The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-07-10
AMERICANS EXCEL
WORLD IN TRAVEL
Average of $4,000 Are Al
awys Afloat
SAIL TO EVERY LAND
SAIL TO EVERY LAND
Fourteen Hundred GirdIed Globe Dur-
ing Past Winter-AmericansW VIII
Spend 800, 900 in Foreign
Countries This Year
From the Washington Herald.

From the Washington Herald
New York.-An average of 15O, 900 Amer
leans are a1oat at sea In some part
Of the world every day in the year,
according to estimates compiled here
from the statistics of ocean tranporta-
tor lines and from other sources.
| AT certain periods, during the height
OF the travel season, the number I'M
doubtedly is considerably in excess of
this figure, but at all times, day or night,
winter or summer, the army of Uncle
Sans citizens who are traversing some
portion of the seven seas is greater than
the population of most of our cities, or
even of some states.
| The vast floating population Is made
up roughly of three divisions One of
these includes the blue jackets and MEM
berg of the marine corps who man Uncle
Sans fighting craft and who number
about $4,000.
| A second division is composed of those
whose occupations keeps them at sea,
such as those engaged in deep sea fish
| cries and other maritime pursuits. The
number of these Is about $1,000. accord
ing to figures collected recently by the
| Census bureau.
The third division consist of voyagers
bent on business or pleasure to all parts
of the world who are giving Americans
| the reputation of being the most con-
frmed travellers of all nationalities on
| the face of the globe
Custom of Recent Growth
| This desire to explore the known and
unknown ends of the earth is of COM
paratively recent growth among the
people of the United States. Time was,
within the memory of those not yet old.
when a person who made the Grand
Tour was looked up to ever after by
| his neighbors a being set apart from
the common run of people, while a man
who made a trip around the world there
| by became an object of almost country
wide interest. In contrast to this state
of affairs 1t is interesting to set dowz
some figures given by Emil L. Boas, of
| the Hamburg-American line.
ION looking over our figures for the
past winter" said Mr.. Boas, II find that
| 14OO Americans went around the world
| on one of our liners. In addition one of
our boats has just returned from trip
| to South America on which she carried
| a shipload of American tourists as far
| as the Straits of Magellan. part of the
world which nobody in this country ever
|
| Cruises to the West Indies have become
an established feature of winter travel
and we have sent three trips to Carib-
| bean ports since the first Of the year.
| Egypt and the Mediterranean countries
are other magnets that draw thousands
| of Americans every winter. More than
| 1000 persons took passage on our cruise
steamers during the winter months to
va rious parts of the world aside from the
| ports to which we maintain regular sail
ings."
Summer Travel Greater
| This is only a fraction of the throng
OF summer voyagers which now reaches
the total of 10000 or more every season.
This year, transportation authorities be
lieye. will overtop all the high records
| of the past and 1t is confidently pre-
dicted that more than 100000 Americans
will Journey to foreign lands during the
| next six months. This forecast Is based
on the advance bookings not only to the
| main European ports, but on the special
| cruises to Norway and other points IN
Northern Europe.
These bookings are larger than ever
| before and recent trip made through
| the middle west by man prominently
| connected with ocean transportation In
| terests reveals the fact that between
900 and 100000 persons are planning to
o. to Europe from this section alone.
aside from the indication 1t gives OF the
prosperity of the country, may be judged
bv the fact that more than $1000o0.0Oo OF
American money will be spent on foreign
travel during the coming summer.
One reason why Americans are be-
coming the greatest travellers In the
world unuuestionably is that they have
fan more money now than formerly to
snend on travel. Another influence, and
one of equal weight. is that the convent
erces of travel have increased In recent
wears. Not only has the time OF crossing
the Atlantic been cut In half In the past
half century, but every comfort and
luxury to be found on land has been
DUPLICATED or excelled on the liners of
the present day Formerly an ocean
VOYAGE was a hardship. Now 1t has be-
come a pleasure and the American who
goes to sea takes his hotel with him.
can have every table delicacy In or out
of season. reads his daily newspaper
with its chronicle of the worlds events.
en- lows all sorts of sports and recreations
and can even attend theatrical perform
arces en- route II he so desires.
Every art has been called Into play
to make an ocean trip more comfortable
than staying at home and the result OF
this effort Ia shown In the rapidly In
crasing number OF VOYAGES and OF those
who make foreign trip part OF their
programme every year.