Trumbolosophy

Lately in London I picked up a copy of  Bradshaw’s Continental Railway Guide and General Handbook  for 1913. At 1,106 pages, this massive work of reference was compiled by hand; revised annually; subsidised by the sale of hundreds of advertisements, and provided an awesome vista of unencumbered travel by rail the length and breadth of Europe, indeed beyond, from Trondheim to Jerusalem; from Manchuria to Astrakhan at the mouth of the Volga on the Caspian Sea and thence to Lisbon or Dublin. Its timetables covered every branch line; provided accurate information about pretty much every railway siding, bridle path (for the enthusiastic pedestrian) and stopping place; and also noted whether or not there was a restaurant car and/or sleepers, as well as local time differences +/- Greenwich Mean Time; and listed the thousands of comfortable hotels from which international travellers could take their pick—often for a cure or to take the waters at any number of popular spas. This i...

Christmas Island is in the Indian Ocean, 364 kilometres (226 miles) south of Jakarta, Indonesia, 1,211 kilometres (815 miles) south of Singapore, and 2,621 kilometres (1,629 miles) northwest of Perth, Western Australia. It is 134 square kilometres (52 square miles) in area, and 70% of this is predominantly pristine tropical rainforest. Its coastline is approximately 72 kilometres (45 miles) long. The highest point above sea level is 361 metres (1,184 feet). The climate is tropical, with annual rainfall of approximately 2,000 millimetres (79 inches), most of which is concentrated into the November to May wet season. The island lays claim to an exclusive fishing zone of 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres). Much of this stretch of ocean is greater than three miles (2,640 fathoms, or 15,840 feet) deep. The present permanent population is approximately 2,070 (65% Chinese, 20% Malay, 10% European and 5% Indian and Eurasian). The Cocos (Keeling) Islands at 12° 10’ 15.15” S, 96...