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Updated: May 12, 2025
We will call it, for the sake of a name, 'The Babel and Lowriver Steam Navigation Company. Lowriver is a pleasant, genteel little village, which has of late years sprung suddenly into existence on the coast of shire, and has been growing, for the last seven years, with each succeeding summer, more and more a place of favourite resort with the inhabitants of Babel.
Then came the winter, during which few passengers travelled to Lowriver; and with Christmas came another L.5 call. People grew tired of paying 20 per cent. for nothing, and many forfeited their shares by suffering them to be sold to pay the calls.
This game went on for nearly three years all 'calls' and no dividends; until at length it would have been difficult to find five persons out of the original 500 who held shares in the Babel and Lowriver Steam Navigation Company, and there was next to nobody left to call upon. Years have rolled on since then. Lowriver has grown into a popular and populous marine summer residence.
Upon the neat hot-pressed prospectus, privately and sparingly circulated it was whispered that it was too good a thing to go a begging appeared the names of Erebus Carbon, Esq., of Diamond Wharf; of Montague Whalebone, Esq., of Lowriver; of Larboard Starboard, Esq., ship-builder; and Piston Rodd, Esq., of the firm of Boiler & Rodd, engineers, as directors.
All we know is, that, some seven years ago, it was currently spoken of in private circles as a capital investment for money, supposing only that shares could be got: that was the difficult thing. Large dividends were to be realised by building four steamers, and running them between Babel and Lowriver.
Lowriver took amazingly, and rose rapidly in public estimation; the boats filled well, and the speculation promised great things.
But the hotel lacked customers, and the houses wanted tenants; and the whole affair threatened to fall a prey to river-fog and mildew, when the Babel and Lowriver Steam Navigation Company came to the rescue, and placed it upon a permanent and expansive footing. Of the original constitution of this snug company, it is not easy to say anything with certainty.
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