Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-09-17
rba fnstest Atlantic steamer IN the world a.

0lOU rs NClf a. SS'
1859 the Alaska left Europe on one Sunday
morning and landed her passengers IN Caste
Garden on the next Sunday it was a nine
days' wonder. Still in 1881 the Arizona made
thirteen successive trips, each OF which was
under eight days, and there are no" elSn'
ships which nave made the passage one or
more times in less than seven days. 1nese
are the Oregon, six days nine hours; tne
Alaska, six days sixteen hours; the America
six days fifteen hours; the Umbria, SIX Gays
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, ana
cost more. They also roll more as q rule,
am told, and are hence more conducive 10
sea sickness.
II is wonderful how Great Britain owns the
ocean and how she increases her aquatic pop
ulation every year. In tue days or 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 OF her steam
vessels 291 per cent. The United States has
increased her tonnage in this time only y per
cent, and whereas in 1870 We had one-thlrd
rs many steam vessels as Great Britain,
now we have only one-twelfth. Or 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 a larger steam tonnage than the
United States, and France has two-tifths
more vessels than we have The steam
merchant service of Great Britain, France,
Norway and Sweden, Italy, Spain, Holland
and Russia has increased at the rate of from
252 Der cent, in the case Of France, to 96 per
cent, in the case Of Norway and Sweden Ill
the last decade. The United States alone re-
mains stationary, and ell the world seems 10
be feeding of of her.
The passenger travel across the Atlantic Is
a small item in the economy Of ocean traffic,
but Of the $1,000 Americans whom, thepurser
Of this ship estimates, go across the water IN
the first cabin every year, B1O travel In
foreign ships and they pay at least $5,OOO,OO
for their round trip tickets. Estimating that
each spends S4OOin Europe, they take out Of
the United States SIS, OO0,O " every year.
John Bull understands pretty we'll how to
ret his fingers into Uncle Sans pockets, and
il is curious to note the catch-penny ways in
which he does so. The great railroads OF
England publish parts OF their guides cs-
Decially for the Americans, and in the ab
and smoking room of every ocean steamer
Won will find O buShel or so of their guides,
each of which will teach you how to get rid
of your dollars to the best advantage. Hou
will see that the roads nave trains labeled the
American expresses, and some so even SO far
as to label their engines after our presidents.
One engine is put down as named after "Prcsi-
dent Washington" another president Lin
coln,r and u third president Garfield"
The hotels in Liverpool advertise that they
pay special attention to the wants of Ameri-
can ladies, -" Il the railroads running from
Liverpool to London will make up special
trains to take fifty Americans there imme-
diately on the arrival of the steamer, If they
will pay firSt-claSS fares. Pullman cars are
attached to these trains, and l see that one
line mentions as one Of its advantages that it
passes through the town where George Wash
ington's ancestors lived.
The English railways advertise better than
the American, aud they give O greater
amount Of information and greater induce
ments to travellers. Each Of the great roads
manages tho express business Of its line, aS
the Baltimore aud Ohio does in the United
States. 1t has its own hotels at the larger
stations, and in most cases has omnibus and
carriage lines in its larger towns. 1t puts
down in its guide book of time tables the
prices for every station, first, second and
third-class, and olSo the return fares, and
gives its rates for carrying freight end cx-
press matter.
A number of these big railway guides lie
before me Us / write, and the book of each
road Is rs big as our travellers official rail-
way guide and about twice the size of the
yellow guide to American railways, known
rs Rand q McNally'S, or as thick as two cop
les OF HarperS' Magazine and about the same
size pages. La them buying tickets is called
booking, baggage is known as luggage, bag
gage car as luggage van, and car as car
rage. 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
1 lOuIS III ICluNGu AdbSo, anu bLIS SASOA INV
cost more when they are good for six months
than for three. Here on one railroad see
that medical students, scholars, teachers, ap-
prenticeS and articlcd clerks under ~ are
carried at half rates if they have papers
with them showing that they ore bona tide
employees or teachers.
The railway laws Of England seem to be all
made in favor Of the railroads. l am told
that parliament has passed 1000 separate acts
| relating to her railways, and that they are as
great and as dangerous mOnopOliCS i'll Great
| Britain Us in America. There is thirty-five
hundred millions Of dollars of capital invested
i'll them, and they carry a number Of paSSen-
gers every year equal TO ten line the entire
population OF the United States. They have
only one-Sixth as many miles of track as the
| United States, and carry nearly twice as
many passengers. Their capitalization Is
about one-half Of that of our railroads and
they employ about one-third the men ut 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
iSlation. The Midland railway Of England
makes over 10 per cent. yearly on a capital
| Of about S~S0O,OOO,OOO, and it advertiSeS the
fact i'll its guides,
But as to these railway laws-they arc
noted in each guide and l mention only u few
of the most striking. Refusing TO give up
your ticket when asked by official Of COM
pany, fine Of 80 or SO; smoking in any shed
or platform Of railway station or in any car
not provided for the purpose, fine of so; en-
terinS or leaving car while in motion, fine OF
$40; entering full car when objection is made
by the passengers, fine Of SO; bringing loaded
fire arms into cars, fine of So; travelling in
cars when possessed Of infectious disease with
out notifying officers, fine of $40; riding on
platform or footboard of car, fine of $40;
selling or buying scalperS' tickets, fine Of
80; using tickets whose time has run out,
fine Of $40, etc, etc.
In America the unit of small value is the
dollar, the quarter and the dime. We rarely
get down to the cent, and We never think Of
giving n present for service received of the
nickel. Here the unit of small value is the