The Libby herald., 1911-10-26


and America are drawing nearer
to each other The latest phase
of this approac aching 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 off a
whole day In transit between the two
countries. The saving of a day, "a
hours Of time, is the same thing as
taking up the United Kingdom by its
roots and planting 1t in the middle of
the North Atlantic, at least thousand
miles nearer Canada and the United
States.
Sir Edwards proposition would be
interesting merely as theory, but the
premier Is In earnest about 1t. He
proposes in brief to construct first
railway from Quebec to point on
Cape Sir Charles across the Strait Of
Belle Isle at its narrowest part oppo-
site Newfoundland This railway will
connect with two steamers of the Lusi-
tania and Mauretania type to run
between Cape Sir Charles and Liver
pool. The sea distance between the
two points is only /, ,656 miles, running
between Ireland and Scotland and
through the Irish sea. There will be
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
round-occasionally 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 seen 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 Mauretania 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 domestic nature still con-
tinuing, and his partial bridging of the
North Atlantic having it's terminals re-
spect1vely in the mother country and
her colony, 1t is British capital, con-
sequently 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.
dlcate Of British capitalists in New
York, There are in New York at the
present time" he said, "the represen-
tatives of large and influential Eng
llsh syndicate who have acquired
rights to railway running out of Que
bec and who have charter to build a
railway in the direction of Cape Sir
Charles and Newfoundland. the width
OF the strait at that point being only
seven miles"
So far as the steamers themselves
are concerned marine experts say that
the only saving would lie in one DAVIS
steamlng coal, an economy of $4,000
or $500 trip. The provisions saved
on three-day trip would not be count
ed at all.
The cost of running great steam
ship such as the new White Star liner
Olympic, pictured above, is tremen
dous. TO bring the Olympic from
Southampton to New York and tie her
safely to her pier costs in the neigh
borhood Of 800 600. This vast sum
is made up principally by the DUR
chase OF coal, the wages Of the men on
board and the buying of food for the
passengers. The value of the coal
consumed-about 500 tons per day
was only trife less than the cost Of
the food eaten by the passengers This
latter item was increased about $40 900
on the return voyage because the first
and second cabins were filled when
the leviathan departed.
From a chief stewards viewpoint 1t