St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-09-26

'he wrong place, or perhaps to be shut
out and left behind, such are some of
the alternatives. One never knows,
except by accident, who are his fellow
travellers. The very upholstery of such
carriage, that is otherwise comforta-
Ole, is often a nuisance. Always there |
is head rest and always it is too high,
at least for ordinary people. One has
TO reach up to get the benefit of it. The |
Idea OF having to stand up to lie down
In warm weather this closet is hot.
The rides over the burning plains be-
tween Pisa and Milan, and the Roman
Campagna, in compartments that had
been warmed up by that fierce sun,
were exaspeTated by the vast retentive
power OF so much plush and curled hair.
But these Inconvenience, if the mass
ing of them allows their retaining so
mild a name, are overshadOwed by the
utter want of mercy which the system
shows toward those occasional necessi-
ties of the traveller for which ours pro-
car. AS if to mock these calls, one may
find, after long scrutiny among a multi
tude of placards, in long depot, one
pointing out the desired retreat, but as
inaccessible as the North pole, by rea-
SOD of its distance from his compart
ment, or the lock on his door, or the
uncertain length of the stop. One seems
hardly less mocked if he finds posted in
perhaps two cars in a whole three
months trip, notice to persons in his
case to mention it to the guard Wheth-
er such notice ever does answer the
purpose do not know. But of this l
am sure, that the sufferings on this ac
count which one party of Americans en-
dured from this barbarous system, in a
single day, Oh the BrenneI pass, would
make story horrible enough to sweep
the system out of existence,-if it had
been an American system.
Another illustration of the disregard
of the railroad service for the comfort
of its passengers is found in the scarci-
ty of water. Station restaurant keep
ers like hotel keepers, may perhaps be
expected to furnish either none at all,
or only that which is undrinkable, in
order to force the sale of their higher
priced beverages. But one would ex-
pect better of railroad corporation.
Yet drink of fresh water is one of the
almost inaccessible things on any con-
tinental railway. Here and there in
Italy one hears the cry, "Aqua fresca ~
or, in Germany, "Wassert" shouted by
vender of the precious beverage, at so
many centimes or pfennige a glass,
and, if there is time, bargain can be
struck and the drink secured. In few
instances, in Italy only, think, an em-
ploye brought water to the car doors.
But as rule none was to be had, for
hour after hour, through long days
ride. No searching through all the
rooms in the successive station houses
passed availed. If by chance well
appeared on the premises, there was
neither bucket nor pump in it, or the
signals for starting nipped the pur-
suit in the bud. Experience at length
taught us to carry mugs, and on those
long rides by rail, whenever the symp-
toms indicated two or three minutes
stop of the train, race began, in which
| the gentlemen, and often the ladies of
the party joined in search of water.
Many carried bottles of tea, which they
replenished at the hotel before starting.
By these devices, after experience had
taught them, we were at length able to
provide comfortably for ourselves. If
only some one had forewarned us,-as
l now do my readers-it would have
saved us much distress.
The division of all railroad accom-
mOdations into classes, first, second, and
third, is noticeable, and carried to such
an extreme as to appear to an Ameri-
can ridiculous. 1t is never overlooked.
Every train has its compartments, dis
tinguished outside usually only by
the numbers, l, II, III; inside by diff
ferent grades of furnishing. The sta
ton houses have separate waiting rooms
and often separate standing places on
the platforms, and separate refreshment
rooms. Steamboats,, even the smaller
passenger boats on the Clyde, the
Rhine and the Swiss lakes, observe the
distinction. Forgetting it, 1 have
found myself repulsed, almost rudely,
when foraging in the wrong place for a
lunch, and reminded to look elsewhere
for the accommodations that belonged
to my sort, though how the man knew
that was not third class man never
could find out!
One cannot help noticing how much
more effort it takes to start a train else
where than in America. With us the
conductor calls, to the passengers, CAL
aboard" and waves his hand or his
lantern to the engineer, a signal or two
from the whistle and the bell of the To-
comotive, and the train is off. In Italy
an official rings a country tavern dinner
: bell, other officials hurry along to shu
} and fasten the car doors, shouting
''Pesta Pesta !" Tor something whicI
sounds like it), with earnest gesticula
: tions, to delaying passengers, hurried
and vehement discussions ensue be