Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-09-19
The fastest Atlantic steamer IN the world at

1882 the Alaska left Europe on one Sunday
morning and landed her passengers in Castle
Garden on the next Sunday it was q nine
DAVIS, wonder. Still in 1881 the Arizona made
thirteen successive trips, each Of which was
under eight days, and there are now eight
ships which have made the passage one or
more times in less than seven days. These
are the Oregon, six days nine hours; the
Alaska, six days sixteen hours; the America,
six DAYS fifteen hours; the Umbria, six days
fifteen hours; the Servia, six days twenty
three hours; the City Of Rome, six days
eighteen hours; the Aurania six days
twenty-three hours and the Etruria, six days
five hours. The most of these are new ships.
They are of a different build from the slower
vessels, have more powerful machinery, and
cost more. They also roll more as q rule, 1
am told, and are hence more conducive 10
sea sickness.
1t is wonderful how Great Britain owns the
ocean and how she increases her aquatic pop
ulation every year. In the days Of sailing
vessels she ruled the seas, and now her steam
whistles screech out the prices OF the worlds
freight market. Two-thirds Of the steam
| tonnage of the world is carried under the
British flag, and within the past ten years
she has increased the amount or her steam
vessels 29l per cent. The United States has
increased her tonnage in this time only . per
cent, and whereas in 1870 We had one-third
as many steam vessels as Great Britain,
now We have only onetwelfth- OF all the
great shipping countries Of the world, the
United States advances the least. Ten years
ago we had a tonnage five times as large as
Germany and twice as large as France to-day
Germany has O larger steam tonnage than the
United States, and France has two-ifths
more vessels than we have. The steam
merchant service of Great Britain, Franco,
Norway and Sweden, Italy, Spain, Holland
and Russia has increased at the rate OF from
a52 per cent, in the case Of France, to 946 per
cent, in the case Of Norway and Sweden in
the last decade. The United States alone re-
mains stationary, and all the world seems 70
be feeding of OF her.
The passenger travel across the Atlantic Is
a small item in the economy Of ocean traffic,
but of tho $1,000 Americans whom, hepurser
Of this ship estimates, go across the water in
the first cabin every year, &tlOO travel in
foreign ships and they pay at least S,oOO,OoO
for their round trip tickets. Estimating that
each spends s4OOin Europe, they take out Of
the United States 81, O0O, 900 every year.
John Bull understands pretty well how TO
get his fingers into Uncle Sans pockets, and
| it Is curious to note tho catch-penny ways In
which he does so. The great railroads Of
England publish parts Of their guides es-
pccially for the Americans, and In tho cabin
and smoking room OF every ocean steamer
you will find q bushel or SO Of their guides,
each of which will teach you how TO get rid
of your dollars to the best advantage. You
will see that the roads have trains labeled the
American expresses, and some 60 even 50 far
as to label their engines after our presidents
One engine is put down as named after "PreSi-
dent Washington" another president Lin
coln,r and a third president Garfield"
The hotels in Liverpool advertise that they
pay special attention 10 the wants Of Ameri-
can ladies" and the railroads running from
Liverpool to London will make up special
trains to take fifty Americans there imme-
diately on the arrival Of tho steamer, II they
will nay first-class fares. . Pullman cars are
attached to these trains, and l SEQ that one
line mentions as one Of its advantages that 1t
passes through the town where George Wash
ington's ancestors lived.
The English railways advertise better than
the American, and they give a greater
amount Of information and greater induce
ments to travellers. Each Of the great roads
manages tho express business OF its line, Us
the Baltimore and Ohio does in tho United
States. 1t has its own hotels ut the larger
stations, md in most cases has omnibus and
carriage lines In its larger towns. II puts
down In its guide book OF time tables the
prices for every station, first, second and
third class, and also tho return fares, and
gives its rates for carrying freight and ex-
press matter.
A number of these big railway guides lie
before NE as l write, and tho book OF each
road is Us big rs our travellers official rail-
way guide and about twice tho size Of the
yellow guide to American railways, known
rs Rand a. McNally's, or as thick as W. cop
les OF Harpers' Magazine and about tho SAM
size pages. In them buying tickets Is called
booking, baggage is known as luggage, bag
gage car as luggage van, and car as car
riage. They are full OF strange things TO the
American traveller. Special rates are made
to parties OF two, better rates for parties OF
three, and half rates in some cases to parties
OF thirty. There are scores Of advertisement
Of return tickets, season tickets and circular
tours at reduced rates, and the season tickets
cost more when they are good for six months
than for three. Here Oh one railroad l see
that medical students, scholars, teachers, ap-
prentices and articled clerks under ~ arc
carried ut half rates IL they have papers
with them showing that they are bona fide
employees or teachers.
The railway laws Of England seem to he all
made In favor Of the railroads. / am told
tbot ma rliamant boG naegad A Dnn saparafco pts
relating 10 her railways, and that they are u
great md as dangerous monopolies in Great
Britain as in America. There Is thirty-iivC
hundred millions Of dollars OF capital invested
in them, and they carry a number Of paSen'
gers every year equal TO ten times the entire
population Of the United States. They have
only onc-sixth as many miles Of track as the
United States, and carry nearly twice IL
many passengers. Their capitalization is
about one half Of that Of our railroads and
they employ about one-third the men at about
half the wages. Under such conditions it is
no wonder they make money, and having
money it is no wonder that they influence leg
i%SlatiOn. The Midland railway Of England
makes over 10 per cent. yearly on a capital
Of about s~S0O,OOO,OOO, and IL advertises the
fact In its guides.
But as To these railway l~aws-they urr
motel III each guide and 1 mention only u few
Of the most striking. Refusing to give ny
your ticket when asked by official VI com
pany, fine Of e or $40; smoking in any thed
on platform Of railway station or In any car
not provided for the purpose, fine Of $40; en-
tering or leaving car while in motion, fine Of
$40; entering full car when objection is mnde
by the passengers, fine Of $40; bringing loaded
fire arms into cars, fine OF SIS; travelling 10
cars when possessed Of infectious disease with
out notifying officers, fine Of sl0; riding On
platform or fOotboard Of car, fine Of $40;
selling or buying scalpen' tickets, fine Of
$40; using tickets whose time has run out,
fine Of $40, etc, etc.
In America the unit Of small value II the
dollar, the quarter and the dime. We rarely
get down TO the cent, and we never think Of
giving a present for service received Of the