The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-08-10

State. m.1uoa =.
My letter is discursive, but these facts
are easily proven. ~ II.
Doctor Holland ON England-He Sees
Things in Different Light-He
Don't Like English Cars and Hotels.
The Springfield Republican has published
it's third letter from "Timothy Titcomb."
He dates it London, and says: . gee p.
ENGLISH AND AMERICAN RAILROADS CON-
a.@.@ TRAsTED. .-
AS have undertaken to show the readers
of the Republican what can be learned from
Great Britain concerning economy in horse
flesh, perhaps / cannot do better than to
draw comparison between the railway sys-
TENS of the two countries. Let me say, then,
that in all matters relating to the construc-
ton Of railroads and station-houses we can
learn everything in all matters relating to
the operation of roads, absolutely nothing.
The American cars are incomparably better
than the English, and the whole system
Of management more business-like. The
and build it. They know nothing OF
going round q hill, or swerving from a
direct course on account of any ordi
nary obstacle. They &c through and over
every thing. On nearly every road that have
passed over, the lamps of the cars are kept
constantly lighted, on account Of the tun
nels through which the trains are run.
Tunnels from eighty rods to a mile in
length are to be found on all the principal
roads. l have passed through dozen OF
them in single afternoon. Then, wher-
ever such q thing is possible, the railroad
passes under or over every wagon road
and every other railroad. Great pains
have been taken in this particular. Ii
the English had constructed the Western
railroad, where it passes through Spring
field they would have arrested the grade
east of Chestnut street, and carrying it
high above Connecticut river: permitted
Main street 10 nass under it. Such nui
sance as you suffer at that crossing would
not be attempted by an English corpora
ton or borne by the English people. All
the roads are heavily ironed, and most OF
them are ballasted with stone.
THE sTATIoN-HoUsEs.
The station houses are admirable, and
they are built--as everything else is-to
last. The platforms are always stone or
brick, mainly the former, and around all
the stations in the country the most bcauti
ful flowers arc planted. Indeed, there can
hardly be anything imagined neater and
more thoroughly tasteful than the station
houses, and the little parterres that flank
them, or bloom ii the door-yards of the
keepers. Then, all the conveniences of a
station-house are kept in order. Such sinks
of filth and abominablc nastiness as are to
be found at the station-houses of three
quarters of the American railroads are
never seen in England. We ought to have
u reformation in this matter in the United
States, radical and universal. 1t is shame
and a disgrace to American railroad man
agement that passengers are often-nay,
almost always-obliged to resort to places
more disgusting thai plg-sty, or suffer
pain that often leads to permanent disease.
So let us admit that in the construction
of railroads and the building and ordering
of station-houses the English are ahead of
us. am not railroad man, and cannot
20 into the small matters Of railway eco
nomy. am aware that these roads have
cost immense sums, and that 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 creditable to railway corpora
tions that this item has not been allowed to
stand in the way of great thoroughness in
the departments of construction. On the
road from London to Liverpool even the
embankments and cuttings are graded and
turfed, or beautifully walled. There is not
bank of gravel or an uncultiVated rod to
be seen from the car window. Il. ..s
,-s MANAGING BAGGAGE.
And now, having given praise where
praise is due, let me say a word of the ope
rating of these magnificent roads. can
only say, at starting, that it is childish,
puttering," utterly incompetent. The
Englishman has never yet given up the
idea that he is running a stage-coach. He
has divided his cars into series of com
partments, to initiate stage-coach, and he
calls his Car coach. Then he puts the
luggage of his passengers on the top of the
coach, or into what answers for boot, and
spreads q tarpaulin over it, just as he was
used to do, / suppose, in Tony Weller's
time. He gave no check for baggage.
SuCChS NGlC uOl luC ldSuloh LII tuS SOOu Oto
times, and he will not adopt them. If
start from any part Of Great Britain for
London with half q dozen pieces of bag
gage, 1 am obliged to look. after it on
every change of cars and on my arrival
at the station must be on the spot to see
and claim it personally. 1t seems incredi-
Bile that an Improvement on this manage
ment SO obvious as the system of checks
has not been adopted here; but there is no
movement that can hear of toward such q
system. ;eaaygr
The present rude way Of managing lug
gage is accompanied by some most perplex-
ing evils. Nominally, the guard, brake
man, and station-porter dotheir work at the
expense of the corporation. Actually, they
all seek fee from the passenger. zltis as
tonishing what shilling, or even a sixpence,