As for business, Cunard, as the years advanced, was happy to leave the running of the companies to other members of the Cunard family, who, though, undoubtedly, would bring Sam into any discussions concerning major decisions. During the years from 1850 to the time of Cunard's death in 1865, the Cunard steamship line did well. It had competition, mainly from the Collins Line run by Edward Knight Collins out of New York. The Collins line had established a reputation for being fast, with orders to go full steam through storm or fog. Not only were the Collins steamships faster but they had more luxurious appointments, such as crimson velvet on the sofas and steam heat in the comparatively larger passenger compartments. Cunard, in running his steamers, stuck to his old ways including running the line in a profitable manner, while Collins lost money. The Collins Line went out of business in 1858.

"The efforts of the Collins Line, although backed by lavish capital and unstinted support from the Government of the United States, ended in a complete collapse."41