COMMUNICATIONS. Such immense multitudes as throng the leading thoroughfares of London during business hours are seen in very few other streets of the world. From the spacial!, sta tions of the Metropolitan and other railroads about 1,000,000 persons are emptied into the streets every morning. Every day over 100.000 foot passengers and over 20,000 vehicles cross London Bridge, the chief means of communication between the north and south banks of the Thames. Such streets as the Strand, Cheapside, Ludgate Hill. Cannon, and Lombard streets on week-days appear to be filled with a mass of omnibuses, cabs, carriages, truck-wagons, and pedestrians. The omnibuses, though compara tively slow, carried 265.500.000 passengers in 1900. Thousands of cabs and carriages are also largely patronized. for fares are cheap. A whistle blown on any door-step in London is likely to bring a cab immediately.
The more rapid means of communication are afforded by the railroads. which place all quarters of the town in communication with one another. and connect London with the great trunk lines which send trains to every part of the Kingdom. The underground rail roads have numerous stations scattered through out the larger part of London, and Parry over 160.000,000 passengers a year. The trunk line: have most of their station:. some of them pala tial structures, not on the outskirts. but in the very heart of the city. The chief of these are Waterloo. Charing, Cross. Victoria. London Bridge. Paddington. Euston Square. Saint Pan cras, Kimr's Cross, Broad Street. Liverpool Street,
Bishopsgate. and Fenehnrch Street. In 1901 there were over 101 miles of tramways and electrical street railroad: in operation. through out the metropolitan area, with several miles more under construction or authorized. Rapid transit is thus afforded to every part of the business and manufacturing .1istriets. It is thiefly due to these facilities for rapidly reach ing ale business centres that London has been able to spread itself far over the surrounding country, to the great advantage of public health. The result is that most of the people live in houses only two to five stories in height. in stead of being packed together in buildings of great altitude, as in some other cities. :Street cars or trams do an enormous business. chiefly in the outlying districts. The Thames has also been a great means of communication between the East and West of the city. though the service of the river passenger boats is declining. Four tun nels under the Thames—the Thames, Blackwall, and Greenwich tunnels, and the Tower Subway— form continuous street, between North and :South London. The Rotherhithe tunnel is under con struction in 1903. Among the bridges proceeding from East to West are the Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Blackfriars Bridge, Waterloo Bridge, Charing Cross Bridge. Westminster Bridge. Lam beth Bridge. Vauxhall Bridge. Chelsea Bridge, Albert Bridge, and Battersea Bridge.