Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-15

Record Herald.
WEQUETONSING, Mich,
September s, 1907.
Comparatively few people go up the
lakes" the voyage from Buffalo to
Duluth is called. The season is short,
being limited to eleven weeks. But during
that time the two big boats are crowded
to their utmost capacity and it is difficult
to see how such luxurious floating hotels
as the Northland and Northwest can be
maintained with profit with only eleven
voyages a year. Both carry an average of
400 passengers, and their equipments are
as fine can be found upon any that float
in this or in any other country. While the
charges are high, they are not excessive.
1t costs about as much for the time of
the voyage as one would expect to pay at
a first-class hotel The Pennsylvania Rail-
road Company, which owns the Anchor Line
of freighters and has been running small
passenger boats for half a century, has
recently added two fine new steel vessels
to It's fleet which will accommodate, with
the very best of quarters, about $50 pas
sengers each, and they also are we'll
patronized during the season. They COM
mence running earlier and continue later
than the Great Northern boats because
they carry cargoes of miscella neous freight,
while the latter take passengers only.
Other Fresh Water Voyages.
The voyage to Duluth or Chicago COM
pares well, even if it does not surpass in
interest, with the most interesting fresh
water voyages. Few people go down the
Mississippi river these days. A cruise upon
the Columbia in Oregon is one of the most
attractive incidents of tour on the Pacific
slope; thousands of passengers go up and
down the Hudson every day and night; the
Chesapeake bay and the Potomac are
equipped with excellent steamers and they
are well patronized, especially this year,
by people going to the jamestown eXposi-
ton. There are two lines of boats the
st. Lawrence river which used to be
patronZed much more largely than at
present and the voyage down the rapids TO
Montreal is of the most exciting in
the world. But those are about all the
fresh water cruises that can be made in
this country, and they are quite as at
tractive as those of Europe and Asia, al
though comparatively few of our people
can give testimony from experience II
seems strange that more of them do not
follow the water routes instead of the rails,
especially in hot weather.
The most interesting fresh-water cruise
l ever made was on the Irrawaddy river
in Burma, where one can travel for week
or ten days upon very comfortable and
well-kept steamer and. see many strange
branches reach every corner of Burma and
an English company maintains a fiOtilla OF
a hundred fine steel boats which do the
transportation of the country. There is
only one short railroad. If the same local
color existed, if the shores of the great
lakes were inhabited by a half-civiized
picturesque people like the Burmese, the
voyage from Buffalo to Duluth or Chi
cago would be more attractive than that on
the Irrawaddy. In all other respects the
lakes are preferable; and, indeed, the
variety of scenery is greater. 1t resembles
the inland of Japan, and the incidents
of the voyage offer a sufficient amount OF
diversion and enjoyment to satisfy the mos
blase traveller.
There are very few more picturesque
water scenes than those which may be
witnessed from the deck of a vessel pass.
ing up the Detroit river, through Lake St
Clair, ST. Marys river to the 500" OF
through the Portage canal, up in the cop
per belt of Lake Superior, while from tbs
ceaseless procession of steamers and baTges
one can form an idea of the immensely OF
the lake traffic that will surprise those who
have not given study to the figures.