The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-12-10
LONDON THE GREAT.
The Present anu Future OF the Grea
Metropolis.

The Present ana Future OF the Great
Metropolis.
In few cities are there more than half
a dozen railway stations. In London
there are at least $50. Some of the
railways never pass beyond the limits,
and of one, the Tottenham and Hamp-
stead, Punch says g Ne one ever trav-
els by, as no one knows where it begins
or where it ends" The Metropolitan
and other intramural railways run trains
every three or FIVE minutes, and convey
from twenty to fifty millions of passen-
gers annually. Clapham is the great
southwestern junction, and through it
700 trains pass every day. It's plat
forms are so numerous, and its under
ground passages and overground bridges
so Perplexing, that to find the right
train is one of those things "that no
fellow can understand" As a proof of
the expansive nature of London traffic,
it was supposed that, when the Metro
politan railway was opened, all the city
to Paddington omnibuses would be run
off the ground but, although it carried
forty-three millions of passengers last
year, 1t has been found necessary to in
crease the number of omnibuses on the
southern route, and they yield one per
cent. more revenue than before the
opening of the railway.
Besides the railways, there are some
fourteen or fifteen thousand tram cars.
omnibuses and cabs traversing the
streets there are lines of omnibuses
known only to the inhabitants of their
own localities-such as those across the
Isle of Dogs, from Poplar to AIilwall /;
from London bridge, along Tooley
street to Dockhead, etc. The London
omnibus company have 563 omnibuses,
which carry fifty millions of passengers
annually.
1t is more dangerous to walk the
streets of London than to travel by rail-
way or cross the Atlantic. Last year
LOS persons were killed, and 2, 2,513 in
jured by vehicles in the streets. Sup
posing 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 rail-
ways only kill about one IN fifty nil
lions of passengers, aud the Cunard
company of Atlantic steamers boast Of
having never lost a passenger.
Other instances of the immensity of
the population of London, are that three
quarters of a million of business men
enter the city IN the morning and leave
it in the evening for their suburban
residences. There are 1G, ,000 police
men, as many cab drivers, and the same
number of persons connected with the
postofice, each of whom, with their
families. would make a large town.
When London makes a holiday, there
are several places of resort, such as the
Crystal palace, the Geological gardens,
Kew gardens, ETC., which absorb from
thirty to fifty thousand visitors each.
The cost of gas for lighting is 81, 500,
600 annually; the water supply is one
hundred millions of gallons per diem.
In the year 1873, there were 573 fires !;
and for the purpose OF supplying infor-
nation on the passing events of the day,
314 daily and weekly newspapers are
required.
What London Will eventually become
it is idle to predict. 1t already stands
in four counties, and is striding on to a
fifth CHerts). The probability is that
by the end of the century, the popula-
tion will exceed five millions, and will
have quintupled itself in the century.
Should it progress at an equal rate In
the next, it will in the year 9, 900 amount
to the enormous aggregate of twenty
five millions and the question that
naturally arises is how could such a
multitude be supplied with food. But
the fact is the more its population in
creases the better they are fed. In the
Plantagenet days, when the population
was not a third of a million, famines
were OF frequent occurrence, but now,
with the command of the pastures, the
harvests, and the fisheries of the world,
starvation becomes an almost impOssi-
BILE eventuality even with the twenty
five millions of mouths to feed.-LOIl-
don CitN Press.