The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1874-01-09

ness that have been made of late against
SO much Of the English shipping by Mr..
Plimsoll, member of Parliament for Derby. |
Although steamship travel is fast super
SEEDING that of sailing vessels, there arrived |
in the port Of New York last year is, 1867 |
emigrants in them, and it is in relation to |
them and to the independent steamships |
that complaints are now mostly made. 1t |
is very desirable that some scheme be de- |
vsed to discourage the carrying of emil |
grant passengers ia sailing vessels. The |
difference in price is so very small and the
loss of time and suffering so much greater |
that to save them from it would be a great |
blessing to them. 1t is only through igno-
rance of better way that they come in |
sailing vessels.
A SERIOUS EVIL.
Another source of serious evil to the |
German emigrant is the exchanging OF his |
gold and silver coin and paper currency and |
purchasing drafts on New York city pre-
vious to embarking at Bremen, Hamburg |
and other ports. They are not only SUBJ |
jected to loss from ignorance of the differ
ence in value of United States money as
compared with their own; they also suffer
the further risk of receiving counterfeit
United States currency, with which the
country is full. The execution and finish
Of it is so perfect as to deceive experienced
cashiers here and bankers abroad. Many
q poor emigrant on his arrival here finds
his money thus exchanged to be entirely
worthless. IN.
There is also incalcuiable evil arising
from the booking OF passengers in Europe
| for inland passage or transportation in the
| United States, and selling them tickets
to be used this side of the Atlantic. These
| tickets are often grossly overcharged, for,
often leading over circuitous routes, and
they are frequently imposed upon by fraud
ulent tickets.
THE TRANSPORTATION OF THE EMF
| t'b.+ III GRANTS. iit'J.
The manner of transporting the emigran.s
| from the steamship to Castle Garden, and
the responsibility Of their baggage while
in transit, has been for long time vexed
question. Although the steamship COM
pany is not relieved of the responsibility or
care of steerage passengers until they are
landed, and the process and expense of
landing devolves upon them, they have
hitherto refused to pay for anything lost by
the emigrant before he has received the
check from the railroad agent in exchange
for the paper receipt given him on board the
steamship, and the railroad company re-
fuses to assume liabilities until the passen-
ger receives its check. There are as many
as 5000 packages landed in one day, and
with the greatest care some will be lost.
A trip from New York to Chicago on
the different parts Of the three railroad
lines on an emigrant train on the LIST of
November convinced me that the railroad
traffic, like the steamship transit, through
competition, has been greatly improved.
Immigrant trains, as such, are no longer
run west of Buffalo, N. T., by the Erie
and Central roads, or west of Pittsburg,
Pa, by the Pennsylvania Central railroad.
| At these points emigrants are put into the
smoking car of the express trains at Pitts
burg, Pa; at Buffalo and Suspension
Bridge the cars of the emigrant trains are
consumed by the emigrant train is six
hours in excess of the express train. The
cars are comfortable, the seats are covered
with enamelled cloth they are kept clean
and arc furnished with closets, water and
fire. The cars of the different companies
differ but little in character. The fact that
competition has improved this trade is still
more apparent at Chicago, at which
Po"' 'hoio "io S'e"toi HunIu'A
OF competing roads. The Chi.
cago, Burlington and Quincy rail-
road, which is a fair example of other
lines, CONVEYS emigrants on express trains,
leaving Chicago at 10 a. IN. and arriving
at Omaha at 10 O'Clock the next morning;
also leaving at Top. M, arriving at Omaha
at 10 o'clock the next evening. There is
very little difference in the cars used for
emigrants and those for other passengers.
They are the same in construction and ac-
commodation. This company, having
large tracts of land to sell, offers every
possible inducement for those people who
are in search OF homes to travel over its
Ioau. I +: nag e9 MauSaaI AZ pur1lns.on'
n rast or homa WHARF onnort,,o;tu Is ,;,,a,,
| for hath;nr wasb;no and coot;na ond r'ni
for th;s n,srnnsa l. t,,rn;sb eJ f,ae
All th;s - IN cnntrast Nth tho rothods
and Observation-Disclosures " a;vem m, wss s of nmaba
,.hara oor,,,,ot;t;o, nossos al ill., - L',t
nnn rooJ ~ dn nIi ,ha az r,n an1 '"' :" "''
INV ''"A " w "'' ''is o"'i yins'
oVERcHARGING.
! But the greatest wrong the emigrant SUI.
fers Is IN the charge for extra baggage. All
over 100 pounds, which he is allowed free,
| is charged for at enormous rates from