, 1873-03-23
i" ACROSS THE CONTINENT"

5o7o1al Season6 have elnpseu einco 1nls 1uIla
was but upon its travels. It gained it's fullcs
meaning on the completion OF the Pacific mi
ways, although its first uae dates back to tn
Holiday stages. Tho completion Of the railwa
lnes from ocean to ocean awoko enthusiasm
among the world Of travellers; and admirin
s'ght-secrs dcluged the press with description
OF tho wonders Of the great interior. 1t is timel
to ask whether tho full promise with which th
great route was opened has been maintainc'
among the world Of tourists, and to ask tho reason
Tor the decadonco. 1t is not to be found in an.
disappointment experienced by sight-seors wh'
have come back Tound-eycd with wonder at th'
Yosemite, the Gcysors, and tho mountain ami
| mining mnrvels. There has been nothing dis
| cernible in tho route TINT has chilled the yea
with which, two seasons ago. the phrase "acrost
tho continent" was entertained in discussion
Of tours.
| The simple fact would seem to be, that in this
| as in other respects, the great Pacific lines have
fallen into cold, selfish management, whose
policy has swung between the two or
tremes of lavish profusenesa in doad-head-
ing aud short-sighted niggardlincss in COM
mon business transactions. To help schemes OF
covetousuess and greed, it vas nothing to send
train-loads Of dead-heads over the read, followed
by trains whose passengers aud freight were
alike burdened with oxtortions. We deem tho
late circular cutting of tho pass system good
beginning Of better era, for pass over that
route would almost certGin1y, after this, burn
ho1o in tho pocket of the legislator or editor ro-
celv7ng it, It is we'll to reform it altogether,
and no one will be left to complain, if tho rulo
is rigid one.
But does that meet the whole case. and re-
move all tho disabilities Of this great trans-con-
tinentnl thoroughfare, vhose line runs through a
new world OF vondcrs7 Why is it that tho
tourists hayo fallen of, that the pleasure-seck-
ers and sum1ner-trayelcrs and summer c1cur-
sions havo 80 notably lapsed from patronage of
this route2 Forcign-bounl steamers leave Now
York loaded down to tue guards with passcn-
gers, whose state-rooms have boen secured
months in advance. These Americans 60 abroad,
turning their backs upon wonders of nature in
their own country which the Old World
cannot equal. Is it net about time to find
tho rcason for this hogira, reason
That can be brought homo to tho management
Of the Pacific roads The trayelor calls for his
moneys worth, and these railroad allios in ex-
!ortion hare fastened prico upon their CON-
modify which tourists declare to be too high.
They can get more TOR tho snme outlay in an
other direction. Let us consult NordhoI, whose
work on California should bo an oracle cs to |
Pacific Railway figures, and suppose u tourist |
9srty of three, studying routes and guide-books |
n Now York for two months summer trip. |
shall they go across tha continent or to Europe? |
Is to the former. Nordhofr tells them the expense
or fares as follows:
sew York to San Francisco and rctarn (exclu-
sive Of seapinE-cars)- )-----...-.........sa= LOO I
,alt i.axe and return -.-...,-.............. $40
zig Trees and Sosesnl:s: and return ....... $50
For party Of three sl,o17.oo '7'''''
For 4 party Of three, or for 800, thc1o is no
batoment. Two hundred delegates to the
'oung Mon's Christian Association recently Of
cred $500 apiece as an excursion ratio from New
ork to San francisco and return-340, 900 for
10 party. It Was loftily refused. So the Ma
on Con:ent1on T. u. c. a. r1cets this year in
Now suppose our party OF three in Now York
'ok at an European tour An old-ostablshed
Pstem meets their demand with . route whose
,aturcs show IS follows:
Tickets Issued by Cook, Son jenkins, in New
ork: {
liverpool md return, first-:ass sf3DD2
liverpool to Manchester and London, ,......... a.75
cndou to Paris. 7.:5
IRIS to Turin ria ut. Gents Tunnel. Oils
urin to Genoa, Florence Piss, Leghocn, Cyi-
Florence, Bologna, Venice, padua, Verona,
Ian, through switzerland NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 1850
saIe to Badcu-Badcn, Heidelberg, Worms,
Mayence, down the Rhine to Aix-la-C Chappele,
brussels, Antwerp, back to Londcn.. ........... 2625
'ndon to Liverpool. l....-.--....-.........--.- 875
s248.5o
Id for gold premium NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. $3.50
so5GN0
II party Of three. S958UO
Our party sit down to short calculation, and o
scovor that the tour Of Europe can be made i,
r S219 less than The trip "across The conti~ r
n!," q saving Of $73 to each. Is it any marvel y
at they postpone the Big Trees and the |
'Bomito, to the 1oss Of our great national c