New-York tribune., 1869-04-12
OUR RAILWAY SYSTEMS.


watch the tide of progress and keep well in the
middle of the stream. To take notice OF the great
current is a sure way to be stranded mgh anu
dry upon its banks to attempt to oppose OF contloi
1t is destruction. This applies perhaps more 1orcioiy
10 public companies even than to indivdnals for IL
Is less easy for them to regain the lost business anu
lost confidence Of the public. why tneh we "ou'u
ask do so many of great railway companies VINO
have their termini in and near New-York, 80 per-
,stently ignore the signs OF the nes the wants OF
tbe pnblic and their own Interests. Can they not
ace that before very long there Will be considerable
exodus from New-YOTk City, and that that exodus
will be more or less guided to the direction which
II NAV take by the facilities for reaching the business
ouarters of the city by railway. The enormous rise
In the value of real estate IN this city In the last few
years aud consequent increase OF house rent is COM
peng thousands of our citizens to search for less
expensive houses in the country districts. Bnt at
present they meet in most directions with SO little
travelling accommodation and such eXoTbltant COM
mutation charges that they are fam to remain where
they are. The whole system (if system 1t may be
called of communication in this country requires re-
Our railway directors do not yet seem to have
learned that the carriage Of regular passengers AZ
very low rates is most profitable branch Oh @ @LnelI
business. Nothing is so profitable because h9SnlHs s
is cheapy transported as passenger tralc' UoouS
traffic of whatsoever description, must 10 more % VI
less costly Every article conveyed Dy IdIwaS ~ 10
0uires handling but passengers take care OF them
selves. 1t is true passengers require caTTaees vi
somewhat more expensive construction tnah tnose
re0ured for goods but this expense is compensated
for by the circumstance that they are capaple ot
running, and do run, much greater huIhDer n oi
miles-that the weight of passengers is smalI IN pro-
pOrtiOn to the weight of gOOdsaDd that consequent
ty the wear and tear of the pernahent way ana
rolling stock, and the cost for loeOnotlDe power Is
less If then we consider the charges per mile for
tun of goods and that an average there would be
IA passengers TO tun, IL must without asserting that
passenger traffic can be carried at the same rate as
goods traffic. be obvious nevertheless that passenger
traffic can be prOtably carried at very much lower
rates than those at present IN vogue provided that
kI,okf He naf,h ho eH nj
implicitly depended upon III the case OF the season
ticket holder Tor he pays for his ticket in advance
and whether he uses it little or much no loss can
possibly accrue to the company from any action of
his. they having already secured their profit.
The value of thesystem of cheap periodical tickets
seems to be more appreciated by the Engsh railway
companies than by ours and though they are by no
means generally III tourishing condition., they ali
assert that their ticket holders are highly re-
munerative customers Their policy has been 10
create large neghbOrboOds at different points along
their lines by means of these cheap season tickets
In this they have been most successful and there are
now many populous towns within 5O miles Oh Lon
don created entirely by the railway facilities Tor
reaching the metropolis which were villages when
the last census was taken III 1860 ButWhle creating
these towns the companies have been creating
large and profitable business FOrinstance, Croydon
on the London and Brighton line, which 20 years ago
was small coaching town, has grown so enormously
since the opening of the railway thatlt now has five
passenger stations in different parts OF the town.
and IS trains running from London alone every day
Thirty rstclass carriages, full of season ticket hold
ers compose the early express train from Brighton,
unless the casual passenger arrives in good time at
the station he will find some little difficulty IN OBJ
tanning seat in the train. second express train
of about 2 carriages leaves an hour later The entire
distance is run in hour and quarter the terml-
nus being within five minutes walk of the Bank OF
England, Lloyds LOmbard-sts and the Stock EX-
change. But these are only instances OF what IS
done on all the metropolitan lines Some idea OF this
one kind of traffic may be gained from the fact that
il is calculated that no less than SOO,OOO persons
travel in and out of London daily.
Then, again, the English railway companies offer
many little facilities and Accommodations which
tempt people to travel their lines. They all issue
day return tickets which, for distances over 30 miles
from London, available to return on the follow
three days to return over 200 and mp to 800 four
days, and over 800 and up to 400, hve daySSundays
not being counted All return tickets issued Fri
day or Saturday for distance exceeding 20 miles
available Tor the return journey by any train Of
the same class up to the evening Of the following
Monday, even though they should not reach London
ill Tuesday mOrning-provided they start before
midnight of Monday. From May TO November the
companies running to the seacoast issue cheap exeur
son return tickets at little the single journey
fares ON Friday and Saturday, available to return on
Sunday OF Monday, but not ON Saturday In the
termed market trains, by which the farmers are con-
veyed to the different market towns and back in
special trains at the price of single fare. For the
convenience of gentlemen hunting in the vicinity Of
the lines return tickets issued at single fare and
quarter; the charge is made for their horses.
Huntslnen, groons, and other servants attending
the hunt when they travel in the with the
horses or hounds, are charged single fares for a
the carriage of the hounds. During the Summer
months first, second, and !, third-class return
tickets, at one fare for the double journey,
are issued to picnic and pleasure parties,
provided that there shall be six persons il
frst.cass tickets are taken, and ten If second or
third. These tickets are only available TO return on
the same day. and are forfeited If the passengers
leave the train at any other station than that men
toned on their tickets The privileges granted TO
commercial travellers for booking carrying
of baggage for shortening extending their jour
ney, are too numerous and various 10 be here par
ticularlzed; The companies also carry lor tnelr
season ticket-holders newspapers and parcels by
express trains at nominal rates Saloon, fanily car
riages with anteroOm and suitable hthngs are sent
to any part of the line. provided that noDiess than
eight frstcass adult tickets or their equivalent are
taken Also for the convenience of invaids requir-
ing to be conveyed from house to house without
being disturbed invalid road carriages, with ante
room for attendants, and every convenience. are
kept, to travel on the road with horses and On tho
railway with o carriage truck. They are fitted up
with every regard 20 ease and comfort; the couehes
in them, which are capable Of being elevated from
the level to any degree of incline constructed
TO be- moved out of the carriage and conveyed TO
the Invalids apartment so that the invalid may be
conveyed thereon without change of position from
his bedroom at home TO his bedroom on the seacoast
fine Of e day is very properly imposed for not
returning the carriage. Again, many OF the COM
panies are in the habit of making special bargains
with men with large families for conveying their
families to the seaside and back again when they
leave home for their Autumn holiday, some OF
then so far as to give the head OF the fanliy
free pass up and down the line till they return home.
When two or more members Of the same family,
residing IN the house. but not as lOdgers take
season tickets at the same time for the period
mot being less than three months and to the same
station, reduction in the price Of them is made on
the following scale: When two, 10 per cent reduc-
tom whom three ID per cent; when four 20 per cent
Children nnder years Of ago travel for nothing;
under IL years OF age and boys not over 49, going to
or f IRON aii & Ia H na @ % Rree but when
tions are not made, nor are they considered men
bers Of the family. 4h -f sFf 81
Yearly tickets, in many instances, may be paid for
bY two, three PAYMENTS. ", IL above the an