Sticking with the prior post on the Christopher Columbus, the publication Scientific American covered the fact that the passenger whaleback had recently had a third deck added. In noting the arrival of the Columbus’ 27th season the article noted:

“Those of us who visited the World’s Fair in Chicago will remember a large passenger steamer of unusual design, which carried great crowds of passengers between Chicago and the Fair grounds [sic]….That was 26 years ago; and it will interest some of us to learn from its designer, Capt. Alexander McDougall, that this vessel, enlarged by the addition of a third passenger deck, is still in active service, and we are told, is capable of making its original speed of 20 miles an hour.”

The photo placed above gives a good sense of the Columbus on Lake Michigan with a good head of steam and the third deck. It is also a slightly different angle on the traditional “beauty” shot of ships from the bow. Even so, it does show the prominent “snout” of the whaleback type.

Even images that are clearly snapshots provide some sense of a ship:

It’s a good reminder, that while we today look back upon these ships with nostalgia and wonder, they were at the end of the day, working vessels with schedules to keep and passengers to manage.