Weick Family Collection, Balch Institute Archives |
SPECIAL AGENT for the following 16 regularly scheduled American Mail Ships between London and New York that sail from London to New York on the 6th, 13th, 21st, and 28th of each month of the year
Sir: In response to your inquiry about terms and prices of a trip from Mainz to New York by means of the regularly scheduled mail ships, I have the following to communicate:1. There is a departure from various stations along the Rhine on Saturday morning of every week. The trip starts on a Dutch steamship to Rotterdam, where the passengers stay overnight, and with another steamship sail on Tuesday morning to London, arriving on Wednesday. 2. Passengers will be escorted by a reliable guide at their departure from the Rhine stations. The guide will remain with the passengers throughout the entire journey to London. In London the guide will provide advice and assistance and at the lodgings will see that the passengers are housed in inexpensive and decent quarters and handle all luggage concerns, which by the way every passenger can insure with a small surcharge for this service to London as well as to New York. The insurance surcharge from boarding on the Rhine to London amounts to 1½ per cent and from London to New York likewise 1½ per cent of the declared value. 3. Every passenger is entitled to 220 lbs. of luggage to London free, children 110 lbs. free, from London to New York all luggage, provided that it does not exceed 20 cubic feet for an adult and 10 cubic feet for a child, otherwise a fee of 12 fl. must be paid in London for every 40 cubic feet that exceeds the limit. In the cities, where one will overnight, passengers after docking must immediately, leave the steamship and must find accommodations in the city at their own expense until departure. Their belongings will be transferred from one steamship to the other and finally to the mail ship at no cost. Arriving in London the passengers must again go ashore immediately after docking and will be directed from the guide who accompanies them to the house owned and operated by the mail ship company. There they will be housed and fed at no expense until the departure of the mail ship. Through this well-planned accommodations the emigrant particularly men with families save a great deal because they are spared all the trickery and troubles and do not need to fear during a long stay in a seaport, where generally everything is very expensive, and are able to hold on to their money. In this way a journey conducted by a guide is pleasant and not coupled with any difficulties. Concerning the extended trip to New York in the big and beautiful mail ships, these ships have a great number of advantages over a typical sailing vessel. They are: 1) the scheduled departure of the mail ship because they do not need to wait for a good wind but are pulled out to sea from London Harbor by steam tugboats. 2) the fast trip of the mail ships, usually 25 - 30 days, as well as the good staff, experience and educated their captains and helmsmen. Next Page EMIGRATION U.S.A. - Table of Contents |
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