Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1868-10-08

Legislature, for all their wrongs and expressions
endured or to be endured in the future. The prom
inent scamps in this bogus Legislature, black and
white, are all from the North None Of them
have property here or are taxpayers, and yet they
Eare overwhelming the property holders with taxa
ton : .... ..i,r...-,.. B. +. PERRY.
GaEmv11LE. S. c., Sept 25, 1868.
RAILWAYS IN ENGLAND.
| A correspondent of a Springfield paper gives
some readable jottings of what he saw on the Eng
lish railways. We make some extracts: ...
Englsah and American Railroads Contrasted.- =
AS I have undertaken to show what can be learned
from Great Britain concerning economy in horse
flesh, perhaps cannot do better than to draw Q
comparison between the railway systems of the twe
countries. Let me say, then, that in all matters
relating to the construction of railroads and station
houses, we can learn everything; in all matters re-
lating to the operation of roads, absolutely nothing
The American cars are incomparably better thar
the English, and the whole system of management
more business-ike. The English know what q
good road is, and build it They know nothing o.
going round hill, or swerving from direct course
on account of any ordinary obstacle. On nearly
every road that have passed over, the lamps Of
the cars are kept constantly lighted on account Of
the tunnels through which the trains run. Tun-
nels from eighty rods to mile in length are to be
found On all the principal roads. have passed
through, dozen of them in single afternoon.
Then, wherever such thing is possible, the rail.
road passes under or over every wagon road, and
every other railroad. Great pains have been taken
in this particular If the English had constructed
the Western Railroad, where it passes through
Springfield, they would have arrested the grade
east of Chestnutstrees and carrying thigh above
Connecticut river, permitted Main-street to pass
under it. Such nuisance as you suffer at that
crossing would not be attempted by an English cor
poration, or borne by the English people All the
roads are heavily ironed, and most Of them are bal.
lasted with stone. ,5...... 49,
Fhe Station House.-The station-houses are ad-
mirable, and they are built-as everything else
| is-to last. Phe platforms are always stone or
BRICK mainly the former, and around, all the sta
tions in the country the most beautiful flowers are
planted. Indeed, there can hardly be anything
imagined neater and more thoroughly t '"fnl
than the station houses, and the little parterres
that flank them, or bloom in the door yards of the
keepers. Then, all the conveniences Of a station
house are kept in order. Such sinks of filth and
abominabe nastness as are to be found at the sta
ton houses of threequarters of the American rail
roads are never seen in England. We ought to
have reformation in this matter in the United
States, radical and universal It is shame and a
disgrace to American railroad management that
passengers are often-nay, almost always obliged
to resort to places more disgusting than pig sty
or suffer pain that often leads to permanent dis.
ease.
So, let us admit that in the construction of rail.
roads and the building and ordering of station
houses, the English are ahead of US. am not a
railroad man. and cannot 60 into the small matters
of railway economy. I am aware that these roads
have cost immense sums, and but few of them are
yielding any profit to their original builders The
cost of the fright of way in England is something
fearful and it is all the more creditabe to railway
corporations that this item has not been allowed tc
stand in the way Of great thoronghness in the de-
partments of construction. On the roadfrom Lon
don to Liverpool, even the embankments and cut
tings are graded and turfed, or beautifully walled
There is not bank of gravel or an uncultivated
rod to be seen from the car window.
Managtng Baggage now, having given
praise where praise is due, let me say word Of
the operating of these magnificent roads. l car
only say at starting, that it is childish, "putter
ing" utterly Incompetent. The Engishman has
never yet given up the idea that he is running O
stage coach He has divided his cars into a series
of compartments to initiate stage coach, and he
calls his car coach. Then he puts the baggage
of his passengers on the top of his coach, or into
what answers for boot, and spreads tarpauln
overit, just as he used to do, suppose, in Tony
Welers time. He gave no check for baggage.
Checks were not the fashion in the good old times
and he will not adopt them. If start from any
part of Great Britain for London, with half dozen
pieces Of baggage am obliged to look after it on
every change of cars; and on my arrival at the sta.
ton, must be on the spot to see and claim itper.
sonany. It seems incredible that animprovement
on this management so obvious as the system Of
checks, has not been adopted here but there is nc
movement, that can hear Of, toward such sys-
tenn.
The present rude way of managing luggage is
accompanied by some more perplexiDg evils Nom,
inay the guard, brakemen, and station porter, do
their work at the expense Of the corporation. Ac-
tually, they all seek fee from the passenger 1t
is astonishing what shilling, or even si1-pence,
will do in the palm of an employee I have had
whole compartment for my family for two hun
d,ed miles for shilling mt into the hands of the
conductor 1t needed no words. He wanted the
money, and understood its language perfectly. I
meant by the fee to say: please put no one in
this compartment, if you can help it." He could
help it, and be put no one in. We occupied just
half of the compartment, and, of course, bought
the other half for shilling The porter, when he
deposits your trunk on the car or in the van, al
ways puts his hand into the window in the
way that invites axpence and in very at
fectionate and assuring voice tells you just where
you will find your trunks and bundles when you
reach your destination. Every man who looks af-
ter you in any way expects fee, and is disappont
ed if he does not get one. Men who are dressed
within an inch of their lives will grasp your
shilling with will, and touch their hats to you
with the grateful humility of boot black. In
deed I have not seen an Englishman, in any kind
of service who would not take fee. Conductors
Parker and Adams, Of Springfield, have silver ser
vices and gold watches presented to them by their
friends. operating through stately committees ;