The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-07-25
San Francisco
The Futsre Terminus OF the australian
Steamers

Some months since, in an article commenting
upon the growth of the steam marine ofSanF Fran
cisco and the effect thereon of the completion OF
the Pacific Railroad, we suggested the probability
that this city would eventually be the terminus of
the Australian and New Zealand steamers. These
steamers now proceed 10 Panama because they
connect there directly with British and French
lines OF steamships for Europe and South America.
and with the Pacific Mail steamers for New York
but with the completion of the Pacific Railroad,
the shortest and pleasantest route TO Europe from
Australia will be across the American continent
by way of San Francisco. This fact has lately
been made the subject OF comment in Australia,
where the p~ropriety of superseding the line to
Panama by one 10 San Francisco, in time to con-
meet with the Pacific Railroad, is seriously urged
by NO less a person than Crosbie Ward, the origi-
nal promoter of the Panama line. This gentle
man writes a communication on the subject to the
Australian press. He states that the distance
from Wellington to San Francisco is 1854 nauti-
cal miles. or 700 miles shorter than TO Panama I;
that the navigation of the ocean which lies
between is equally easy, and that there is this
great advantage, that Tahiti lies exactly in the
course, 1900 miles from Wellington, ready to
form a most easy coaling place and a most pleas
ant halfway hating station. After assuming
that the Pacific Railroad ought to be finished by
1870, that the journey across the continent Will be
made in six days by ordinary and In five days by
express trains, and that the passage money will
be about f25-say Sl25--Mr. Ward considers
the postal and practical advantages of the Calilor-
MIA route. The trip from and to Wellington and
San Francisco will occupy but 25 days instead of
p, and from or to Auckland only % days. If
the steamer is a day or two early or late in arrival
ut San Francisco, there will be no missing or
waiting, for the mail will go across by the train
of the next day ut farthest. At New York, also,
there can be no delay, since steamers carrying
British mails leave now almost every day, and
will eventually leave daily. The mails can, there
fore, be carried through In an exact number of
days, rs follows: Wellington to San Francisco,
% San Francisco to New York, ; New York to
London, II; total, ~ days. The return passage
can be made in the same time, and Melbourne and
Sydney can be brought within 40 days of London
for the bulk Of their mails, instead of go or 20
days, as nova result, says Mr.. Ward, " hither-
to undreamed of, and not to be equaled on the
Indian route until the Euphrates Valley Railway
shall have joined together the Indian and Europe
an systems across Persia. Cabul, Asia Minor, and
whatever other lands intervene" Passengers
who did not like to make the fastest railway time
across America could delay as they pleased, and
most remarkable scenery and places on the route.
Mr.. Ward concludes his argument in favor of the
California route, as follows:
Incidentally, the adoption of this route will re-
move one OF tine greatest postal difficulties which
we have now to look forward to. The Indian
mail services are to be arranged by the week of
seven days, instead of by the month. The Suez
mail will therefore arrive Mt and leave the colonies
once every four weeks, and will not harmonic at
all with the Panama service, which will still run
once a month. The Pacific portion of the line, it
rs true, Is within our control, and might be alter
ed but the West India portion cannot be touched
by Us, and is not very likely to be altered for our
convenience by the British Postofhce. But the
New Zealand steamers can run to San Francisco,
just as often and ut just slo.- periods rs may be
required, without any consideration Of the other
side. Consequently, we can not 'bly carry the
mail alternately with the Indian lines. but we
can make the intervals between the arTSnia and
departures of the two mails exactly equal, which
is ut present impossible.
Such arguments as the foregoing are unanswer-
able, and taken in connection with the fact that
California will, after the completion of the Pacific
Railroad, furnish more traffic for the Australian
than Panama, must have great weight
with the Australians, who will naturally he
anxious, when they come to know all the facts, to
shorten by ten or twenty days the voyage to
Europe, and to escape several thousand miles of
ocean travel. The diversion of n large share of
Australasian travel and traffic to the California
route may safely be regarded as one Of the GER
tainties of the near future.