Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-05-07
THE SUMNER EXODUS.
Preparations for the Annual Euro
pean TOur-A Falling OF Of Fifty
Per Cent. from Last Year ADfici.
mated.
New York Tribune, May 4.

pean TOur-A Falling OF Of Fifty
Per Cent. from Last Year ADIici.
pated.
New York Tribune, May 4.
For several weeks the steamship COM
panies have been busily engaged In per-
fecting their arrangements for the ac-
commodation of travellers to Europe.
The history of the European exodus of
each succeeding season is in many re-
spects the same. The latter days of
April are devoted TO the formation of
extensive arrangements for the coming
pleasure trip and to securing steam
ship passages, etc. By the first of May
outward bound steamships are carrying
large numbers of passengers; by the
middle of May the great tide of Euro
pean travel has fairly set in and by the
middle of june or first of July, it has
reached its hight. Then follow a few
weeks of comparative quiet, until the
early part of August, when the ebb
tide begins and the inward bound
steamships only are crowded tith pas
sengers. An unusual combination of
circumstances will conspire this year to
The number of tourists is expected to
fall at least SO and possibly so per cent
short of that of year ago. Indeed,
some who are well versed in the signs
of the times see indications of falling
off In European travel even greater
than so per cent over that of last year
There can be no doubt that the panic of
September last is the prime cause of
this remarkable depression. The class
of Americans who crowd their years
recreation into few weeks of sight
seeing in July and August, are the
very ones to whom the panic of last
fall proved most disastrous. The cal
amity which it brought can In few
cases be overcome in so short period
as half a year, and economy in bust
ness management and IN household ex-
penses cannot be followed by the inevi-
table extravaganza of a tour of the
Continent. Hundreds of families who
returned from a summer holiday six
months ago, fully determined to
repeat their ocean voyage with
the return of the summer season,
have long since rehnquished all hope of
vacation abroad, and hundreds of
others who have looked forward to the
coming summer, in anticipation Of an
introduction of the Old World, are now
obliged to defer the execution of their
project for at least twelvemonth.
The panic of September has been fol-
lowed by general depression in bust
ness. This depression is not confined
to America alone, but the steamship
companies state that it is also felt
throughout Europe. The consequent
decline In trade between the two coun-
tries VIII keep multitudes of business
men on both sides at home. Hereto
fore, hundreds of Americans have sail
ed to Liverpool In Juneand July in an
ticipation of the opening Of the fall
trade. The stagnation N business CIR
cles everywhere cannot fail to have a
marked effect upon this class of bust
ness men. Thus the effectsof the pam
ic viii be seriously felt by both pleasure
seekers and men of business.
Another cause which Will materially
reduce the throng Of foreign tourists
the present season is the absence of
any special attraction in Europe, like
the Vienna Exposition, during the
coming months. The German steam
ship lines are expecting to reap some
benefit from the International Agricul-
tural Exhibition to be held at Bremen
from June Is to July 81. At the same
time, Europeans are advancing their
prices with each succeeding year. A
+,,,,,- og kla oo,t;po,,& -, ga y,-,u 10 CO..
more expensive than the same tour
would have been few years ago.
Still another cause which Will affect
the ocean travel of the coming summer
viii be found in the fearful record of
ocean disasters during the last six
months. 1t is well known to the owners
of steamship lines that a single
steamship horror like that of
the Vile Gu Havre IS not quickly for
gotten, and that the terror It inspires
will manifest itself for months among
ocean travellers. The agent of the
French line said to a reporter of the
Tribune on the morning when the
tidings of the Europe's loss reached
this city: I'VE were Just recovering
from the effects of the Vile du Havre
disaster. Our passengers were coming
back to US, and confidence in the line
was well nigh restored. The loss of
our steamer last November, however,
was not felt by our line alone. 1t had
also reduced the number of ocean trav-
elers by the other lines, as such disas-
tiers always will At no time since
ocean steamship travel begun, have the
perils of the sea been brought so forci-
bly, to sight as during the last six
months.