The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-07-24
4 SHORT CUT TO EUROPE.
New York to London in Seven
Days.
TIE CANADIAN SUMMER ROUTES.
More Rail and Less Water
All the Way.
Efforts to Increase Comfort, Safety and SPEED
in the Atlantic Transit.
THE OCEAN SPAWNED IN FOUR DAYS.
A Daily Ferry Between the
Hemispheres.
What Young Kanuok Enterprise
Is Seeking
More Rail and Less Water
All the Way.
The OCEAN SPAWNED IN FOUR DAYS.
A Daily Ferry Between the
Hemispheres.
What Young Kanuok Enterprise
Is Seeking.

As OoShlIlS.
MONTREAL, July o. 1873.
problem, wholly International In character has
Deen submitted by the Dominion government to
nose best qualified 10 furnish practical solution
II it-namely, the steamship owners, captains and
builders.
In March last, Mr.. SANFORD Fleming submitted to
The House OF Commons OF Canada report upon
he practicability OF materially shortening the lines
,f communication between America and Europe.
the matter was duly referred to committee Of IN.
luiry. ana there is hardly doubt but chat the re-
suit Of their Investigation will prove the correct
aess Of Mr.. Femtngs theory II not the full advan-
sage OF his proposed route for reducing the time
or the transit Of mails and passengers between
London and New York to seven days. IL is unde.
aiabe that Canada contains the grand highway to
europe. Her Atlantic coast is but four days run
rom the Irish coast the largest class OF steam
srs can penetrate inland nearly nine hundred
miles to this port lsi0arreal), while ships Of 1000
IONS burden Will soon be enabled to
Davtgate the whole length Of the
st. Lawrence, by means OF it's auxiliary canals
and Iassing through Lake Ontario and the
welland Canal 10 Lake Erie, proceed to the limits
oflake navigation ct Chicago or Duluth. The pur-
port Of Mr.. Flemings plan Ia to push the railway
system Of the Continent the very farthest Jump.
siders to be st. Johns, N. r., from which
point to valentia Bay, ireland, Is only 1,s40 miles
comparatively trihing Terry over which tiptop
ocean racers would travel in 100 hours. From
thence to London (by rail to Kingstown, steamboat
to Holyhead and rail thence to the metr0polts) is
jaunt OF sixteen hours. On our side Of the
water there IL a gap to be filed between the
present terminus OF railway travel and the pro.
posed ferry gates at ST. Johns. branch from the
main lines from New York to Montreal and Quebec
must be built, say from Sherbrooke to q point on
the Gulf Of st. Lawrence, known as Shippegan.
Here passengers and mails would take steamer
to St. Georges harbor, directly opposite, ON the
gulf coast Of Newfoundland. and by the time
they get there they viii find first class road,
equipped with Pullman's progressive palaces, to
dash them across the $50 mics width Of the island
to st. Johns. 1t is 900 miles from New York to
shippegan and 500 from Shippegan to st. Johns, and
the time allowance Tor the ocean express from the
Vanderbilt depot to the steamer for Ireland is IS
hours. Add this to the 116 hours required to per-
form the trip frem st. Johns to London and we
have total OF Ill hours tor the whole journey, or
seven days and three hours actual time.
OF course this route would only be practicable
during about seven months in the year, but 1t
would be none the less valuable on that account,
Tor the bulk OF the travel takes place during those
seven months. In the Winter when the ice In the
Gulf Of st. Lawrence would obstruct the ferry be-
tween Shppegan ana st. Georges the ocean
steamers landing would have to be made
at Halifax, less than i've hundred miles westward
OF st. Johns N. F.. and to which port an all
rail route from New York Ia now in operation.
Consequently, as Halifax is about the same dis
tance by rail from New York as Shippegan would
be, the estimated duration Of the Winter passage
would be not more than some seven or eight hours
greater than that calculated for the summer SUD.
posing the weather 10 be favorable.
Before proceeding to give the time tables as pre-;
mails and passengers between the commercial
centres OF Great Britain and the United States and
over the existing schedules Tor the same service
1t is worth while remarking upon more feasible
ioundland From New York to Father Point ton on
the south shore Of the 81: Lawrence River, the dis
mus Of rswsy ays nor Is tns n
this run from Forty-second street, New YORK, in
twenty-three hours The Montreal Quebec and
mails and baggage with no trouble al s
sailing distance nom Father Point down the river
and Gulf Of st. Lawrence and through the Straits
mated voyage nom the Straits to the G neares and
best port across the Atlantic-MOville, Ireland
nar Um @ SSn
Sr. Fleming has taken as q basis in his caicuia-
make the trip from Father Point to the Irish port;
and as Neville is not more than fifteen hours dis.
would loot up total OF seven days and two hours
between New York and the English capital. More
the rail is unSroten to the st. Law
renee and that the ocean passage is less than be-
two aay w SIser the $50 of on .a Tine
down the River st. Lawrence across the Gulf and
through the straits Is safe and agreeable as the
December to the latter part OF April this route
would not be available any more than that via
safer, as well as shorter and more agreeable. The
Polynesan 4,10o tons) and other vessels OF the
A as have g. the q
English mails received on board less than eight
days before !seven days and twenty-tnree hours
Neville Harbor, though not steaming more than
thirteen or fourteen knots an hour. Increase the
ana half miles to the hour, and we have better
and quicker route established even than the one
of the Gull Of st. Lawrence and the railway trip
across Newfoundland would be Objectionable
o. % nesn v I ong
OF conveyance on this side Of the ocean.
have explained the possibility Of quickening the
into operation any day that the English and Amer.
Tor the ocean mail service; but in few months
better route still for passengers will become prac.
Railway along the south shore Of the ST. Lawrence
to the Gulf coast. have discussed the relative
merits OF the dlnerent plans for reducing the time
between the chief cities Of the Old and New Worlds
with Sir Hugh Allan. who 10 in q position to CO.
operate In any plan that may prove feasible. His
the Gulf near the mouth Of the River st. Lawrence
be made the terminal eastward railway station OF
the Continent without materially deviatina from
their course from Montreal the steamers could
there receive or discharge mails, passengers and
light express freight. Ssspe INA mas this advsa,
miles nearer the ocean than Father Point
via the river passage, and only about one hundred
and aix ~ miles from the Point Dy rail- From New
York to Gaspe Bay by rail will be $50 miles (esti-
matedl and from Gaspe to Liverpool Is 2, lol miles.
Zine by rail-, twenty Height hours; by steam, ISL
hours Add I'VE hours for express rom Liverpool
to London and we have total Of ie4 hours or six
From Quebec to Liverpool Is 2502 miles; nom
New York to Liverpool over the most direct course
that can be sailed the distance Is given as 1850,