The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-10-02
FIVE WEEKS ABROAD.

I
locality from which point thoroughfares
above and below ground go in all di-
rections. ThreadneedIe Street and Lon-
bard end here and do not begin very far
away. Like most of the London streets
they cover but few blocks. then sudden
| ~ change their names. oftener than a
bad man going INTO new places to build
up another reputation.
Lombard Street would not have sur
prised us. indeed. If all the offices OPP
ening in to it We're papered with can
eeled bonds. The safety vaults, of
course. were filed with obligations of
all British enterprises and of some Kan
sas railways. With its signs of brokers
and bankers it was not unlike its for
eign partner, Wall Street.
| The famous .sOld Lacy of Threadnee-
die Street. was not visible in person.
Not in sight, she may have been in one
of the numerous coupon rooms of the
banking houses clipping her daily in
terest. She may be the Hetty Green of
| London, but certainly is seen less in
public and in the public prints than her
| American sister.
I had an acquaintance on Threadnee-
die Street and not desiring to strike him
for a loan, thought he might be glad to
see US. At No. Al was the brass plate
of the Kansas City. Orient & Mexico
railway. The president of the company,
Mr.. A. E. Stilwell. was in and cordially
received the people from Kansas A
finer suite of offices I never saw. In the
ante room a clerical force of a half
dozen was busy, but polite. The presi-
dent has two rooms. each quite large,
both elegantly furnished. A great deal
of the business of the company is trans
acted here.
Mr.. Stilwel has spent much time in
London every year for the last fourteen
years. He said: It love Kansas and
Kansas City and all the western people,
but am also very fond of London. One
hundred and fifty-three different Lon
doners, of capital. have invested their
money in the Orient Railway. I am
proud of their confidence and naturally
of my success in interesting so many
on the side of the globe opposite the
field of their railway investments. 1t
may interest you to learn something
which has not yet appeared in the news
papers and that is this: Our Railway
Company has Just concluded a traffic
arrangement with the Great Hamburg
American Steamship Line which will
give US a through freight service from
European points to Port Stilwell on the
Pacific Coast. especially feel the inn
portance of this to our commercial af-
fairs for the reason that Emperor Will
Jams himself has sent congratulations OF
the connection and assured his lively
interest in the great development of a
trade which must be of value to both
continents, each of which has many
products the other desires in exchange"
understand that since our visit Mr..
Stilwen was invited by the emperor to
Berlin to an imperial luncheon. about
which it is hoped the Orient executive
will tell his friends at the next Cope
land or Topeka club dinner.
The underground tube took us quick
ly, for four cents each. from the most
crowded intersection of ways in Lon
don, THE Bank" The same stairway
leading down to the station. ends at a
branching corridor which provides an
underground crossing from one upper
sidewalk to the other A few minutes
took the trans out several miles to the
getting off place at Hyde Park This
is beautiful one thousand acre wood
of immense eIns. Through this forest
curves the famous Serpentine an arti- |
fetal winding body of water. This
park has been a playground and
breathing place for four hundred years.
1t is also somewhat historical for the
scenes where masses have occasionally |
gathered and dispelled what is known
in Kansas politics as hot air. Now
and then, many years ago. there were
riots when hundreds of police. the
crowd and large sections of the mag
nifcent iron railing around the park
were Unfortunately tangled up. re-
quiring plumbers and surgeons to
straighten things out.
The foreigners have a way of spend |
ing fabulous sums of money on gate
ways and entrances. The original cost |
Of one of the finest of these enormous
gates it is said was nearly one-half |
million dollars. AT one edge of the park
in all it's gilded gorgeousness stands |
the Albert Memorial, the tribute to
victoria's husband. built by much |
gratitude and many thousands OF
pounds sterling of the queen and her
subjects.
The intention of the architect and de- |
signer was evidently to produce some
thing magnificent, and the details |
worked out are indeed wonderful Two
hundred large individual figures repre-
senting artists. poets. painters and au- |
thors are here preserved in marble. as
sembled around a colossal statue of |
Albert himself. About the base of the |
monument is an expanse of masonry /
and steps, supplemented by allegorical
figures of agriculture, manufacture. |
commerce and engineering. Other |
statues represent the four continents. |
the symbol of America, of course, being |
the blanketed Indian with the porcu-
pine quilts flying out from his scalp. |
The upper half of the memorial is |
mass of gilded spirettes surrounding
the towering spire itself.
My previous opinion of the fine dis
eliminating taste of Queen Victoria here