The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-06-01
STEAM LANES
Present Condition Of the Great
Maritime Question.
why THEY SHOULD Be ESTABLISHED.
Action Of Congress, the Chamber Of Commerce
and Distinguished Scientists.


what great practical benefits may arise from tho
Intelligent discussion Of public desideratum in
the columns OF newspaper. The atten-
don OF the most eminent scientists has been en-
listed In the subject and the certainty that they
must be ultimately adopted has had the efrect OF
enhsting also that not sparse body OF gentlemen
VINO are always ready to rush to the embrace OF
success recognizing that there Is no success like
success The Social Science Congress- which Is
now In session. Ia 10 take up the subject and urge
'steam lanes' as a necessity; the Chamber Of
Commerce has already Illuminated Its decree that
they must be established; Congress has placed
the matter in the hands OF gentlemen as
earnest and popular as Mr.. Cox In the House and
Senator Conkltng in the Senate; the steamship
companies have already yielded to the demand OF
the people; England, through the House OF Com
MONS and France, by the voice OF Admiral Jaurez,
have b0tn assented to the broad principle as at
once humane, practical and OF the first maritime
importance. 1t Is certain, then, that such move
ment, ausplclOusly begun, cannot end in
nothngness. 1t Is not exaggeration to say that
the enterprise, while exceeding simple In itself, Is
one or the most novel OF our times involving the
Arst interests Of commerce and security to life.
How necessary is It, then, to take
BROAD VIEW OF THE WHOLE SUBJECT;
80 examine 1t as Affecting the traveller, the ship
per, the sailor the 0fflcer deck, the capitalist
and the underwater ? The mere establishment OF
these 'lanes" Will require the codifcation OF
complete system OF maritime jurisprudence, and
Wal have the almost immediate effect OF binding
tho great commercial Powers In such ndissoluble
Ties that war will be q remoter contingency than
Il was left by the Treaty OF washington.
HOW WILL THEY AFFECT THE TRAVELLER
The traveller turning to any port or country
which he desires to visit either as the tourist in
pursuit OF pleasure or as the man of business bent
on some hasty but important enterprise, lmme-
diately consus all his authorities in order to dis
cover the shortest, safest and pleasantest route.
II he be q tourist then he does not necessarily
select the shortest route He has time to stop ar
some intermediate city; time to visit historical
sites and gather rich collections Of the native
curiosities. Let us suppose that his objective
point is Liverpool He visits Bowling
Green, buys his ticket, and in technical
parance This passage Ii taken" Heavy weather
intervenes between the date OF engaging his state
room and the date OF sailing, and his numerous
friends recall with horrible vividness all the acct
dents which have occurred on the Atlantic. He is
reminded Of the fate OF the old Collins line; how
steamer after steamer came to an untimely end,
and the surviving widows and orphans are men,
toned by name. The recent appalling disasters,
With all their narrowing details, are succinctly
and graphically set forth for his benefit. and
scenes which accompany shipwreck. laundering
and collision are made to overwhelm him like q
nightmare. Whatever instinct in the human heart
u may be which induces these Jobs comforters to
remind you OF the dangers incident to ocean
travel 1t Is there, and 1t never loses an oppor-
tunity to md expression. WHAT theme ts ottener
rected than the details OF the wrecked Atlantic
during that cold winter morning when she ran
on rock or the Canadian coast How m any
times have we all heard Of the loss OF the City Of
Boston-ill-iated crait-out never with the details
How often has the story Of the Vile du Havre
,pa ana the
who cannot resist the Impulse to visit Europel It
Y this talk, which is inevitable, and which keeps
thousands, we might say hundreds or thousands,
Of people at home who would otherwise 90 abroad.
In fact, disasters ct sea have very powerful
take the rlckety Southern railways rather than
u terrible calamity to line. Successful opera
tion 70 bound to bring grand fortune and q pub
Is extorted by the grandest OF human achieve.
ments. There Is y well known line plying be-
tween this port and Europe ", which can proudly
perfect. and SO perfect that people think that the
officers are unnecessarily crnsty, ugly and i'll
which they would not sacrifice by calamity, makes
them hard OF heart IN the right directlon-that Is,
their BUSINESS When you hear that this captain
or that captain Is not genial, kind hearted man
man. Who Will not land you asnwars fson
rock. But few lines have ever arrived at this per-
lection OF discipline, and, therefore sharp, man.
oatOry international system, as rigid as the rules
for the better government Of the navy" is de-
manded In the interests Of life. Money Is q pow
ana above all the greed for ready money-'qulcK
prodts' Is more demoralizng than mere mercantile
every mans nature. whether he SIT on grand
throne be gay prince, 1t st. Petersburg, TO whom
ss low 81 I
traveller that man will do more in the pursuit
Of gain than in the chase of glory, more even than
and say that he will do moro in quest OF gold than
for the security Of life. He will wantony sacrifice
any kind Of technical murder. This
broad truth is sadly apparent in all the commerce
alone are exceptions to the rule john Bun aii is
essentially GROWER. He lives to find fault. He
Y born critic Anything that nterferes with
modify, he denounces in vigorous language and
emphatic terms, and is generally rewarded with
his Ha psore the 0G sspas ssa
eIlers as published in the London Times
are certainly among the most entertaining
good and an abuse cannot be repeatedly attacked
without some remedy. temporary or otherwise, IS
applied BY the offender. TO the lear OF this power
characterHes the administration or English steam
ship companies. Bnt this force is not OF world.
America, and because we must assume, the
American Is In too much haste to fight small
point even II his life mas been copardized by
careless Official exercising his unctions sea or
land. Thus while in England public opinion COM
true elsewhere SO we cannot hope that
the action OF any one nation will ever produce q
desirable system OF "steam lanes" The move
ment must be International Laws formed and
enforced by combined co-signataries TO treaty are
much more binding than local statute. 1t is APP
parent then, that the mind OF the tourist Is not In
state OF entire repose as long as his head Is filled
with the recOllections OF disasters. He argues
that maritime excellence is declining steamer
after steamer is laundering at sea general terror
prevails; travel is dropping OF; wnat dire calam-
lU Will come next? With these views pass
ing through his mind and remote convic-
lon that ne may not survive his journey
Scross the water, he presents himself on board
ms steamship Alter the clamorous crowd who
are always on board to ''see you or have de-
parted and the avalanche OF flowers have been
removed, the luggage slowed away In the hold,
scat at the table found, the traveller seeks the
.1mOke rOOm,O and there Is the ahin,a Wisdom