The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-10-17
RACE WITH THE MAILS
FIRST TRIP OF THE ST. LOUIS UNDER
THE NEW POSTAL CONTRACT.
Contest of Speed Between the Amer
lean Liner and the White Star
Line Steamer Majestic.

). NEW YORK. Oct E-5The new American
liner ST. Louis sped frcm the harbor to-day
on her race with the mills across the ocean.
She left her pier IN the North river four
hours ahead of her rival, the White Star
liner Majestic but that fact. will not in the
least stife the ambition Of the craft to get
her postal matter in London first. The st.
Louis is bound for Southampton, or 275
miles further than the destination Of the
Majestic, which is Queenstown. This means
from fourteen to fifteen hours extra steam
ing for the st. Louis. but in landing the
mails at Southampton the journey between
that point and London is two hours only by
mail. The distance between Queenstown
and London, by way Of Dublin, Kingston
and Holyhead, is 504 miles, which Is accom-
plshed in fifteen hours and forty minutes.
including the sea passage of four hours and
forty-five minutes between Kingston pier
and Holyhead So 1t can be seen what
close contest 1t Is, all things considered.
What lends additional interest to the
journey of the two ships is the fact that
through the medium Of the st. Louis the
American line inuagurates on this trip a
postal contract with the United States gov
ernment that will net the steamship COM
pany S644. 800 per year. or IS, 44S,0OO for the
ten years in which the agreement will hold
good. These figures are given on thesbasis
OF one trip to Europe each week by any OF
the four greyhounds-the st. Louis, St.
Paul Paris or New York. Each trip will
be made over a course averaging 3,l0o sea
miles from dock to dock, the rate of COM
pensation being "a per mile. or $12,400 per
trip. This postal revenue to the company
Is exclusive OF any that the British govern
ment may give for the home passages Be-
cause Of this subsidy and the big sums in
volved, the postal authorities Of both con-
tinents will watch the inaugural trip with
the greatest interest. Comparisons will be
drawn between the performance of the ST.
Louis and the Majestic. which also carries
United States mails, to observe whether the
Yankee flyer will be able to get her con-
signment of postal racks in London before
her British rival. The ST. Louis has the ad-
a novelty that England has not yet adopted
This postal clerk on the way over will sort
and distribute the mail. so that when it
at Southampton 1t will all be practically
ready for delivery. There being no postal
clerks on the Majestic the mail of that
vessel will be delivered at Queenstown In
aboard to-day, and the sorting process will
have to be done on the other side.
Maiden Trip of the st. Paul.
LONDON. Oct. 1.-THE new American
liner st. Paul. Captain Jameson, from
New York. for Southampton, was signaled
off the Lizard at 1922 O'clock tonight The
st. Paul cleared the bar at Sandy Hook
at 1850 p. m. on Oct. 8 and twenty four
minutes later the hghtship was abeam.
Her time to the Lizard is seven days
four hours and twenty-five minutes AL
lowing her seven and a half hours to
complete the voyage to The Needles the
time OF her maiden trip will be seven days,
eleven hours and ifty-two minutes. She
will be seven hours and fifty minutes be-
hind the time made by the ST. Louis on
her first trip. To have equaled the record
to Southampton six days. ten hours and
fifty-five minutes, made on September, 1898.
by the Fuerst Bismarck, the st. Paul was
due to arrive at the Needles at sos a. m.
to-day. She will therefore, be about one
day and fifty-seven minutes behind the
fastest voyage Of the Hamburg-American
racer.