Crossing on Time: Steam Engines, Fast Ships, and a Journey to the New World

Macaulay:"Crossing on Time" Fans of David Macaulay’s earlier works like "City,""Cathedral" and his hilarious "Great Moments in Architecture" will enjoy his newest effort, "Crossing on Time: Steam Engines, Fast Ships, and a Journey to the New World," explaining steam power and the planning and construction of America’s greatest ocean liner, the SS UNITED STATES. As with the earlier books Macaulay’s latest work is full of excellent descriptions, detailed architectural and engineering drawings and whimsical humor (note, for example, the joke on page 49 about a ship’s “hatches”). Crossing begins, not with ships, but in the 1700’s with the first uses of steam power to pump water out of coal mines in England. Macaulay’s beautiful cut-away illustrations depict how steam engines improved and were first used for marine propulsion in paddleboats as well as land vehicles, including steam locomotives. The evolution of steam engines and boiler designs went hand in hand as both became larger, more efficient and more powerful. He details the invention of the Parson’s steam turbine that revolutionized marine engines in the way jet turbines overtook reciprocating piston engines on aircraft. From there we finally arrive at the life of William Francis Gibbs, America’s greatest designer of steam ships and the father of the SS UNITED STATES. What follows is the story of the design, construction and history of this nation’s marine masterpiece. Macaulay’s illustrations, engineering drawings and beautifully explanatory text are the meat of his book and thoroughly satisfying. The highlight of Crossing is a magnificent, six-page foldout cross-section of the finished UNITED STATES. A reader, armed with a magnifying glass, can spend a couple of hours exploring the ship and “walking” her decks. Crossing ends with Macaulay’s personal experience when, in 1957 he, along with his mother and siblings, sailed UNITED STATES from Southampton to New York to join their father. It’s a sad little story, actually. Macaulay is far less interested in the ship than he is at getting to see the Empire State Building. Instead of sneaking up from Tourist to First Class and looking around, he seems to have spent his time sitting on the drumhead of a capstan looking wistfully up at the bridge and hoping some kindly officer would invite him up. It didn’t happen. Later, Macaulay was deeply disappointed at the smallness of the Empire State Building when he first saw it! SS UNITED STATES was a popular liner but never a beloved one like Cunard’s AQUITANIA or the French Line’s ILE de FRANCE. She was too much metal, glass, fireproof furnishings and efficiency. Perhaps sensing that coldness, Gibbs made her interior a Technicolor, Mid-Century Modern masterpiece. UNITED STATES was covered in primary colors: bright reds in carpets and chairs, vivid indigo blues, sea greens and turquoise walls and tables. Except for the French Line’s incomparable NORMANDIE, the UNITED STATES may have been the most colorful transatlantic liner ever built. Thus, my main criticism of "Crossing:" Macaulay apparently drew the interiors of UNITED STATES from an 11-year old’s memory. Illustrations of the engine room and bridge are vague (gauges and dials look like full moons), and almost colorless. The drawings of the Macaulay family’s stateroom and adjacent corridor are monochromatic grays and whites—more like the interior of a battleship than a color-saturated ocean liner. Also, as expected, it’s a great read although it’s also clear that Macaulay, the engineer and architect, lacks a feeling for the mystique of ships as evidenced by his use of the neutered “It” when referring to the UNITED STATES rather than “She.” To an engineer, ships may be only metal machines but (media practices to the contrary), anyone who loves ocean liners—especially those magnificent ocean greyhounds of the 20th Century—knows that these vessels have souls, and that they definitely are feminine! Other than these two objections, this is a fascinating, entertaining work; David Macaulay at his best and well worth buying.

I have to admit I'm a huge ocean liner geek, and I have been since I was a small child. As in waking my parents up in the middle of the night when I heard that Bob Ballard discovered the Titanic obsessed. I built models of the classic ocean liners, and one of them was the SS United States.The United States has always been a favorite ship, and when I learned that not only was she still around-- but tied up in Philadelphia, it became my goal to go and see her. Over the years I've done research and made friends with people who sailed or worked aboard her and a family member even recalled being in a submarine when she passed nearby, going so fast they thought she was a low-flying aircraft from a distance.After what seemed like forever, I was able to see her but not very close. Through a friend of a friend who worked at the Ports, I was able to walk by the place where she's tied up (but not touch or go aboard) her. I wept tears of joy to see her in the present state she is in but also because I was so excited to be near such an amazing part of naval history that I thought was forever lost.I happened to see the gangplank was in place and people were working aboard. My friend pointed to a distinctive little brown car and told me it belonged to a famous author who was aboard writing a book about the ship and doing lots of drawings. I had to know more. Fast forward a week, and I had joined the Save the SS United States Conservancy and learned the author was none other than David Macaulay, the author of some of my favorite books as a kid, including Motel of the Mysteries, City, Castle, etc. He has a fantastic talent for visual storytelling and a delightful sense of humor.I signed up for the pre-order of this book as soon as it was available and when we got it last week, I began reading it immediately. What a treat!The illustrations are beautiful and top notch. They are interesting enough for both adults and children to enjoy and learn from. Like all his other books, this volume captures the energy and spirit of a time in history we'll never see again.I dream about being able to tour the ship one day and hope that this amazing ship can be saved, but in the event she is lost to us, David's book immortalizes her in a way nobody else could have done. I will treasure this book forever. It's become part of my most treasured collection.Thank you David Macaulay, for your amazing work.

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