Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-12-04

TIE GREATNESS OF LoNDoN.-In few cities
are there more than half dozen railway
stations. In London there are at least 10y.
Some Of the railways never pass beyond us
limits. and Of one, the Tottenham and
HAMPSTEAD Punch says, 'No one ever
travels by, as no one knows where 1t begins
CT where it ends" The Metropolitan and
other intramural railways run trains every
three or FIVE minutes, and convey from twen-
ty to fifty millions Of passengers annually.
Chaplain is the great southwestern Junction.
and through it 700 trains pass every day.
Its platforms are so numerous and Its under
ground passages and overground bridges so
perplexinc that to find the right train on
Changing is one of those things "that no
fellow can understand. As proof OF the
expansive nature of London traffic, 1t was
supposed that when the Metropolitan HALL
way was opened all the city to Paddington
| omnibuses would be run off the ground, but
although it carried iorty-three millions OF
passengers last wear, it has been found nee
essary to increase the number OF omniouses
on the southern route, and they yieiu one
per cent. more revenue than before the open
ing of the railway.
Besides the railways there are some four
teen or fifteen thousand tram-cars, omniouses
and cabs traversing the streets; there are
lines of omnibuses known only to the in
habitants of their own localities-such as
those across the Isle of Dogs from Poplar to
Millwall from London bridge, along Tooley
street to Dockhead, &C. The London On
nibus Company have 500 omnibuses, which
carry fifty millions of passengers annually. ).
1t is more dangerous to walk the ftreets OF
London than to travel BY railway or cross
the Atlantic. Last year lbs persons were
killed and 2513 injured BY vehicles IN the
streets. Surprising every individual man,
woman and child made one journey on foot
in London per diem. which is considerably
above the average, the deaths would be one
in eleven millions, while the railways only
kill about one in fifty millions of passengers,
and the Cunari Company of Atlantic steam
ers boast of having never lost passenger.
Other instances of the immensely OF the
population of London are that three-quar-
tiers of million of business men enter the
city in the morning and leave 1t IN the even
ing for their suburban residences. There
are 10 900 policemen, as many cab drivers,
and the same number of persons connected
with the post Office, each Of whom, with
their families, would make large town.
When London makes holiday, there are
several places of resort. such as the Crystal
Palace. the Geological Gardens. Kew Gar
dens. &c, which absorb from thirty to forty
thousand visitors each The cost OF gas lor
lightning is - 500 600 annually the water
supply is one hundred millions OF gallons
per diem In the year 1873 there were 5'5
fires and for the purpose Of supplying IN
formation on the passing events OF the Gay
Sl4 daily and weekly newspapers are re-
quired.
What London will eventually become 1t Is
idle to predict 1t already stands in ioui
counties, and is striding onward to NTH
(IIerts.) The probability is that by the enc
of the century the population will exceed
five millions, and will thus have quintuploC
itself in the century. Should it progress a
, an equal rate in the next it will in the veal
1000 amount to the enormous aggregate o
, TWENTY-FIVE millions and the question thai
naturally arises is, how could such mutt
! tude be supplied with food? But the lac
i that the more its population increases th'
better they are fed. In the Plantagene
days, when the population was not thir'
Of million, famines wereof frequent occur
renee, but now, with the command OF tn
pastures. the harvest and the fisheries OF tn
world, starvation becomes an almost impos,
! sible eyentuality, even with twenty-five NIL
lions of mouths to feed.-Fredsr1ck Ross "
London City Press.