Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1911-09-21

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N MORE senses than one England /
and America are drawing nearer
to each other. The latest phase
Of this approaching nearness is
foretold in a geographical sense
by Sir Edward Morris, premier Of New
foundland. His scheme is geographic
cal because he proposes to cut OF
whole day In transit between the two
countries. The saving OF a day, "a
hours Of time, IL the same thing as
taking up the United Kingdom by It's
roots and planting it in the middle of
the North Atlantic, at least a thousand
miles nearer Canada and the United
States.
Sir Edwards proposition would be
interesting merely as a theory, but the
premier is In earnest about it. He
proposes in brief to construct first q
railway from Quebec to a point on
Cape Sir Charles across the Strait Of
Belle Isle at It's narrowest part oppo-
site Newfoundland. This railway will
connect with two steamers Of the Lusi-
tania and Mauritania type to run
between Cape Sir Charles and Liver
pool. The sea distance between the
two points is only 1856 miles, running
between Ireland and Scotland and
through the Irish sea. There will be
| q ferry across the straits to Newfound-
land.
This would be by far the shortest
passage across the Atlantic, and with
steamers of the Lusitania type the
| voyage from land to land could be &C
complished with only three nights at
sea-" said the Newfoundland premier.
'The route would be open all the year
enthusiastically drift and floating
Ice would be met with. but nothing
to obstruct properly built and equipped
steamers.
From Cape Sir Charles to Quebec
is about 1000 miles, and with a line Of
standard gauge this could be covered
at sixty miles an hour, which means
that passengers could be landed in
lower Canada and in the United States
twenty-four hours earlier than by the
Lusitania to New York today.
"This can readily be e e when it is
explained that the ocean passage
would be 1900 miles shorter and that
the 1000 miles will be covered on land
at sixty miles an hour, which is nearly
three times as fast as the Lusitania
and the Mauritania travel"
The Mauretania's best time Is about
thirty land miles an hour.
The period of self-absorption Of
American capital in transportation
schemes of a domestic nature still con-
tinuing, and his partial bridging Of the
North Atlantic having it's terminals re
spectively in the mother country and
her colony, it is British capital, con.
s~equently, which proposes to father
this project, which sounds and looks
SO much like a dream.
But Sir Edward, who has never been
accused of being a dreamer, said that
he had discussed the plan with a syn
dictate of British capitalists in New
York. There are In New York at the
present time" he said. sthe represen
tatives Of a large and influential Eng
lish syndicate who have acquired
rights to a railway running out of Que
bee and who have a charter to build {
railway In the direction Of Cape Sit
Charles and Newfoundland, the Width
Of the strait at that point being onl,
seven miles"
So far as the steamers themselve'
are concerned, marine experts say tina
the only saving would lie in n day
steaming coal, an economy of $1,000
or $500 a trip. The provisions save'
on a three-day trip would not be count
ed at all.
The cost OF running a great steam
!. ship such as the new White Star line
!, Olympic, pictured above, is tremer
dous. To bring the Olympic fror
Southampton to New York and tie he
safely to her pier costs in the neigl
borhood OF 500, 900. This vast SUI
,, is made up principally by the pul
chase Of coal, the wages OF the men o
board and the buying Of food for tn
, passengers. The value Of the COT
, consumed-about 800 tons per day
was only a trifie less than the cost
the food eaten by the passengers. TIL
latter item was increased about $1,000
on the return voyage because the fir
and second cabins ere filled whe
the leviatEan departed.
From a chief stewards viewpoint