“she had neither ticket nor money” — Morgan Silver Dollar Coin

Today, the Morgan Silver Dollar Coin remembers when the S.S. Teutonic set a new world record for ocean travel when she arrived in New York on August 13, 1890 and also had a brave stowaway on board.

From the Washington, D.C. Evening Star newspaper of August 13, 1890:

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Remarkable Time.

The Teutonic Gets Across the Atlantic in Five Days and Nineteen Hours.

New York, August 13. — The White Star steamship Teutonic arrived here this morning from Queenstown after a passage of five days, nineteen hours and five minutes, the fastest on record.

The City of New York of the Inman line, with which the Teutonic was supposed to be racing, came in three hours later.

The abstract of the log of the Teutonic shows the daily runs to have been 473, 493, 512, 500, 485 and 340 miles.

Of the City of New York: 464, 486, 485, 494 and 388 miles.

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Similarly, the Wilmington, Delaware Evening Journal of August 14, 1890 wrote of the new record:

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Teutonic Is Queen.

She Has Wrested the Honor from the City of Paris.

New York. Aug. 14 —The City of Paris can no longer claim the title of queen of the ocean racers.

The White Star steamer Teutonic won the right to it when she arrived off Sandy Hook light Wednesday.

She had made the trip from Queenstown in 5 days, 19 hours and 5 minutes, thus beating the fastest time on record—5 days, 19 hours and 18 minutes—made by the fleet Inman liner, by just 13 minutes.

It was a famous voyage from beginning to end, for besides breaking the record for the westbound trip, she also beat, the best time ever made for a single day’s distance, making a record of 512 miles for the twenty four hours ending at noon last Sunday.

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Interestingly, the McCook [Nebraska] Tribune newspaper of August 22, 1890 provided a human interest story of one of the Teutonic’s passengers, a stowaway:

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Came to See Sally and Dick.

From the New York Times.

Among the immigrants who landed yesterday at the Barge Office was a female stowaway who had crossed the ocean in the White Star steamship Teutonic.

She was a tall , matronly looking woman and was well dressed for one passing through the Barge Office. She gave her name as Mrs. John Jones and said that she was about fifty years old.

Her home is near Queenstown and her husband is an old sailor and a pensioner of the British government.

A few years ago her daughter came to this country with a letter to the late Father Riordan , who found a good situation for her.

The girl wrote home a number of times to her mother.

The latter longed to see her daughter and her son Dick , who had also come to this country.

Last Thursday morning when she saw the Teutonic entering Queenstown Harbor the old woman put on her best clothes and said she was going to America to see Sally and Dick.

As she did not have a penny in her pocket, her husband did not take her at her word.

At the dock she boarded the White Star tender and was transferred to the Teutonic.

When the vessel was out at sea the purser asked her for her ticket.

Although she had neither ticket nor money, the purser was not harsh with her.

“Sure , he couldn’t help but treat me decent,” she said , “because I was respectable.”

During the voyage she was treated as well as the other immigrant women.

Gen. O’Bierne directed that she should be detained at the Barge Office while he endeavored to find either Sally or Dick.

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The Morgan Silver Dollar Coin shows with an image of the S.S. Teutonic, circa 1890.

Morgan Silver Dollar Coin