The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1875-01-09
Our 0lio.
The Greatness of London.

In few cities are there more than nall
a dozen railway stations. In London there
are at least one hundred and fifty. Some
Of the railways never pass beyond the linn
its, and Of one, the Tottenham and Hamp-
stead, Punch says
No one ever travels by, as no one knows
where ii begins or where it ends. The
metropolitan and other iutramural rail
why's run trains every three or five min
utes, and convey from twenty to fifty mil
lion of passengers annually. Clapham is
the great southwestern junction, and thro'
it seven hundred trains pass every day.
Its platforms are so numerous and its un
derground passages and overground bridg-
es so perplexing that to find the right
train Is one Of those things "that no fel-
low can understand" As proof of the
expensive nature OF London traffic it was
supposed that, when the Metropolitan rail
way was opened, all the city to Padding
ton omnibuses would be run Of the ground,
but, although it carried forty-three mil
lions of passengers last year, it has been
necessary 10 increase the number of omni-
buses on the southern route, and they
yield one per cent. more revenue than be-
fore the opening of the railway.
Besides the railways, there are some
fourteen or fifteen thousand tram-cars,
omnibuses aud cabs trayersing the street I;
there are lines Of omnibuses known only
to thslinhabitants of their own localities
such as those across the Isle Of Dogs,
from Poplar to Milwall; from London
bridge, along Tooley street to Dockhead,
&c. The London Omnibus Company has
FIVE hundred and sixty-three omnibuses,
which carry fifty millions Of passengers
annually.
It is more dangerous to walk the streets
of London than to travel by railway or
cross the Atlantic. Last year one hun
'dred and twenty-five persons were killed,
and two thousand FIVE hundred and thir-
teen injured by vehicles in the streets.
Supposing 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 pas
sengers, and the Cunard Company Of At
lantic steamers boast of having never lost
a passenger.
Other instances Of the immensity Of the
population Of London are that three-quar-
ters Of million of business men enter the
city in the morning and leave il in the
evening for their suburban residences.
There are 10000 policemen, 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 holi-
day 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 f2,500,0 900
annually; the water supply is 0O,00O
gallons per diem. In the year 1873 there
were 573 fires, and for the purpose o.
supplying information on the passing events
Of the day 3i4 daily and weekly uewspa-
pers are required.
What London viii eventually become
1t Is Idle to predict. II already stands in
four counties, and is stridiug onward to a
fifth (Herts-) The probability is that by
the en,tof the century the population will
exceed Eve millions, and win have quin.
tupled itself 10 the century. Should II
progress at an equal rate in the next, y
win in the year 1000 amount to the enor-
nous aggregate Of twenty-five millions