Of course the referance to the discussion topic is found near the very bottom of the CPR ad. "Cheap through fares.....round the world"
Now then,...I do not think that today you can go to some transportation companies ticket window and buy a round the world trip with all of the trip provided by the same carrier. From Montreal, Vancouver, Halifax or any Canadian city you literally could go around the world on a single carrier with what the CPR is claiming is a "cheap through fare".
I suppose you could charter a round the world flight but that would cost you some considerable dough. Not much adventure in that either.
I wonder when was the last time you could pull this off? Early '60's, late 50's?
To me it seems we have made little to no progress in this area, in fact are far less fortunate.
Canadian Pacific Railway
Atlantic Steamship Lines
Desire for a service on the North Atlantic as part of an Imperial Highway that became known as the All Red Route, connecting England with Canada and the Far East, was first realized when the Elder Dempster company and its Beaver Line was acquired by the CPR in February 1903, for £1,417,500, (c.$6.9 Million then or about $140M in 2003!) consisting of a fleet of fifteen ships including four near-new passenger liners, Lake Chaplain, Lake Erie, Lake Michigan and Lake Manitoba. Small and slow, they never-the-less provided a basic service between Liverpool and Montreal.
Lake Manitoba at 469 feet and 8850 gross tons was the largest Beaver Line ship acquired.
It would be interresting to know what they meant by a "cheap through fare". There's no date on the ad but in 1912 the best first class staterooms on the Titanic cost the equivalent of 6,000 dollars in today's money. And while I'm sure there weren't 100 foot private promanade decks on the Empress class steamers, I'm sure "cheap" wouldn't be what most of us would think it would mean. Unless you traveled steerage then maybe "cheap" would translate accross the years. Anyways, I agree the idea of it is quite tantalizing!
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
"Cheap" may be the wrong word, could be the word we want is "in expensive."
But if there were an inexpensive ticket for a round the world trip I'm sure a transportation colossus like the old CPR could have pulled it off.
In the early 80s you could fly around the world for $2,222 airfare, making (unlimited?) stops, as long as you did not back-track. It was either with Pan-Am or maybe with TWA, can't remember which. I didn't have time to coordinate all the land arrangements, so I settled on a trip to Tahiti, Australia & NZ, for almost as much. Of course Pan-Am and TWA are no longer around.
My mother's third (and last) trip across the Pacific was on the Empress of China, in 1907 (she was 11 years old). From what she told me, it was a rough crossing, with a typhoon on the tail most of the way. My grandmother had to stay in her room, but the children had a great time, running about the ship. Her other two crossings were to and from the U.S., when she was 2 and when she was 4 years old. From Vancouver, the family went down to Seattle, and had tourist accommodations on the Oriental Limited, crossing the Cascades in July (and her brothers were able to throw snowballs around at a stop). Their car had cooking accommodations, so they were able to save on the cost of their meals, from what she told me.
Her parents had gone out to the Orient as missionaries in 1889; her father to Japan and her mother to China, and were married in Soochow 1/1/1889. Thereafter, they lived in Kochi, where all of their children were born.
Johnny
Penny- The ad date is 1916...middle of the war years. It should have appeared on the top of the ad as a header but I guess I did not copy that part.
Firelock- The word "cheap" comes from the ad....I was a bit surprised at this myself, not CPR's way...inexpensive would have been better.
Deggesty- Wow...who knew, fascinating.
Midland Mike- Great trip nontheless.
My landlady who furnished room and board for me in my college years, always stated her wish was to go away on a trip in a tramp steamer.
Maybe you could have still done this "Canadian Pacific" a few years yet after the arrival of the multimark...CP Ships were giving way to CP Air ( "orange is beautiful"...great ad ) but I think it still spanned the world under one banner.
Those days are gone.
Another interresting part of the ad is that they took up so much space to attract attention to their telegraphy system. Technology sells no matter what era!
Penny- Yeah, they even depicted birds on the wires!
As 1900 began the new century there was a strong philosophy among scientific groups that all of mankinds problems would soon disappear and there was nothing that could not be understood now and fixed... disease, poverty, want, wars,.. everything.
By 1916 it was becoming apparent they had created industrial mass slaughter on a horrific scale with their science.
Rude awakening and hopes dashed.
We continue the struggle.
Deggesty My mother's third (and last) trip across the Pacific was on the Empress of China, in 1907 (she was 11 years old).
My mother's third (and last) trip across the Pacific was on the Empress of China, in 1907 (she was 11 years old).
Johnny, without that boat I might never have learned the CV was mentioned in the Bible (God created all creeping things).
Yep/ A friend's mom once said that until she got married and moved to the suburbs she was unaware that the sky wasn't orange.
My mother went to a boarding school in Northfield, Mass.--where she heard the question about "What railroad was mentioned in the Bible." Of course, the answer was, "The Central of Vermont."
Thanks Wanswheel.
'Around the world booking and fast trans-Atlantic lines a specialty'
And
'For Freight or passenger, handbooks of information, Round the World Folder, or a copy of....'
Get that steamer trunk packed and let's get going!
My God, what an absolutely stunning ship the "Empress of China" was, just gorgeous! It looks more like a millionaire's yacht than an ocean liner.
And then I look at those garish, overblown, floating shoeboxes that pass themselves off as cruise ships today and I want to break down and cry.
Where are you Thomas Andrews? We need you more than ever!
(Well OK, I know where he is, but the question's rhetorical.)
http://www.gettyimages.com/license/138602055
http://www.gettyimages.com/license/138602056
http://www.gettyimages.com/license/138602057
https://archive.org/stream/tragicstoryofemp00marsuoft#page/n5/mode/2up
Wanswheel- You have totally outdone yourself this time.
I, we, actually got to go around the world! Thank you so much for this incredible presentation.
The Empress of Britian was sunk by German aircraft in 1940 off the coast of Ireland. Yikes.
At the bottom of the list you provided is the "Erin" a National Line ship that left from New York Dec 31 1889 with 72 souls on board and was never heard from again. Wonder if they got see the New Year? Very intriguing.
Great stuff! I especially like the fireless cooker tram on Java in part 8! And since I've been there I really enjoyed the views of Wat Pho and Bangkok in part 9.
Miningman Wanswheel- You have totally outdone yourself this time.
I agree, absolutely stupendous!
A new candidate for "post of the year"?
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!
Get the Classic Trains twice-monthly newsletter