The Shasta courier. [volume] (Shasta, Calif.) 1852-1872, 1854-10-21


correspondent of the State journal shows
up the rascality exhibited by the two present
running Steamship Companies, in their outra-
seous charges for passage to the States Al pres
ent their charges are as follows: LIST cabin, $500;
2nd cabin, $3.50; steerage, $3.50 They have
enabled themselves TO charge these exorbitanl
figures by purchasing the boats belonging to the
Independent Line, and thus ehectuay monop-
olizins the travel on the ocean routes to and
from the Atlantic States.
We have long entertained the opinion, and
Frequently gave it expression, that the Steam
ship companies, by charging $500. $780, and
$50 for passage TO the Atlantic States, were not
only literally fleeing the travelling public-dis
honoraby taking advantage of their power to
extract money from the pockets of the people
but Gripping the interests Of the State, by re-
arding her growth and hamperns her prosper
ty. Were it not for the oppressive exactionS
levied by these companies upon our people,
thousands Of men now living in our midst would
be happily surrounded by their families. But
low can our citizens. unless they may number
their dollars by the thousands, return TO their
former homes for their families while the pres
ent exiortionate rates obtain?
1t is absolutely fac-anq most startling
fact too--that the Nicaragua and Pacific steam
ship companies have, through the liberal patron
age of the California travelling public. become
possessed of such immense wealth, thai,by COM
binins. they are enabled to decree. aad by
agreement have so decreed, that no poor ,,nan
shall have the privilege of bringing lis family
from the :. tlaniic States to ii home prepared for
them i'll this State The San Francisco papers
frequently express tie opinipn-and IL SO doing
they speak the words of wlstonl-hat tie great
est need Of oar State is, the lack OF tanilies-ot
home iuiiuence. Why then do they not raise
their potent voices against lie course pursued
by this heartless and over-grown steamship COM
binaiion, to which we are chiefly Indebted for
the continuance of the evil which they much
deprccatel Instead ofdoing this, however we
fiud some Of them acting rs The arolosis,s of The
steamship milionares, by publishing to the
world the talschood that the combination find it
necessary to charge the present oppressive
prices in order TO run tlcir steamers with fair
profit
To show the utter and absolute falschood of
this excuse for the rates of Fare charged we
quote the following statements from the Iou,1als
correspondent. According to his estimating
their steamers carry on an average five hundred
passengers per trip. Allot these off ,lIus-l00
first cabin; 100 second do; 300 stecrage and
4, g..
100 LIST Cabin Tickets, at $500 $4,000
300 stecrnse do do $50 .. 5000
Total 500 900
One hundred thousand dollars for single
trip.
But let us what portion of these one hun
cred thousand dollars is clear profit. According
to the same writer each vessel is provided with
one captain, three mates. purser. store-keeper.
steward. two engineers, seven fremen, twelve
deck hands, six cooks, four cabin and four steer
age walters, Storage steward and bar tender
Five hundred tops of coal are consumed per
trip-a high estimate. The cost OF food for each
passenger, for thirty days, one dollar per day
another high estimate. These constitute The
expense of the trip, and recapitulate as follows:
Expense for coal, s3.5oo
do of passengers, $1,000
do for help, 1000
Total expense, saO63o
Receipts, 100000
Nett profit, 1880
Nett profit of single trip occupying less
than one month in its performance, seventy-nine
Thousand three hundred and seventy dollars
Well may they combine when combination eff
leetS such magnificent results
ALrITuDE OF SHAsTA.-Dr. J. b. Trask took
the altitude OF this place last Wednesday. Ac-
cordiug to his calculation, which is doubtless
correct, it is 9l2 feet above the waters of the
Bay of San Francisco
LIZ MeSsrs. Fretz & Ralslon, the agents Of The
Yankee Biale, recently wrecked, returned to the
passengers twenty iiYe per cent. Ct the passage
money-and about three hundred of their num-
Der left on the Golden & te OH last Monday.
American MoNrHLIEs.-Our thanks due
Mr.. Roman, OF the Shasta Book store. for the
October numbers of Graham's Magazine, the
Knick erbocker, Harper's Magazine, Yankee