12 o'clock
Saturday at 9:40 A.M. at the Waterloo Station several friends saw Christine off for America on the special train , the Eagle Express , of the South Western Railway , which makes the journey of 79 miles to Southampton in one hour and forty minutes . At Southampton the passengers were transferred on the new express dock , direct from the train to the steamers , which are berthed alongside . By this route passengers escape exposure to weather on tenders and landing stage , and avoid all delays at ports of call , and waiting for the tides to cross the bar . Promptly at 12 o'clock , hawsers and gangways vanishing , the great steamer moved down the bay , the fertile Isle of Wight in sight . Officers made note of the time as the Needles were passed , as the runs of the steamers are taken between the Needles and Sandy Hook . It was a bright breezy afternoon and after lunch the passengers lounged on the decks , or in the smoke room ; some inspected their rooms , some read the latest French or English novel , and others in groups gossiped , or walked the decks to sharpen appetite . The second steward , of necessity a born diplomat , had succeeded in convincing most who were at lunch that he had given them favored seats , if not all at the Captain 's table , then at the table of the first officer , a handsome man , or at the table with the witty doctor .