The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1876-07-13
CENTENNIAL LETTERS,
On the ROad.-.The Cost and
Choice Of Routes washington
take In.
I ,t,-.-..uu OF
l-ment !" WASHINGTON, ID. g.,
June Doth. 1876.

June 29th, 1876.
Dear 4acertiser A lady who has
written an excellent cook book intro
duces the chapter elbow to Cook
Hare" by the observation "You must
first catch the hare" and if we are to
do the centennial it may be we'll to
say few words in relation to the
method Of catching this hare which
has been waiting a century to be
captured.
Westward OF Chicago there is little
choice, but from that point the variety
of routes is sufficient to please the
most fastidious. Many of these
routes have been advertised in the
papers and by special circulars, but
let no one waste his time in writing
to general agents, under the delusion
that he may thereby add TO the in
formation already given. The rail-
roads of the United States are won.
der to the world, but if there is any
thug more wonderful than any other
in connection with them it is the
amount of ambiguity an agent can
convey in one letter. Among nearly
a dozen letters from general agents,
in response to my queries, only one
contained hint at the information
required and only two added to the
information that has grown stale in
the most obscure paper on the CONT
nent.
But if the railroad man is not al
ways clear in epistolary communica-
tons, a personal interview is entirely
different. At the station in Chicago
we we're met by a score of agents,
each OF whom was sure the road he
represented was shorter, quicker,
safer and cheaper than any other.
They were at the door OF the hotel,
stood by while our names were reg
istered, and the door of the elevator
shut between US and the last Of these
gentlemen.
As the selection of route and pur-
chase of tickets interests some 1t may
be well to say that there is no ma
terial difference in fare by different
roads. About Sll.50 to Philadelphia,
but though this may be increased at
any time, most people think it will be
less. These tickets are worthless on
any part of the route after FIVE days.
A berth in Pullman costs IS more.
On these cars one must expect to be
annoyed by the inexperience of new
ly-made conductors and porters, but
we found nothing like intended neg
lect of duty or unwillingness to com
ply with any request. The Fl.
Wayne route claims precedence for
beauty and variety of scenery, but
many who have travelled both routes
think the Baltimore & Ohio fully
equal. To enjoy this one should
leave Chicago about in the evening
thus obtaining a view of the swamps
and sandhills at the foot of the lake
arriving at Mansfield about 4 mex,
morning. About 8 he will cross into
West Virginia, and from there he
can not fail to be interested in both
the scenery and the wonderful engi.
neering necessary to the construction
of the road. One accustomed r.
riding over the prairies experience.
some new sensations on a road tina,
rises 100 feet to the mile, with such
curves that from a closed window be
can see the two engines and Otter
three or four cars ahead of him, while
the almost perpendicular wall on one
side and steep descent on the Other
make combination that ought te
please-or scare-any one. At sun.
set the train reaches Harper's Ferry,
and at e:s5 Washington.