Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1882-09-14
No. 49,.
QUICK TIME TO EUROPE.
A Scheme to Shorten the Voyage Be-
tween the New and Old Worlds.
New York Times.


New York Times
The desire to shorten the time of passage
between this country and Europe has given
rise to q scheme for furnishing continuous
railroad transportation from all parts of this
country to some point on the eastern coast of
Newfoundland and steamship transportation
from there to the western coast OF Ireland,
distance Of only $40 miles 1t is claimed
by its advocates that this method of trans
pOrtation will reduce, by at least two days,
and possibly four days, the travelling time
between New York and London. The scheme
has been quietly advanced for some time by
DIR. Norvin Green of the Western Union Tel
egraph Company, his son, and A. L. Block
man, until recently the General Manager of
the Newfoundland Railway Company. Early
in the present month q company was organ
lied in this city for putting the plan into eN
ecution, with DR.. Norvin Green as President.
and Mr. BlOckman as Vice President The
name of the corporation is the Great Ameri-
can and European Short Line Railroad Com
pany. Charters have been obtained from the
Dominion Governments of Nova Scotia and
Newfoundland, and work has been COM
menced on what is called the Oxford Divis-
ion Of the road, a stretch Of seventy miles in
The idea of this line was derived from sim
liar line that has long been in successful op
Grafton in England. That line crosses En-
gland by rail from London to the Island OF
Anglesey, and connects by steamer across st.
Georges Channel, with railroad from Dub
lin to Queenstown, where connection is made
with transatlantic steamships which sailed
from Liverpool ten hours before the train left
London.
The Great American and5 European Short
Line will run by existing railroads from New
York by way OF Boston, Bangor, and ST.
Johns, New Brunswick, to Oxford, Nova
Scotia, where the section already spoken of is
building thence to New Glasgow, and from
there by the Halifax and Cape Breton rail-
road to the Strait of Canso. - From this point
the line will extend to Cape North, 12O miles
distant; across the NarrOws of the Gulf OF
ST. Lawrence, sc miles, by steamer, and then
across Newfoundland, 800 miles, by rail. The
Strait of Canso will be crossed by bridge, and
that, as well as the road to Cape North and
the road across Newfoundland, is yet to be
built. Passengers will be conveyed without
change Of cars to the port on the eastern
coast of New Foundland, and will there take
steamship for Ireland. The terminus in
Ireland will be near the port OF Galway, and
from that place to London there is a cOntlnu-
GUS line OF railway, connecting by steamer
across st. Georges channel to London, al
ready in operation. 1t is a part Of the COM
pGny's plan to run daily line of fast steam
ships both ways between New Foundland
and Ireland and thereby it expects to get
the contract for carrying the United States
mails. The advocates of the plan claim
many advantages for it, chief among which
is the avoidance of the dangers of navigation
along the coast Of this continent from New
foundland to New York. They also claim
that they will have an almost air line from
Chicago to Newfoundland, by which twelve
hours will be saved from that point, and
great stress is laid on the beauty of the seen
cry along the line to Nova Scotia and New
f0undland. Work on the Newfoundland
division, will not, it is said, be commenced
before next year, and it is expected that the
entire line will be put i'll operation in 1856
or 1887