Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-01-04
Foreign and Home Railway sta
tions CouIrassed.

Th- X TX I q -.sst d ., ~ = ~ IS
possibly a. fin-- any ln tue Ssstt- AID
there were excellent ph"'ogrsphs of it III
tia Paris Exposition in 1867 TIE object
If its exhibition was hardly clear to the
Parisians, since there is ra road of any
pretensions in France but has finer build
ings. Towns of not mor@fban 10000 iG-
habitants will show better railway build
ipgs for passenger accommodations than
any vet completed in the city of Nav
York The Strssbourg Railway terminus
in Paris, covers an area of 165 feet wide
by 400 feet in length. 1t has triple por-
tico, com osEsd of Is arches, in the span-
drels of which are sculptured the arms
al the principal towns along the ronte.
The middle portico is surmoUated by
bE91strade, behind which rises a msgnifi-
cent Rabled arch, pierced by huge semi
circular window, and crowned by coaos-
sal statue of 5trasbourg. Before it is
roomy rlsza, enclosed by high iron
fence with heavr gates.
And yeI, 90 far as my experience goes,
Italy must take the palm for the best
aveFage of buildings of this class. Turin
Bologna, Venice, Milan, and Florence
neither of them cities OF the frat class
nave HEaIlODS LAht Will uOI Dc t14d OJ
us in a hundred yeaTg, at our present
rate of progress. Shall we live to see,
anywhere between New York and San
Francisco, a waiting-roor3 furnished
throughout in crimson plush and black
walnut, a whole conservatory of flowers
blossomiug under the wide skylight, and
marble statuary EMPOWERED in orange
& ser, the whole multiplied by mirrors
that fill up huge panels in the walls
Florence has such station now. The
passenger building at Milan looks like
palace of crystal, half a dozen tracks be-
ing spauned by one arch OF glass; and
one can sit by the hour contentedly,
studying the fresooes upon dts walls, eel
ebrating the triuEphs of Italian artists
and Et6rati. Nor is it the least OF it's
comforts to see ones baggage wheeled
over smooth asphaltum floors, on trucks
whose wheels are tired with noiseless Eub-
Der bano8.
Pleasantly, also, do I recall the station
at the little Belgian town of Verviers, en-
the French frontier. Its walls are hung
with dark-green velvet paper the long
windows, coaching to the floor, are cur
tanned in heavy damask, and fullIength
paintings in oil ornament the sides. [
had a delightful lunch, delightfully."- serv-
ed, in this room, for thirty cents.
Perhaps as complete station as could
be imagined is at Cologne, upon the
Rhine. The restaurant connected with
it would do credit TO the 6ouIe0ards of
France. Everything is as neat as white
marble and spotless linen can make It. A
traveller born any place betweea St.
Fstersb2Tg and Cadiz can be served by
waiter who speaks his native tongue. But
if, instead of lunch, he grefers dinner
with full courses, q tG5le-dhOte So served
in spacious dining room on the second
floor A highly ornamented staircase of
iron leads to a suite of sleeping apart
ments. A long hall, which serves for
prosaenad0, is walled on one whole side
w2gl glass, and frightened with rows OF
hot.house plants. There are retiring
rooms for all classes, bookstore, post
station and telegraph Office, besides
know not how many things more, all I'M
der one cover. When you add to this the
fact that frst.class lunch and bottle OF
choice wina may oa obtained here, for the
same price that one gives for fat mutton
and doughty custard-pie on the way to
Yosemite, the real excellence of the sta
ton begins to be appreciated. ODerIdnd
Monthly for October.