Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-11-23
WONDERFUL LONDON
ryr MOST IMMENSE INTERESTING
CITY IN THE WORLD.
she Metropolis Above aud Below Ground.
Railways. su',ways. Tunpeis, VIA
ducts Great Improvements
fI'osion ilerAldl

Ct,osion ilerAldl
nis one thing TO write ones impress
eions OF London; 1t is another thing 10
attempt q description OF the immense
metropolis The first is matter which
can be achieved with some diligence /;
the second is mn effort in which no one
las ever yet succeeded In any attempt
ct describing London one is embarrassed
by the range presented for his choice.
"Where shall begin ?" no asks. There
IS no companion 10 this question. Con.
Where snail ] stop ?" for he never
stops; he never sees his way to tho end.
Ot all mans achievements London Is
t0e most astonishing. Doubtless, man
could have wrought n greater wonder,
Tut doubtless. he has never done 30.
Not 10y its sizo alone does London
arouse the admiration of those that know
T. u is the cpitomc OF human en-
deavor All that man has wrought for
che good or III of bis fellow man YOU will
Nnd here London is more than a city ;
sis more than a kingdom it is a
world.
London covers about 100 square miles.
Chicago. with true American love for
big figures, claims, / am told, dozen
more square miles than this, but what
can she show for it as compared with
london? Besides, one is not talking Of
CuiuriS Within the area OF London
dw.lls "A population greater than that OF
ireland. and moro than equal to that Of
Scotland and Wales together. The
three next largest cities Of the world
combined could not make an equal
showing of heads. The average daily
floating population Of the metropolis by
She Thames il greater than the resident
population Of Washington and equal 10
fhe fixed population q Antwerp. The
oHiciai revenue controlled by the "au-
thoriues" OF London exceeds that OF
auy British colony. It's real estate is
valued at $4,000, 600, 0OO and its rents
produce Sls5, 100000 per year. One
seventh Of the population Of England,
Ireland. Scotland, an9 Wales is to be
found within the metropolitan bounda-
RES. London is the largest port and the
commercial, financial, social, literary,
and scientific centre Of the world.
With ones first glimpse Of London
one is impressed by the structural
folilly Of tho capital. Even as you
enter by ono Of the great railway lines
from tho north or northwest you re-
mark the enduring appearance of things.
10 you pass over bridges, or under them,
through tunnels, or between stout walls
Of masoury-thoy seem capable OF en-
during while London lasts. At the very
outset YOU see abundant evidence Of the
thorOughnoss which distinguishes
The English character. Some very
notable ACHIEVEMENTS Of
BRITISH ENGINEERING
gre around YOU and before you as you
enter this king of cities The train
PUSHES through u long brick tube, carry
ing the main railway line beneath
sewer, which is itself beneath a canal. A.
little later, as you emerge from the rail-
way tunnel, you observe that there is
second railway tunnel above You. anC
over this, IN turn, lofty brick yiaduo
which carries q metropolitan thorough
fare.
At the railway station. when yOt
alight from train, you notice, as indee,
YOU have noticed al along the line. IN,
care for human life, which IS another
Loading English trait All the platforms
ere on level with the floors of the rail
way carriages. There is no Crossing
the lines. except by mbways OF over
head bridges. All along the Inc yon
have observed how much more carefully
the rails are laid than they are with US in
the United States. With Us the rail is
generally held to the sleeper" ly nm
iron spike in England it is always held
I'm an iron or steel char on every sleeper,
each chair made fast by four spikes The
signal system, too, attracts your itten-
ton al along the route, as does the
method adopted for avoiding grade
crossings. The care with which tn line
So guarded at all points is English in its
thOrOuChness.
The Midland railway station a, St
paucras, London. is notable as well for
the excellence OF its arrangements us for
lts size. j; was built nearly quarter Of
century ago. Seven streets contain
ing "a church and three thousand houses.
covers a site of ten acres What we
would call IN tho United States "the
passenger car-house" is zoo feet lone.
30 feet vida, with IN arched roof IF
IRON and glass 100 feet above the PITT
forms at the highest point. There are
four very wide platforms. eleven lines
of rails, and a cahsland % feet in
breadth and extending down the centre
OF the station. The rails are ID feet above
the level o.. the street and the lines
are carried ont on an immense brick
yiaduct. crossing above the line OF
another railway and below the line Of
q third. The roof OF the station con-
teins two and "A half acres OF glass. and
IN the entire ediiice there are go, 600, 600
Of bricks. 1900 tons Of iron, and SO,-
COO cubic feet OF dressed stone. Ex-
tending along tho front OF the station Is
the Midland Grand Hotel. belonging to
the railway company This is a splen-
did structure designed by Sir Gilbert
Scott. the architect Of the Houses Of
Parliament 1t is built of rich, red
brick and bath stone its style is ornate
Gothic; its frontage Is 600 feet; its
le.ghth ven-stories and il faces ter
raced carriage drive 800 feet long lead
ing 10 the railway station 1t is an i'm
posing odihce aud Oh excellent hotel.
There are ten huge terminal stations
en- London. Beside these there are 43O
railway stations within the metropolitan
area The underground lines alone carry
in year not less than l25, 600, 600 pas
Bengcrs. The underground lines are OF
iuestimable convenience, but in the
older portions their atmospheric condi'
tious leave much to be desired. When
electricity supersedes steam as motive
power travelling 10y the London I'm
derPround will be as pleasant as it is
now convenient.
TIE UNDERGROUND SYSTEMS
are double-tracked. and they extend
over what is called an "outer" and al
thinner circle" connecting, with one
exception, all the railway lines OF thu
yuntrCpoHs and runniDO into tho