The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-10-11
AMERICANS ABROAD.
The Tremendous Tide of Travel
Of the Present Year.
Thirty Million Dollars Paid for steam.
: ship Passage A~lone-LAvish Outlay OF
6hort-Trippers In London
and Parls.

WILL. 4AAo ycdE Vic uuulUcT WILL DC 16T
greater. For the last two months the
steamers from the various American
ports have been landing from 1000 to
5000 passengers each week. Since
early in April the liners have been car
rying up to their capacity. Before that
the travel had been unusually heavy,
llsidering the season of the year.
~, at the end of July, writes a Lon
don correspondent Of the Chicago Rec
ord, the tides Of travel balance each
other. The greatest rush from the
states has ended and the homeward
movement has set in strongly. The
steamers in each direction are filed,
but for the next two months the arriv-
ing steamers may have berths to spare,
while the departing steamers will be
absolutely TANNED. It is now prac-
tically impossible to secure a place on
any steamer sailing for America be-
tween August Is and October Is.
Estimating that the arrivals will con-
tinue in the ratio of other years, the
number of Americans visiting Europe
in 1895 will be about 2O0, 1000. This is
an estimate based on figures given by
Mr.. John Wilkie, who has charge of
Lows exchange, in London, and who
has kept account of the number of
Americans landing at Liverpool, South
ampton, Glasgow and Queenstown, and
who knows, in a general way, of the
steamers for Havre, Antwerp, Ham
burg, Genoa, Naples and other CONT
mental ports. He says that 100000
Americans have already visited Eng
land this year.
Accepting 200, 900 as a fair estimate,
some handsome guesses may be evolved.
If the steamship ticket in either direc-
ton costs SIS, and that is rather below
the average cost of a ticket, then the
travellers of 1895 will pay $50, 600, 900 to
the steamship companies alone. AS
only one of these companies is a n
American concern, this money, al
though paid out wholly or in part in
American cities, is really expended
abroad.
1t would be very difficult to estimate
the average amount expended by an
American in Europe. While it is true
that an extended tour in Europe can be
made at small expense, it is more true
that many Americans scorn the virtue
of economizing. They stop at gaudy
hotels, pay all sorts of overcharges and
establish the precedent of large tips to
servants.
Perhaps the most extravagant trav-
elers are the short-trippers. They have
only a month or less to spare, and they
spend it in London and Paris, paying
exorbitant hotel bills, buying English
clothes and c%rowding all the sights of
Paris into a few expensive nights. A
frugal traveller for the same amount
expended by n of these could make a
long Jour on the continent.
The best sights - galleries, parks,
churches, museums and monuments
cost nothing, and the travellers who de-
vote themselves to what is set down in
the guide books undoubtedly get
through sometimes for $500 or even
5000 each, and have a good time in the
bargain. For each of these there is a
oma who ~patronizes Worth, or a
man who has a fancy for original pic
lures. One traveller will carry a letter
VI CIcO1U LII ptOVs Liz ACAU I4dA w
the window will carry 81, 500. Putting
them all together, u assorted coun-
trymen and countrywomen - school
ma'ams, heiresses, students, professors,
farmers, actors, gilded youths, New
Workers, Nebraskans, millionalres and
what mott is pretty evident that the
average amount expended between
landing and sailing would be more
than $500. AS a matter of fact, it would
probably be SO much in excess of this
amount that readers would doubt the
estimate.
So let it be $500. If there are 200, 900
American visitors and each one spends
$500, the total would be al even $780,
600, 900. Then add the $50, 600, 900 of
steamship fare and there would be a
: esS ing grand total of $3.50, 600, 900.
IN .ubtful if any method of calcula-
w(k aid make the amount less. This
hlsneasum has a possible effect in the
barhsse of trade, but it never enters
intislhhe official reports.
as
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