Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-05-20
FIRST EDITION.
Now Design or Sleeping Car.

COMPLETION OF THE FIRST OF NUMBER FoR A
NEW SOUTHERN CoMPANY-DEscRIPIIoN OF TuY
NEW COACH.
Tho jackson Il Sharpe Co. completed and
| shipped, last evening, new sleeping-car built
| after a new design, OF which Capt. O. e. Lucas,
who resides at $40 East Fourth street, this city,
is the patentee. The car was built for the Lu.
cas- Sleeping Car Co., a new corporation lately
formed in the South, exclusively with Southern
| capital, Of which Mr.. Lucas is General Manager.
Until last October he was the General Southern
Manager of the Pullman Co., with headquarters
at Atlanta.
This new car was built with the design of sup
planting the use Of the Pullman sleeper OIL
Southern roads. 1t is urged against this latter
coach that its gle eat weight antagonizes its econ
omic employment in that section, both AZ
regards. its traction and it's wear upon
the rails. Southern roads, as rule, are
less substantially built than at the North
the rails are lighter and the engines are
less capable. Hence Mr.. Lucas, in his new de-
sign, has prepared a car which will in measure
obvate these difficulties, which he says mat.
ters OF no little consideration among Southern
railroad men, but in doing 80 he thinks he has
retained the material portion of tho strength
with all the comforts OF the ponderous Pullman
sleeper. But in addition to this he also claims
the ability to construct Lis car at from 80 900 to
SS 900 less cost, and it also has the advantage Of
permitting all the passengers to ride facing the
locomotive In weight, the Lucas car il about
10000 pounds less thai. the Pullman.
The general appearance OF the Lucas coach
closely resembles that of first-class passenger
day cars Above the windows, however, is a
larger amount Of panel work but no
moro than in the Pullman, over which
the Lucas car has the advantage of perpendicu-
lar sides from the floor to the roof. The Pull
man car slopes inwardly from the window tops
to the ventilator, and to some extent thus inter
feres with ventilation. Tho upper berths in the
Lucas unfold from the eide of tho car just as the
Pulmahs do, but the former il supported upon
partitions which swing out and separate the
beds. The mattrass and bedding for this berth
is carried beneath the seats.
The under berth is formed by removing the
cushions and slipping the upper portion Of the
framework Of the seats a little to the rear so as
to admit a mattrass six feet long but for longer
persons the backs of the Seats which are made
in sectional form, separate and bed or inches
longer may be spread ont. The mattresses are
all of hair and those for the lower berth rest
upon Stats which are confined in the same tick
ing, but being in sections they permit tho fold
ing of the mattrass both ways, into a very mar
row compass. These with all tho Seding, are
carried in sheet iron box under the seats which
also extends foot or two under the floor Of the
car.
Perfect ventilation ID afforded both by the NIL
merous ventilators in the top OF the car and in
the sides. The windows also, being of some
what different arrangement, will permit fine
draft Of air, without the admission Of much
dust. The upper sash is scarcely visible and is
couple of inches removed outwardly from the
lower sash. by lowering this, good ventilation
is not only afforded to the the upper berth, but
a current of air ID permitted to pass up and over
the under sash, while it will also exclude
greater. portion of the dust raised by the train.
This new car has been christened the SAD
vance," A second one called the "Relance"
and similar in all respects to the above, is being
built in the same works. Outside, the car re-
sembles somewhat the Woodruff being paint
ed black with stripings of red, green and gold.
Inside it is furnished in walnut and MAPLE
and all its appointments are excellent. Com
partments are built in either end, with marble
wash-basins in them all.
Mr.. Lucas conveyed his new car to Baltimore,
last night where it will be on exhibition, to-
day, and probably day or two longer. He will
start with it on a Southern tour for inspection
stopping at Washington, Alexandria, Richmond
Wilmington, Savanna, Augusta, Atlanta, and
reaching New Orleans about June 18th. The
car has already received the endorsement of
several Southern railroad men, and it is estima-
ted that 12 or fifteen additional cars will be or
dered very soon.