The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-05-03

sterns OF the boats, and the little ones
playing a bout over the cargo.
THE PASSENGER BUSINESS.
The Rhine has an immense passenger
business during the season his Is now
at It's beginning. ard 1t will continue UNI
stll late In the fall There are two great
fpassenge n companies which have regular,
daily services to Mainz and Cologne and
4 Dusseldorf. They are doing We'll. yll'g
regular dividends of six per cent and
over. Their stocks are considered safe
Investments. and they are bought and
sold OH tbs exchange,
It is not the foreign travel, however,
that makes the boats pay. That is eflor.
nous, ills true, but tits nothing In COM
8parison with the local traffic, The Rhine
Ia one almost ontinuous village. There
are towns everywhere near the river and
back from II, except In the mos. moun-7
2talnous parts. and on holidays the boats
are crowded, and. MS the fares are cheaper
than thoscdof the railroads. the everyday
travel Is great. a difference In weather
I makes q big difference in8tle srofits Of
the companies. This Is especially so as
I ia the foreign traffic. a cold Whitsuntidet
means there will bo no traffic from Lon.
don, and a cold season may cut down the
/ dividends more than one per cent There
are now about g hundred steamboats, on
8 the Rhine. and 1.-THE average number OF
passengers exceeds a million year.
Travelling Is comparatively inexpensive,
and, strange to say, 1t costs less to so
up the stream than down It,. It takes
only q day to sec the most beautiful part
of the river.@and you can have round
trip ticket at reduced rates. Each pas
senger5 Is Flowed a hundred pounds OF
baggage free, a small charge being made
for loading and dischnrging the trunks.
aAll the steamers have eating accommo-
dations on them, and the food Is QUITE
ms good as on similar boats ut home.9At
1 o'clock there Is a table dhote dinner.
which costs 70 cents, with reduced rates
for children Breakfast and supper are
also serVea. A. 81 & si.3 &
HOW GOODS ARE HANDLED.
Nearly all the Rhine towns are growing
and are steadily improving their port
arrangements. You see cranes on tho
landing places at many small towns. NIL
the cities have wharves and the busy
scenes upon them show that this part Of
Germany is industrially alive. M
The port at Cologne Is formed by an
island in the river. This has been walled
in with great stone blocks and paved
with cobbles. Bridges connect 1t withithe
railroads and the cars nre brought right
to the boats and loaded and unloaded
with great steel cranes There are cus-
;tom-houses on tho island with bonded
warehouse, and teh facilities are such
that scores OF barges and boats can BIO
handled at one tlme,
AS I walked along upon this island
saw barge unloading South Carolina
nine, The boards were built out over the,
sides OF the barge so that 1t seemed to
be a pile Of lumber a hundred feet wide,
two hundred feet long and ten feet high,
II had been towed up from Rotterdam
BY steam tug, and when saw It tho
hydraulic cranes were lifting up a hum
dred boards at a time and dropping them
onto the cars, which We're to take them
ia tho Interior. Ha.
Near by were only barges loading
goods for the United States and was
fold that something like two million doll
lars, worth Of goods are annually ship,
iSped from here to our country,
THE RHINE AT &DlIssELDORF.
Another big Rhine centersis Dusseldorf
about two and one-half hours by steaEl-
er down stream. IT Is tho chief port Of
Westphalla nm enormous Industrial re-
gion underiaid With coal and iron, pus.,
seldorf itself has iron and steel works,
foundries, furnaces and rolling mills.
makes railroad cars and electrical equip.
,nentsyand the same Is true Of Cologne
\ Dusseldorf IA also the port for 'a'a'aS.