The traveller from New York has been gone from start to finish, by the
ocean highways to Europe, India, China, San Francisco, South America,
and back to New York, nearly 200 days; has steamed over about 40,000
miles of water, and has spent $4,000. He has learned that there are
other lands and other peoples than his own worthy his admiration and
study. Let him take a year and $5,000 for this rounding the world, and
he will be better satisfied and better informed, and appreciate more
fully that “going to sea clears a man’s head of much nonsense of his
wigwam.”
* * * * *
The fourth great ocean thoroughfare, the route around the Cape of Good
Hope to Africa, Australia, and the East, is traversed by many fine
steamers. The way lies from Europe via Madeira, Cape Verd, St. Helena,
West Africa, and Cape Town, thence to East Africa via Mauritius to
Australia, whence the Occident line leaves for New Zealand, Samoa,
Sandwich Islands, and San Francisco. This long route covers 30,000
miles. To reach the Cape, 6,000 miles from England, the two well-known
English mail lines, the Union Steamship Company and the Castle Mail
Packets Company offer the most attractive routes; the steamer service
of both is of the highest order. The time out is 18 days, the fare
about $180.
Two English lines, the New Zealand Shipping Company and the Shaw,
Savill & Albion Company deserve special mention, because the route they
follow gives the longest possible stretch of ocean navigation, each
vessel making a complete circuit of the world on the round voyage. The
fleet of each company comprises 5 large, well-appointed steamships,
despatched alternately every two weeks over the following route: From
Plymouth to Teneriffe, 1,420 miles in 5 days, where a stay of 6 hours
for coaling gives opportunity for a trip on shore. Then a run of 4,450
miles in 15 days brings the steamer to Cape Town, where an 8 or 10 hour
stay is made. Passengers for African ports transfer here. From Cape
Town a run of 5,400 miles in 17 days brings the steamer to Hobart,
where Tasmanian and Australian passengers leave the vessel. After a few
hours in this beautiful harbor a 4 days’ run of 1,270 miles lands the
traveller in Wellington, New Zealand.
For the homeward voyage a course is shaped for Cape Horn, a 14 days’
run. Once around this point the ship makes Rio, 22 days and 6,820 miles
distant from Wellington. The next port of call is Teneriffe, 3,360
miles and 12 days distant, whence a 5 days’ run is sufficient to cover
the 1,420 miles that again lands the traveller in Plymouth, after
having been gone 81 days and travelled over 25,150 miles. The price of
a ticket over this longest of great sea routes is about $650.
Footnote:
[20] The table is from Lloyd’s Register, 1890-91.
INDEX.
Aaron Manby, the, first iron steamship, 14.
Accommodation, the, first steamboat on the St. Lawrence, 5.
Adelaide, the, a famous clipper ship, 225.
Aden, 270.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account