The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-06-05
ABOUT SLEEPING-CARS.
Information Poured Forth In an Inter
view with "a Pullman MnI.

Information Poured Forth In an Inter
view with "a Pullman Man.
st. Louis Times Journal.
"Whst ia the nature of your principal
expense items ?" Well, the cost of the
cars is Of course very great, because they
are not onl. finished regardless of cost,
but are made much heavier and stronger
than ordinary cars. Fer instance, in
every csr sre two very heavy oRken
timbeTs, running the entire length of the
car. which are never used in ordinary
cars, and which make it impossible to
break Pullman car IN a railway scci
dent. Our cars may take fire and burn,
or in a collision the windows or other
glass may get smashed, but you never
heard of one being smashed up. Il
would be impossible. 1t may seem
strange to you, but it is fsct that never
yet has one of our conductors been killed
on duty; that's pretty good evidence OF
the safety our cars
Chow much do you pay conductors
and porters7" Conductors get from
$50 TO $85 month, and porters from SO
10 $45, according to the run"
How does it come that such diff.
ference is made in the pay of pOrters z"
Well, the porters always make more or
less by shines and other little perquisi-
ties, according to the Importance or the
points between which they run, and their
pay is regulated to certain extent by
that tsci. Why, on some runs the
porters will tske in as high as two or
three dollars single night. Tbs run
from Chicago TO St. Louis, Tor instance,
is considered one of the best"
What are your highest and lowest
receipts from single trips w "On some
of the long runs, like New York to
Chicago, as much as $75 to 800 will be
taken in, while on some roads we will
run at a loss every trip"
"Why do you run on such road p
" Simply to keep the business in hand,
with a view Of doing better in the
future.n
"Do you pay the roads for the priviS
lege of running your CarsT mo they
pay u.s."
" Besides hauling your cars? ?" Gotten,
according to the value Of the run"
"Why don't they build and run their
own cars rather than make such an ar.
rsngement as that ?" Because the
Pullman company owns the patents"
You have to keep your cars IN
rep2ir?" No; the railroad companies
are given the cars in good order and are
required to keep trem So"
= How is il in the case Of collision
or other accident % The railroad
company either repair or pay US an estiN
I hot
master mechanic and theirs, and the car
Is sent TO our shops to be put in order"
Where are your shops 2" The
principal hops a. at Detroit"
Have you any shops in England %
q No; our cars for England are made in
this country, shipped abroad in sections
and put together there. We charter
ship Tor our exclusive use when we send
over load"
- Your laundry bills must be pretty
heavy ?" d" should cay they are. We
pay out Thousands of dollars every
month for washing cur linen"
d les the d II. fend' trouble you
any 2" Dead hests? Yes, though
mostly in the shape of exchange courte-
sizes with railways. By agreement passes
are exchanged with all the officers OF
both companies where business takes
them over the roads, the Pullman officers
riding free and the railway officers sleep.
" You must get the best of them on
that basis" " It would seem so, for while
one of our men in riding, for instance, be-
tween Chicago and St. Louis, will ride
ten dollars worth while the railway
officer will only use two dollars worth,
but as a matter of fact the number OF
railway officers who have TO 90 out on
the road is so much greater than the
number of cur men who use their passes
that the balance is largely against us.
Our dead-head business represents an
annual loss of about $3.50, eco year"
You don't have to give passes out
side of railroad men much, do your"
"Not more than we can help, but it is
not an unusual thing for nan to lose
half day waiting to see the superin-
tendent to save two dollars by getting
pass on some preteKt or etheT."
Whist actiOn would your company
take if Illinois or any other state should
enact legislation cutting down your
rates ?" That would depend upon
circumstances. We should probably put
on a cheap grade of cars to run through
that state, or possibly withdraw our cars
altogether"
"But you are under contract with the
railroads, are you mott" "Yes; but
the contracts can be terminated under
certain conditions. The Texas legisls>
ture, for instance, has lately enacted s
law taxing our cars heavily, snd as re-
suit, we shall take every sleeper out Of
the state and extend our accommoda-
tions to the border only. Texas bust
ness was never very valuable, and it will
be better for us to di op the runs than to
pSy the special tax lately levied"