line because of a black circle painted on their sales 84 00:04:43,279 --> 00:04:45,919 Speaker 1: to identify them. If you're imagining, even though I just 85 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:49,440 Speaker 1: said sales, if you're imagining a thing that looks anything 86 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 1: like a steamship, no, this was still a vessel with sales, 87 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:57,359 Speaker 1: sailing under wind power. Um, there are there are some images, 88 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:01,240 Speaker 1: like illustrations still of these ships and they do not 89 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 1: look like a cruise ship today. No, not at all. 90 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:09,960 Speaker 1: And we'll talk about sort of how steamships eventually supplanted 91 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:14,200 Speaker 1: these these ships. Um, yeah, it's interesting, right you the 92 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:17,080 Speaker 1: way this set up goes, you would normally expect like 93 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 1: and then they said it was going to be comfortable, 94 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:20,719 Speaker 1: and then they said it was going to be fast, 95 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:22,640 Speaker 1: and then they said it was gonna be on a schedule. 96 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:26,040 Speaker 1: You're like, this isn't gonna work, guys, But it did. 97 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:29,160 Speaker 1: They were so good at keeping this whole thing together. Uh. 98 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:31,200 Speaker 1: And part of that was because the management of the 99 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 1: company offered incentives to captains to keep those calendar dates. 100 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 1: So if they made their trips in less than twenty 101 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:41,040 Speaker 1: two days traveling from New York to Liverpool, or less 102 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 1: than thirty five days on the Liverpool to New York trips, 103 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: which took longer due to wind patterns in the North Atlantic. 104 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:50,039 Speaker 1: The captain would get a reward and for his work, 105 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 1: the captain, who was responsible for everything aboard his vessel, 106 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:56,240 Speaker 1: got a new coat and his wife would get a 107 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 1: new dress. And this reward system seemed to work because 108 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:03,440 Speaker 1: black Ball got a really good reputation for reliability. The 109 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:05,919 Speaker 1: black Ball line got a fair bit of press for 110 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:08,440 Speaker 1: their new business model and how successful they had been 111 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:11,440 Speaker 1: implementing it, and that gave them new business in both 112 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:14,880 Speaker 1: passengers and cargo, which made other shipping companies want to 113 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:17,960 Speaker 1: step up their own game to stay competitive. It wasn't 114 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:21,040 Speaker 1: okay anymore to simply run supply ships on the well, 115 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:25,320 Speaker 1: we'll leave when we're loaded and arrived when we can approach. Yeah. 116 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:28,120 Speaker 1: Initially they were like, why would you want to prioritize passengers, 117 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:29,880 Speaker 1: that's just secondary, And then a couple of years and 118 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: they were like, we would also like to prioritize passengers. 119 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:37,200 Speaker 1: Soon other companies were running their own scheduled lines and 120 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:41,039 Speaker 1: offering better passenger accommodations, and this in turn drove the 121 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:44,200 Speaker 1: shipping industry into a more service minded mode of operation, 122 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:47,520 Speaker 1: which then drove physical change in how the ships were built. 123 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:51,320 Speaker 1: In eighteen three, black Ball once again staked its claim 124 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:55,320 Speaker 1: above other competitors when it launched its new ship, the Canada. 125 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:59,279 Speaker 1: The five ton vessel was lavish in ways no ship 126 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:02,800 Speaker 1: had ever been for. It featured things like skylights in 127 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:07,320 Speaker 1: the deluxe cabins, silk curtains, Turkish carpets in a fancy 128 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 1: dining room with beautiful furniture, among other luxurious design details. 129 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:15,160 Speaker 1: The Canada's beautiful decor set off a new race among 130 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:19,160 Speaker 1: all the shipping companies to offer similar amenities for their passengers, 131 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:23,240 Speaker 1: and this desire to offer more sumptuous accommodations and entertainments 132 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:26,200 Speaker 1: meant that ship designs had to shift to offer all 133 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:29,600 Speaker 1: those things without losing their cargo space. After all, they 134 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:33,320 Speaker 1: were still carrying things like mail and textiles and even livestock, 135 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 1: some of which were used to feed the passengers aboard, 136 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:40,160 Speaker 1: and rather fine style. You know, one of the accounts 137 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:42,800 Speaker 1: I was reading talked about the ship's cow, so they 138 00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:45,600 Speaker 1: always had fresh milk. On the cross thing and and 139 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:48,040 Speaker 1: how sometimes you know the animals, some of the animals 140 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:51,440 Speaker 1: would be used to be slaughtered and then used in meals, 141 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:54,640 Speaker 1: and they would have chicken zick and lay eggs and that. 142 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:57,200 Speaker 1: Really this is kind of the beginning of the idea 143 00:07:57,240 --> 00:08:00,600 Speaker 1: of cruises and food together, because for a lot of people, 144 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:02,240 Speaker 1: the food was the best part of the trip because 145 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:06,559 Speaker 1: it was all very fresh. A company called the Dramatic Line, 146 00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:10,000 Speaker 1: run by a man named Edward Knight Collins, gave Blackball 147 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 1: a run for its money. Starting in eighteen thirty six, 148 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:16,640 Speaker 1: Dramatic started building flat bottomed boats, like the ones that 149 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:19,640 Speaker 1: were required to traverse shallow waters at the mouth of 150 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:23,800 Speaker 1: the Mississippi River. Collins had been running ships to New Orleans, 151 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:26,200 Speaker 1: but he realized that he could use that same flat 152 00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:30,640 Speaker 1: bottom design to optimize space for trans atlantic voyages. The 153 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:33,480 Speaker 1: ships in the Dramatic Fleet were aptly named. They were 154 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:37,199 Speaker 1: the Shakespeare, Sheridan, Garrick, sit Ins, and Rauscius, and they 155 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:41,040 Speaker 1: were massive. The Rascius weighed more than a thousand tons, 156 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:42,960 Speaker 1: which was a record at the time for ships that 157 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:45,120 Speaker 1: were running out of New York. But it was the 158 00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:48,559 Speaker 1: passenger cabins that really set the dramatic line. Apart from 159 00:08:48,559 --> 00:08:51,200 Speaker 1: the black Ball. They were as much as three times 160 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:54,000 Speaker 1: the size of what other companies offered, and they were 161 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:56,880 Speaker 1: higher up on the ship, not below the deck. Yeah, 162 00:08:56,960 --> 00:09:00,600 Speaker 1: they felt that passengers would be more comfortable up higher, 163 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:02,840 Speaker 1: they would get better air circulation, they would not be 164 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:07,760 Speaker 1: as prone to seasickness, which all sounds lovely. Also, we 165 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:10,400 Speaker 1: should point out that even though their accommodations were three 166 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:13,160 Speaker 1: times larger than other ships, they were still tiny. I mean, 167 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:15,840 Speaker 1: even if you have been on a modern cruise ship, 168 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:19,320 Speaker 1: the rooms are still pretty small unless you are very, 169 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:22,920 Speaker 1: very wealthy. And this is you know, far past these 170 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:26,200 Speaker 1: ships in terms of evolution of space. So the idea 171 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:30,080 Speaker 1: though of a separate steerage class, which you'll often see 172 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:34,040 Speaker 1: talked about, formed sort of organically during these decades. If 173 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:37,120 Speaker 1: there was a cargo space that wasn't being filled with 174 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:40,760 Speaker 1: letters or parcels or other goods, some ships continued to 175 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:44,160 Speaker 1: sell reduced fair tickets for people to bunk there without 176 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:46,800 Speaker 1: any of the amenities like dining and entertainment that a 177 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:51,120 Speaker 1: regular ticket afforded. People who purchased these discounted tickets had 178 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:53,120 Speaker 1: to bring their own food, and they were allowed to 179 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:56,200 Speaker 1: prepare it in a designated space on deck, so long 180 00:09:56,240 --> 00:09:59,000 Speaker 1: as they remember to also bring pans and pots in 181 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:02,440 Speaker 1: any other utensil required to do that prep And this 182 00:10:02,559 --> 00:10:05,400 Speaker 1: really wasn't all that different from how people had booked 183 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:09,280 Speaker 1: passages before the idea of passenger amenities was introduced. It 184 00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:12,240 Speaker 1: just meant that now there were different levels, both literally 185 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:15,480 Speaker 1: and figuratively, of travelers. In a moment, we will talk 186 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:18,760 Speaker 1: about the celebrity status that some of these captains achieved, 187 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:20,880 Speaker 1: but first we will pause for a word from one 188 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:31,040 Speaker 1: of our sponsors. We mentioned just a few moments ago 189 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:34,080 Speaker 1: how black Ball rewarded its captains with bonuses in the 190 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:37,559 Speaker 1: form of coats for jobs well done, and captains actually 191 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:39,840 Speaker 1: took on an odd sort of celebrity. In the time 192 00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:43,360 Speaker 1: that the cruise industry was in its infancy, passengers could 193 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:46,840 Speaker 1: actually book passage with specific captains if they wish, and 194 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:50,200 Speaker 1: especially skilled ones came to be recognized for their ability 195 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:53,320 Speaker 1: to deal with weather issues and manage their crew and 196 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:57,800 Speaker 1: socialize with their passengers. This job became a very coveted 197 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:00,480 Speaker 1: one for men with the skills to hand all of 198 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:03,560 Speaker 1: these different needs. As they also took a share of 199 00:11:03,559 --> 00:11:05,920 Speaker 1: the revenue for the cargo. So one of the things 200 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:08,080 Speaker 1: that was involved was like for X pieces of mail, 201 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:11,840 Speaker 1: you will get some tiny, tiny fraction of money for 202 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:14,559 Speaker 1: each piece of mail, And so they would all get 203 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:17,480 Speaker 1: that kind of like as a revenue share of their 204 00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:21,000 Speaker 1: their company's work. They also usually owned a portion of 205 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:24,360 Speaker 1: the ship in terms of like both getting the revenue 206 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:27,880 Speaker 1: from it and having responsibility for it. Uh. The sailors 207 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:30,320 Speaker 1: who worked under them, though, worked very very hard in 208 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:33,760 Speaker 1: jobs that were often very dangerous and sleeping in quarters 209 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:36,679 Speaker 1: that were far less comfortable than most of the passengers had. 210 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:41,440 Speaker 1: Traveling aboard this combination cargo and passenger ship, which was 211 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:44,920 Speaker 1: called a packet ship or packets, wasn't the pleasure vacation 212 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:48,640 Speaker 1: of today, even if there was beautiful furniture involved for 213 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:51,680 Speaker 1: the people who could afford a premium ticket. While there 214 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:56,040 Speaker 1: were normally women's quarters on such vessels, the vast majority 215 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:59,960 Speaker 1: of the paying passengers were still men on business these words, 216 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:02,160 Speaker 1: and really booked as one way trips, the way to 217 00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:05,120 Speaker 1: get to either Europe or North America, and the time 218 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:07,720 Speaker 1: aboard the ship was more comfortable than ever, but it 219 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:10,840 Speaker 1: was still a means to get to a destination. You 220 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:15,200 Speaker 1: were not doing this for fun. No, it would be like, 221 00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:17,120 Speaker 1: I'm sure there are people that do it, but very 222 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:19,520 Speaker 1: few are, Like, let's just go get on a plane 223 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:24,280 Speaker 1: for fun today. You have to you normally have a 224 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:26,480 Speaker 1: place in mind where you're trying to get to and 225 00:12:26,520 --> 00:12:29,640 Speaker 1: if the plane ride is enjoyable, great, but that's not 226 00:12:29,679 --> 00:12:35,959 Speaker 1: really your vacation. Uh. Even so, these transatlantic crossings were 227 00:12:36,080 --> 00:12:39,600 Speaker 1: growing in number, with dozens of ships traveling from New 228 00:12:39,679 --> 00:12:43,480 Speaker 1: York to Liverpool, London and Love and staying on schedule 229 00:12:43,559 --> 00:12:46,760 Speaker 1: became more and more important because it became a means 230 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:50,160 Speaker 1: for the various operating companies to distinguish themselves. I know, 231 00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:52,440 Speaker 1: I just compared it to the airline industry, but again 232 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:55,800 Speaker 1: very similar. Where you will hear airlines tout their stats 233 00:12:55,840 --> 00:12:59,600 Speaker 1: for like not canceling flights, are always arriving on time. 234 00:12:59,760 --> 00:13:03,000 Speaker 1: Very similar. In the US was building a very strong 235 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:06,480 Speaker 1: reputation for its excellence in this industry. Part of that 236 00:13:06,559 --> 00:13:10,440 Speaker 1: strong reputation was a very small rate of accident or loss. 237 00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:13,600 Speaker 1: In the first twenty years of this industry, there were 238 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:17,200 Speaker 1: only two ships lost. The first of this was the Albion, 239 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:21,560 Speaker 1: which was part of the black Ball line. On April eight, 240 00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:25,800 Speaker 1: two three weeks after leaving port in New York, the Albion, 241 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:29,959 Speaker 1: under the command of Captain Williams, ran aground and slammed 242 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:33,880 Speaker 1: against rocky terrain on the southern coast of Ireland really 243 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:37,240 Speaker 1: early in the morning, sometime between three and four am. 244 00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:40,839 Speaker 1: Seven of the Albion's twenty four man crew survived and 245 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:44,360 Speaker 1: two of the twenty eight passengers, but everyone else aboard 246 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:47,000 Speaker 1: died and the cause in this case was bad weather. 247 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:50,240 Speaker 1: A written account by a local man named John Purcell 248 00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:53,640 Speaker 1: described the situation when he arrived on the scene shortly 249 00:13:53,679 --> 00:13:55,920 Speaker 1: after the ship hit the rocks, and he wrote quote 250 00:13:56,280 --> 00:13:59,360 Speaker 1: at this time, as it blew a dreadful gale with 251 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:04,720 Speaker 1: springtime side and approaching high water, the sea ran mountains high. 252 00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:07,560 Speaker 1: Mr Purcell and several other men were able to get 253 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:11,000 Speaker 1: the survivors to safety. Uh He describes in this this 254 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:13,360 Speaker 1: account that he took in a number of them, and 255 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:15,560 Speaker 1: the other men that were with him each took in 256 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:18,720 Speaker 1: a number of people, and they also built coffins for 257 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:21,720 Speaker 1: the bodies of the recovered dead. The second ship lost 258 00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:24,960 Speaker 1: in the trans Atlantic passenger and cargo get business was 259 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:28,240 Speaker 1: called the Crisis. It's the name of the ship which 260 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:30,800 Speaker 1: was part of the Black X Line in the case 261 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:32,640 Speaker 1: of the Crisis, that was making its way back to 262 00:14:32,680 --> 00:14:34,600 Speaker 1: New York in eighteen twenty six, and it just never 263 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:37,440 Speaker 1: made it to port. Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean it 264 00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:41,720 Speaker 1: presumably sank. Although these two incidents were obviously tragic, the 265 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:44,160 Speaker 1: work of the packet ships traveling between Europe and the 266 00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:46,800 Speaker 1: United States was seen as very safe because it was 267 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:50,160 Speaker 1: only those two. The second half of the nineteenth century 268 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:54,640 Speaker 1: saw massive growth in passenger bookings on Transatlantic lines. The 269 00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:58,920 Speaker 1: idea of truly premium accommodations started to come into play, 270 00:14:59,040 --> 00:15:03,000 Speaker 1: and steamships became the standard. Up to that point, all 271 00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:05,960 Speaker 1: of the tightness of schedules was largely about leaving port 272 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:08,640 Speaker 1: on time. But things were still a little bit wiggily 273 00:15:08,760 --> 00:15:10,680 Speaker 1: when it came to making ports on the other end 274 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:12,880 Speaker 1: of the journey on a schedule, because, as Tracy had 275 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:18,000 Speaker 1: mentioned earlier, you're still using wind power largely um and 276 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,600 Speaker 1: once the reliance on wind was less of a factor, 277 00:15:20,680 --> 00:15:23,760 Speaker 1: cummings and goings were more precise at both ports on 278 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:26,640 Speaker 1: any given cruise. Now we're going to jump ahead a 279 00:15:26,680 --> 00:15:30,800 Speaker 1: bit to nineteen hundred. That year, the world's first steamer 280 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:34,760 Speaker 1: built exclusively as a tourist ship with no intent of 281 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:38,880 Speaker 1: hauling cargo or mail. Was launched at Hamburg, Germany. The 282 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:42,440 Speaker 1: ship was the Princess in Victoria Louise and it was 283 00:15:42,480 --> 00:15:45,400 Speaker 1: part of the Hamburg American Line. It was christened by 284 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:48,680 Speaker 1: the Countess von Walder cy Nate Esther Lee, who had 285 00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:52,480 Speaker 1: married German army field Marshal Count von Waldr. See. The 286 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:56,120 Speaker 1: idea for the Princess in Victoria Louise began with Albert 287 00:15:56,160 --> 00:16:00,480 Speaker 1: Balin in eight six. Balin had joined the company hop PAG. 288 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:02,360 Speaker 1: You'll see that H A P A G, which is 289 00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:04,760 Speaker 1: an acronym for a much longer German name that I 290 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:10,360 Speaker 1: dare not attempt for UH for desire to not turn 291 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:13,080 Speaker 1: it into a horrible jumble of words UH, and that 292 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:15,720 Speaker 1: is sometimes synonymous with You'll sometimes see it written as 293 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:19,920 Speaker 1: that company running the Hamburg America line, or just being 294 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:24,800 Speaker 1: synonymous for it and UH. The HAPAG company's business included 295 00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:28,480 Speaker 1: a great deal of immigration travel. As people left Europe 296 00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:31,440 Speaker 1: to move to the United States. The Homburg Victoria Line 297 00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:35,320 Speaker 1: transported them, and that company started in eighteen forty seven 298 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:38,280 Speaker 1: and initially used sailing boats like the packet ships used 299 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:41,720 Speaker 1: by the black Ball Line and its competitors, but eventually, they, 300 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:45,800 Speaker 1: like everyone else, transitioned over to steamships. Albert Bollin, who 301 00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:48,760 Speaker 1: had an immigration agency as a family business, was a 302 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:51,480 Speaker 1: perfect fit for HAPAG. He worked his way up the 303 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:54,720 Speaker 1: corporate ladder and in became the head of the company. 304 00:16:55,240 --> 00:16:58,200 Speaker 1: At the beginning of eighteen nineties, he had initiated the 305 00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:01,440 Speaker 1: world's first leisure career US, which was a trip along 306 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:05,639 Speaker 1: the Mediterranean aboard the s S August Victoria. This was 307 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:08,320 Speaker 1: the first time the journey aboard a passenger ship was 308 00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:13,159 Speaker 1: built as the vacation itself. Fling himself was a passenger 309 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:16,760 Speaker 1: on the August Victoria, and he interviewed the customers aboard 310 00:17:16,840 --> 00:17:19,600 Speaker 1: to see what was working and what could be changed. Yes, 311 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:23,280 Speaker 1: so just for clarity in case it's confusing, that ship 312 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:25,800 Speaker 1: was still the type of ship that had originally been 313 00:17:25,840 --> 00:17:29,199 Speaker 1: built to carry cargo and passengers, but this was the 314 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:31,520 Speaker 1: first time that it was used as just a vacation 315 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:34,359 Speaker 1: in and of itself. And then this next ship that 316 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:36,280 Speaker 1: we're talking about is the first one that was built 317 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:39,919 Speaker 1: entirely just as a passenger cruise ship. So as he 318 00:17:39,960 --> 00:17:43,159 Speaker 1: took control of the company, Balin came up with another first, 319 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:46,239 Speaker 1: and that was a ship that was entirely designed and 320 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:50,560 Speaker 1: built for passengers. The Hamburg America Line commissioned the ship 321 00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:53,679 Speaker 1: building firm of Bloom and Voss to construct what is 322 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:57,280 Speaker 1: often called the first purpose built cruise ship, thus the 323 00:17:57,320 --> 00:18:00,320 Speaker 1: Princess and Victoria Louise, named for the eight year old 324 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:03,520 Speaker 1: daughter of Kaiserville Helm. The second came to be and Balin, 325 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:07,800 Speaker 1: who oversaw the entire project very closely from design to completion, 326 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:11,840 Speaker 1: became the father of the leisure cruise. The ship was huge. 327 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:14,320 Speaker 1: It was four hundred feet or a hundred and twenty 328 00:18:14,359 --> 00:18:18,560 Speaker 1: two long, forty seven ft or fourteen point three ms wide, 329 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:21,120 Speaker 1: and twenty seven ft or eight point two ms deep. 330 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:25,199 Speaker 1: It was also four thousand, four hundred nineteen gross tons, 331 00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:29,000 Speaker 1: which measures not weight but internal volume. The hull was 332 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:32,200 Speaker 1: made of steel plates flush fitted with countersunk rivets rather 333 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:38,320 Speaker 1: than overlapped. Yeah, it was built like a luxury vehicle basically. UM. Also, 334 00:18:38,359 --> 00:18:42,880 Speaker 1: I should point out, in looking at various different UM records, 335 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:46,800 Speaker 1: those numbers in its length and width and depth are 336 00:18:46,840 --> 00:18:49,200 Speaker 1: a little bit different depending on which one you look at. 337 00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:52,480 Speaker 1: I'm not sure what the cause for that. Disparity is 338 00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:55,400 Speaker 1: but it's it's always small disparities. So if you look 339 00:18:55,400 --> 00:18:57,240 Speaker 1: at it anywhere else and are like, that's not quite 340 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:00,240 Speaker 1: the same number, that's why. I can't explain why that's 341 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:02,120 Speaker 1: the case, but we see it in different numbers all 342 00:19:02,119 --> 00:19:05,040 Speaker 1: over the place. And as a cruising yacht, this ship 343 00:19:05,119 --> 00:19:08,520 Speaker 1: was designed, as we said, entirely for leisure, and every 344 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:12,199 Speaker 1: aspect of it was completely modern for its time. In 345 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:15,120 Speaker 1: addition to having cabins that were well ventilated, which had 346 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:18,440 Speaker 1: been a long term problem on passenger ships, it featured 347 00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:22,320 Speaker 1: a massive dining room, a smoking lounge, a parlor for 348 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:26,040 Speaker 1: lady passengers, a dark room for any travelers that wanted 349 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:28,840 Speaker 1: to develop their vacation photos there on the ship, and 350 00:19:28,920 --> 00:19:33,040 Speaker 1: a gymnasium, among other amusements and amenities, and it carried 351 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:37,760 Speaker 1: only first class passengers. After it made its initial voyage 352 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:40,760 Speaker 1: from Hamburg to New York, the Princessant traveled to the 353 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:44,640 Speaker 1: Caribbean and then to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Eventually, 354 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:47,320 Speaker 1: the ship's primary route was from New York to Jamaica, 355 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:50,639 Speaker 1: offering a tour of the West Indies. On December twelve, 356 00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:55,840 Speaker 1: the Princess of Victoria Luis left New York bound for Kingston, Jamaica, 357 00:19:55,920 --> 00:19:59,240 Speaker 1: with Captain H. Brunswick at the helm. While the ship 358 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:01,879 Speaker 1: boasted a hundred in twenty cabins, there were only seventy 359 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:05,000 Speaker 1: five passengers aboard. And before we get into the story 360 00:20:05,119 --> 00:20:06,840 Speaker 1: of how that cruise played out, we are going to 361 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:08,840 Speaker 1: pause for a break and hear from one of the 362 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:20,000 Speaker 1: sponsors that keep stuff you missed in history class going. Hey, listeners, 363 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:22,600 Speaker 1: As we get into this next section, I just want 364 00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:25,560 Speaker 1: to remind you this is uh the segment where we 365 00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:27,960 Speaker 1: will talk about the suicide you mentioned at the top 366 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:29,760 Speaker 1: of the show. So if that's not something you want 367 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:32,880 Speaker 1: to hear, you can maybe fast forward to the very 368 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:35,760 Speaker 1: end or just skip this last part. What happened on 369 00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:39,800 Speaker 1: the Princess and Victoria Louis's trip was initially reported this way. 370 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:43,240 Speaker 1: The ship made port at its destination as scheduled, and 371 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:46,159 Speaker 1: then headed back to New York on December six, that 372 00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:49,160 Speaker 1: ran aground just below the lighthouse at Port Royal as 373 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:52,960 Speaker 1: it was exiting Kingston Harbor. There was no inclement weather, 374 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:56,520 Speaker 1: the waters were smooth and calm. All of the passengers 375 00:20:56,560 --> 00:21:00,200 Speaker 1: were safely evacuated to Kingston. Two other ships, the do 376 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:04,040 Speaker 1: Gatin of France and the Bremen of Germany were nearby 377 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:07,280 Speaker 1: and quickly moved to the scene to help. Though those 378 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:10,640 Speaker 1: on board initially had been afraid, once they were reassured 379 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:12,520 Speaker 1: that they were going to be moved to land, the 380 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:18,000 Speaker 1: evacuation went completely smoothly. But despite everything post grounding going 381 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:22,320 Speaker 1: as smoothly as possible, Captain Brunswig locked himself in the 382 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:26,399 Speaker 1: cabin and shot and killed himself. It's really not clear 383 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:29,440 Speaker 1: exactly what happened to the cabin, but his employers were 384 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:32,880 Speaker 1: completely taken aback. In a statement given by the president 385 00:21:32,960 --> 00:21:36,760 Speaker 1: of the Hamburg America Line, Emile L. Boas he said, quote, 386 00:21:37,080 --> 00:21:39,919 Speaker 1: Captain Brunswig was one of the most capable captains in 387 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:42,720 Speaker 1: our service. I cannot account for his act except on 388 00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:45,400 Speaker 1: the theory that his pride was crushed by the accident 389 00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:48,320 Speaker 1: and that he believed that only death would wipe out 390 00:21:48,359 --> 00:21:51,359 Speaker 1: what he regarded as a disgrace. But a follow up 391 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:54,959 Speaker 1: to this story, published on December six in The New 392 00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:58,720 Speaker 1: York Times, offered a slightly different version of events. As 393 00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:02,080 Speaker 1: you know, even in today's modern world, where communication is 394 00:22:02,119 --> 00:22:04,960 Speaker 1: much faster, sometimes when you get the breaking news story, 395 00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:07,440 Speaker 1: all of the facts aren't entirely correct, and then later 396 00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:10,560 Speaker 1: on there's like an amended story where where everything kind 397 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:13,720 Speaker 1: of gets smoothed out and the reality is described. This 398 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:16,679 Speaker 1: is kind of what happened in this case. This version 399 00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:19,960 Speaker 1: had been relayed by survivors once they had returned to 400 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:23,480 Speaker 1: New York aboard the steamships Sarnia. The accounts of those 401 00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:26,440 Speaker 1: who had been aboard all indicated that the ship had 402 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:29,720 Speaker 1: been entering the harbor and not exiting as had initially 403 00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:34,760 Speaker 1: been reported. Captain Brunswig, upon approaching the harbor, issued signals 404 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:38,679 Speaker 1: indicating that the ship needed a pilot. So a maritime pilot, 405 00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:40,920 Speaker 1: in case you don't know, and this job still exists, 406 00:22:41,480 --> 00:22:44,240 Speaker 1: is a person who serves as sort of a navigation 407 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:49,200 Speaker 1: expert and advises captains on maneuvering through spots like port 408 00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:53,280 Speaker 1: entries and exits. The pilot is normally local to the area, 409 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:56,159 Speaker 1: so they would be someone that is like on standby 410 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:58,879 Speaker 1: at a port entry because they then know all the 411 00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:01,800 Speaker 1: specifics of the waters of that area intimately, and they 412 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:04,920 Speaker 1: used that knowledge in advising ships and guiding them safely. 413 00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:09,439 Speaker 1: But though Brunswig requested a pilot, nobody came so he 414 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:12,040 Speaker 1: decided to anchor near Port Royal rather than try to 415 00:23:12,119 --> 00:23:15,160 Speaker 1: navigate into the harbor without assistance. But in doing so, 416 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:18,959 Speaker 1: he misread the lights on the shore and he accidentally 417 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:22,560 Speaker 1: headed straight for the lighthouse. Yeah, apparently he thought the 418 00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:25,359 Speaker 1: lighthouse he was seeing was a different lighthouse, so he 419 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:29,480 Speaker 1: was just completely oriented mentally incorrectly uh in the map 420 00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:33,040 Speaker 1: in his head, and he basically literally ran it right aground. 421 00:23:33,320 --> 00:23:36,200 Speaker 1: According to the ship's steward fo Schroeder, it was n 422 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:39,080 Speaker 1: PM on the night of the sixteenth when this happened. 423 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:42,600 Speaker 1: The captain immediately sent out a boat to report what 424 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:45,199 Speaker 1: had happened and went directly to his quarters, where he 425 00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:48,600 Speaker 1: shot himself. And this countered an earlier report that made 426 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:50,679 Speaker 1: it sound like the captain had waited a couple of 427 00:23:50,720 --> 00:23:55,920 Speaker 1: hours before he took that that final step. The passengers 428 00:23:55,920 --> 00:23:58,639 Speaker 1: were kept on board through the night, they weren't informed 429 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:01,160 Speaker 1: of the captain's death, and in the morning the crew 430 00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:03,880 Speaker 1: formed a line of boats to the island. Passengers went 431 00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:06,560 Speaker 1: from boat to boat along the line to get safely 432 00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:10,400 Speaker 1: to shore. The Bremen that German vessel we mentioned earlier, 433 00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:13,680 Speaker 1: tethered itself to the grounded Princess u and actually tried 434 00:24:13,720 --> 00:24:15,800 Speaker 1: to haul it off of the rocks and back into 435 00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:19,760 Speaker 1: the water, but that effort was ultimately unsuccessful. Three days 436 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:23,000 Speaker 1: after the wreck, on December nineteenth, the Hamburg America Line 437 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:26,639 Speaker 1: ship was deemed a loss. In nineteen oh seven, a 438 00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:30,280 Speaker 1: German court determined that Captain Brunswick had been negligent in 439 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:33,640 Speaker 1: his duties, and the loss of the Princess and Victoria Louise, 440 00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:38,000 Speaker 1: which again all passengers survived, was completely eclipsed by the 441 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:41,159 Speaker 1: sinking of the Titanic less than six years later. But 442 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:44,399 Speaker 1: the cruise industry, despite having ups and downs, has survived 443 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:49,159 Speaker 1: despite these these tragedies and in fact thrived. Uh in 444 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:53,720 Speaker 1: And estimated twenty five point eight million people went on 445 00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:58,400 Speaker 1: cruises globally, and the study cited in the Cruise Industry Overview, 446 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:01,040 Speaker 1: which is published by the Florida caribbe and Cruise Association, 447 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:04,240 Speaker 1: estimated that an average cruise ship pulling in at a 448 00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:07,600 Speaker 1: port of call in the Caribbean or Latin America generates 449 00:25:07,640 --> 00:25:11,320 Speaker 1: almost six hundred seventy six thousand dollars just by virtue 450 00:25:11,359 --> 00:25:14,480 Speaker 1: of pulling in and spending a few hours there in 451 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:18,919 Speaker 1: spending by passengers, crew, and the cruise line. It's complicated. 452 00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:23,920 Speaker 1: I've been on a number of cruises and often there 453 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:26,760 Speaker 1: will be conference conversations among the people who are going, 454 00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:30,679 Speaker 1: or like what's the environmental impact of this? Is that 455 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:35,080 Speaker 1: offset by like the economic benefit that's coming into the Caribbean. 456 00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:38,360 Speaker 1: How does that economic benefit affect the lives of people 457 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:40,640 Speaker 1: that actually live there. We have a lot of very 458 00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:48,720 Speaker 1: uh lengthy conversations that um and also like it you were, 459 00:25:48,920 --> 00:25:51,000 Speaker 1: we we have talked about like people continue to go 460 00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:53,880 Speaker 1: on these in spite of this incident. People also continue 461 00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:57,240 Speaker 1: to go on cruises even though norovirus is such a 462 00:25:57,359 --> 00:26:00,080 Speaker 1: known hazard on cruises that there's like a whole a 463 00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:03,480 Speaker 1: seizure when you are embarking on the ship, where like 464 00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:05,520 Speaker 1: you have to attest the fact that you have not 465 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:10,280 Speaker 1: been ill in the past however many hours. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 466 00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:12,280 Speaker 1: I I have not been on a cruise. I have 467 00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:14,520 Speaker 1: been at sea many times, like deep sea fishing, but 468 00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:18,120 Speaker 1: I have not been on a cruise cruise. UM, I 469 00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:22,639 Speaker 1: think that may be about to change. We'll see and 470 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:28,000 Speaker 1: I'll report back. I'm very curious about how this goes 471 00:26:28,119 --> 00:26:32,119 Speaker 1: because I've had some conversations about about cruising and pros 472 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:34,760 Speaker 1: and cons and not the cruise you think it is, 473 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:39,119 Speaker 1: which helps get around my problem. My problem right is 474 00:26:39,119 --> 00:26:41,520 Speaker 1: that you're on a ship I would most likely do, 475 00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:43,560 Speaker 1: like a Disney cruise that's not actually the one I'm 476 00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:46,000 Speaker 1: looking at at the moment. Uh. And while I love 477 00:26:46,040 --> 00:26:48,200 Speaker 1: Disney like, the idea of being trapped on a boat 478 00:26:48,320 --> 00:26:50,959 Speaker 1: with a bunch of um little people, you know, kids 479 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:53,760 Speaker 1: makes me a little nervous because I'm not a kid's person, 480 00:26:53,800 --> 00:26:56,480 Speaker 1: and once I reach my threshold, there's no return, like 481 00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:58,600 Speaker 1: you can't put the genie back in the ball, and 482 00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:01,960 Speaker 1: so so I'm a little concerned about that. But I 483 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:05,359 Speaker 1: found a cruise that I doubt many children would be on, uh, 484 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:07,399 Speaker 1: just because if it's seeming, which is not filthy in 485 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:09,680 Speaker 1: any way, it just has to do with such an old, 486 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:12,120 Speaker 1: nerdy pop culture property that I don't think any kids 487 00:27:12,119 --> 00:27:15,200 Speaker 1: would be interested. I know, whenever we mentioned our likes 488 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:17,320 Speaker 1: and dislikes on the show, we get a lot of 489 00:27:18,040 --> 00:27:23,400 Speaker 1: uh ideas from listeners. I'm just gonna put it out there. 490 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:26,040 Speaker 1: Holly and I have already talked about how cruise ships 491 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:28,800 Speaker 1: have lots of entertainments for children, and there are lots 492 00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:32,040 Speaker 1: of adults only spaces on them, yes, But I have 493 00:27:32,200 --> 00:27:35,000 Speaker 1: also had friends who are very much aligned with me 494 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:38,200 Speaker 1: mentally who are like, oh no, you can't escape them, 495 00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:42,840 Speaker 1: so um, until it's totally partitioned off, this will always 496 00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:45,040 Speaker 1: be a danger. And I bet your kids are the 497 00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:47,680 Speaker 1: best ones. But I'm just not comfortable around kids. It's 498 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:50,919 Speaker 1: no dis on the kids. It's just not not my 499 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:53,520 Speaker 1: space of comfort. Um. And when I'm on vacation, I 500 00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:55,240 Speaker 1: would like to be as much as possible in my 501 00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:57,800 Speaker 1: space of comfort. Anyway, that is the scoop. Do you 502 00:27:57,800 --> 00:27:59,600 Speaker 1: want to hear some listener mail that has nothing to 503 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:02,240 Speaker 1: do with uses, but does go back to our slightly 504 00:28:02,320 --> 00:28:05,320 Speaker 1: grown up topic of the history of vodka, because we've 505 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:08,919 Speaker 1: gotten some great email about vodka, a really great email, 506 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:11,120 Speaker 1: more than I can read all in one thing. But 507 00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:14,080 Speaker 1: what I really liked is we got several interesting ones. 508 00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:17,240 Speaker 1: We talked in that episode about how vodka is to 509 00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:20,240 Speaker 1: some degree sort of a universal solvent. It gets used 510 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:22,520 Speaker 1: to clean and disinfect things, and it gets used to 511 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:26,560 Speaker 1: spruce up clothing in lieu of dry cleaning sometimes, and 512 00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:30,240 Speaker 1: you know, various treatment for ills. And so we had 513 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:32,080 Speaker 1: a number of people right in with new things that 514 00:28:32,160 --> 00:28:35,160 Speaker 1: I did not always know about the vodka gets used for. 515 00:28:36,119 --> 00:28:39,160 Speaker 1: One of them is from our listener Peggy, who writes, 516 00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:41,520 Speaker 1: love the podcast listen every day. I am learning for 517 00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:44,160 Speaker 1: knowledge sake, not so I can just pass a test, 518 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:46,760 Speaker 1: which to me is like the best way to learn knowledge. 519 00:28:47,080 --> 00:28:49,680 Speaker 1: And she writes, my daughter is an amazing cake decorator. 520 00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:51,920 Speaker 1: She backs this up with a beautiful photograph of a 521 00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:54,600 Speaker 1: cake that her daughter made. Uh Self taught who likes 522 00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:57,600 Speaker 1: to work with fondin and she uses vodka to smooth 523 00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:00,200 Speaker 1: out her designs. I am including a picture of one 524 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:02,840 Speaker 1: of her creations, a Finding Nemo themed birthday cake for 525 00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:04,960 Speaker 1: a child. Thanks again for all you do to make 526 00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:07,719 Speaker 1: my boring job wonderful. I did not know about this 527 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:10,480 Speaker 1: trick of using vodka to smooth fondent, but you better 528 00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:12,760 Speaker 1: believe I'm gonna use it going forward because I get 529 00:29:12,800 --> 00:29:15,600 Speaker 1: in wrestling matches with fondent and make an ugly mess. 530 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:21,400 Speaker 1: We also got one from our listener Gregory, who wrote, 531 00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:24,080 Speaker 1: I hope you're staying warm. I'm up in Wisconsin where 532 00:29:24,080 --> 00:29:27,720 Speaker 1: the snow won't stop coming. I'm relatively warm here in Atlanta. 533 00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:30,080 Speaker 1: It's not a sweltering heatwave, but we've been in the fifties, 534 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:33,600 Speaker 1: which is fine. Uh, Tracy is probably colder than I am. 535 00:29:33,800 --> 00:29:39,920 Speaker 1: It's snowed here yesterday, and Gregory writes, your vodka episode 536 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:42,600 Speaker 1: reminded me of when I was studying abroad in Kurzakhstan 537 00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:44,880 Speaker 1: and one of my host families gave me a vodka 538 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:48,360 Speaker 1: remedy for my sore throat. In the cold room I 539 00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:50,320 Speaker 1: slept in with my host brother, I was given a 540 00:29:50,320 --> 00:29:53,320 Speaker 1: cold towel soaked in vodka as a local cure for 541 00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:55,600 Speaker 1: my sore throat. It did not help, but it was 542 00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:59,800 Speaker 1: an interesting experience. Nonetheless, Uh, thank you for that info. 543 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:03,320 Speaker 1: Good to know you can skip the the vodka soak 544 00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:06,880 Speaker 1: towel around your throat and then. Uh. Perhaps my very 545 00:30:06,920 --> 00:30:09,640 Speaker 1: favorite of these surprising uses of vodka is from our 546 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:12,800 Speaker 1: listener Allison, who writes, Dear Holly and Tracy, thank you 547 00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:15,120 Speaker 1: so much for the wonderful podcast. It makes my commutes 548 00:30:15,160 --> 00:30:17,680 Speaker 1: to and from work much more entertaining and makes up 549 00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:19,600 Speaker 1: for missing out on a lot of history classes in 550 00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:22,360 Speaker 1: favor of science classes during much of my schooling career. 551 00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:24,880 Speaker 1: I just listened to your episode on vodka and I 552 00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:27,040 Speaker 1: wanted to add a fun fact from my own field, 553 00:30:27,240 --> 00:30:30,440 Speaker 1: which is veterinary medicine. For as long as I've been 554 00:30:30,440 --> 00:30:32,920 Speaker 1: in the field, every clinic I've ever been at has 555 00:30:32,920 --> 00:30:35,640 Speaker 1: always had a bottle of vodka tucked away in a cupboard, 556 00:30:35,960 --> 00:30:38,160 Speaker 1: and why it's there has become one of the favorite 557 00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:41,800 Speaker 1: questions to answer for new people in the field. Vodka, 558 00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:45,280 Speaker 1: when diluted and given intravenously to a patient suffering from 559 00:30:45,320 --> 00:30:49,120 Speaker 1: anti phrase toxicity, can save their life. It prevents the 560 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:52,000 Speaker 1: creation of the byproducts which will cause organ failure and 561 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:55,120 Speaker 1: make the anti freeze so deadly. This can technically be 562 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:57,880 Speaker 1: done with any ethanol, but the favorite I've encountered has 563 00:30:57,880 --> 00:31:00,920 Speaker 1: been vodka or perhaps ever Clear. And yes, in case 564 00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:04,240 Speaker 1: you were wondering, patients get instantly drunk when this treatment starts. 565 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:06,440 Speaker 1: Looking forward to see what's coming up next, and hope 566 00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:10,280 Speaker 1: you're having a wonderful start to I never ever, ever 567 00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:14,240 Speaker 1: had heard this story, which is surprising to me because 568 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:17,920 Speaker 1: I have known a lot of veterinarians and I always 569 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:20,080 Speaker 1: asked them a lot of invasive questions about their jobs 570 00:31:20,360 --> 00:31:22,800 Speaker 1: because I find it fascinating. Never learned this one, So 571 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:25,760 Speaker 1: thank you, Allison brand New. Also, obviously, we are not 572 00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:29,880 Speaker 1: suggesting you do any of this yourself, but that's a 573 00:31:29,880 --> 00:31:31,840 Speaker 1: good little piece of info to have. If you would 574 00:31:31,840 --> 00:31:33,960 Speaker 1: like to write to us with your surprising use for 575 00:31:34,080 --> 00:31:37,239 Speaker 1: vodka or any other historically interesting tidbits, you can do 576 00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:40,240 Speaker 1: so at History podcast at how stoe works dot com. 577 00:31:40,280 --> 00:31:42,480 Speaker 1: You can also find us pretty much anywhere on social 578 00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:44,560 Speaker 1: media as Missed in History when you can go to 579 00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:47,120 Speaker 1: missed in History dot com to find our web page, 580 00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:48,720 Speaker 1: which is where you can sign up for that trip 581 00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:51,080 Speaker 1: to Paris again. Paris trip at the top with an 582 00:31:51,120 --> 00:31:53,680 Speaker 1: exclamation point takes you right to all the info. Or 583 00:31:53,840 --> 00:31:56,040 Speaker 1: you can listen to any of the back episodes that 584 00:31:56,080 --> 00:31:59,040 Speaker 1: have ever existed of our show for all time, long 585 00:31:59,080 --> 00:32:01,520 Speaker 1: before Tracy and I were ever involved with it, and 586 00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:04,240 Speaker 1: we encourage you to also subscribe to stuff you Missed 587 00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:06,040 Speaker 1: in History class. You can do that on the I 588 00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:09,760 Speaker 1: Heart Radio app, at Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or wherever 589 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:17,160 Speaker 1: else you get your podcasts. For more on this and 590 00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:25,959 Speaker 1: thousands of other topics, visit how stuff Works dot com.