The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-11-18
On III. Road.

1t Is only by means Of comparison that
one can definitely realize the great improve
ments in the methods of travelling that
have taken place within the last century.
The changes occur 90 gradually they make
but little Impression upon us. For exam
pie now that the railroad time needed to
make the trip between New York and
Philadelphia has been reduced to less than
100 minutes, there are already those who
are predicting that In no more time than
five years trans will cover the distance
between these two cities in q single hour,
and no one Is In the least surprised at the
assertion. In 1900 those who travelled in
this country did so at no little personal
discontinue, and with an expenditure of
time that would greatly interfere with bust
ness as 1t Is now carried on. A man wish
ing TO go from New York to Boston left
Monday forenoon and arrived at his destin-
alton Friday Afternoon, stopping all uight
at New Haven, New London and Provi-
dence. The fare for the trip varied from
$l5 to $1S, and there was an additional
outlay required OF from s. to SO for board
and lodging; that is, tho trip took up four
days of time and called for an outlay of
from $50 to $24. After the war Of 1912
there was an improvement, and the time
between the two places was cut down to
about two days and the cost of the journey
to $14. In 1917 the fare between New
York and Philadelphia was $40, and be-
tween New York and Albany by boat 81,
and the average time twenty-four hours.
A route was that year opened between
Philadelphia and Quebec; the distance 700
miles, fare SAT, and time required to make
the journey lO3 hours. In 1926 the Boston
newspapers recorded the circumstance as
one worthy of special comment, that New
York papers had been received in that city
"a hours after the date of their publication.
In 1898 the time required to make tho
journey between these two cities had been
reduced 10 81 hours, the rvute being from
New York city to Providence by steam
boat, and from thence to Boston by stage.
But IN winter these trips were frequently
given up in consequence Of stormy weather
and those who wished to avoid danger and
be certain in their movements still prefer
red tho overland route. In 1882 there
were two regular stage routes between
New York and Boston, but competition
had greatly reduced the fare. The slow
line made the distance in about 81 hours,
and charged for passage $3.50, while the
fast, OF mail line, took it's passengers through
In about As hours, and charged them $50
a trip. A short time after this tho railroads
came sufficiently into operation TO make 1t
I. unnecessary to run through trips in stages,
and the latter were chiefly used to connect
the termini of the slow building railroads.
Having made the progress that we have,
there is not the least likelihood that the
work of improvement will not 60 on. The
history Of railroad accidents shows TINT,
when trains on some roads run at slow
rate Of speed may meet with mishaps, there
Is relatively little danger in running at the
highest possible speed on road that Is
thoroughly constructed where the appoint
ments are as nearly perfect as possible and
the supervision constant. On this account
one does not have to be unduly sanguine to
think that long before the centuryis out we
shall be able to 60 from Jersey City TO
Philadelphia in an hours time, and from
tho grand central depot to Boston in less
number of hours than the number of days
spent by our ancestors, in the year 1908, in
making the same trip.