The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-06-29
A New York special of the 22d saws:

The Duke of Sutherland and party, including
DR.. W. III. Russell, who returned from their trip
to California to-day, will visit Newport, Saratoga,
and perhaps Long Branch. and will sail for En-
gland July 2. The party went to the Pacific
Coast by way of the recently-completed Southern
Pacific railroad. The Dukes comments on this
road, as given this evening to a World reporter,
are Of interest. Rightly built and properly man.
aged, " said he, that road shouldbe an important
part OF your railway, system. 1t makes a most
direct cut for the Pacific, through a fertile region.
/ am told, and it ought to develop a large local
traffic and do good work in connecting the East
with the West. 1t should be a well constructed
line. capable of having trains run at high speed.
l think these lines oughtto get a large share of the
traffic which now goes by way of the Suez Canal
between India and Great Britain: Such a way of
reaching the old country would be very pleasant,
as il would give one a view of the country and in
troduce a very agreeable variety. i think there
would be enough passenger travel to keep four
lines running across the Western plains. and /
have no doubt that all The lines now projected
or in progress will turn out to be good proper
ties. You see," said the Duke, unfolding a
large map of the Western country, crossed in
several directions with red lines to indicate
the route over which the Ducal party had trav-
eled, what a short route il is, and, taking
the entire line TO the East. 500 miles of travel may
be saved, and that is no slight point. The pres
ent roads might be very much improved by in
creasing the speed. Ii is all well enough when
the trains are going. but the long waits at the sta
tons are annoying. Think of four hours stand
ing on a siding. think we lost a full day on the
Southern Pacific by this dilly-dallying process.
The roads. too, are not built specially strong,
though that, / think, is a matter in which they
Will improve as the travel becomes heavier. AL
ready they are taking out wooden bridges and
putting in iron girders. The Pennsylvania Road
isl magnificent one. and is fully up, 1 think. to
any of our f~irst-class English roads What struck
me as q great novelty was the making OF east IRON
wheels AT Altoona, ia the shops OF the PennsylVa-
mia Railroad Company. 1t was certainly avery
ingenious plan. The third rail, too, was very
unique, aud answered its purpoSe-admirablv,
giving the road the effect of a siding, while in
fact there was not a full siding"
Did you see anything that could be introduced
to advantage on the English rOads2i
well, no, I can not say that did. Of course
our carriages are not as comfortable as your first
class cars, but who wants a Pullman saloon car ON
our roads, where the longest ride you can take Is
for twentySeven hours. One can get along very
well for that time in such cars as we have, and j
think that speed and safety are more important
factors to be looked after. Here, where you may
travel tor a week on the rail, you need such con-
veniences as you have, and they answer the pur-
pose admirably. | can best compare my trip for
so many days with so much comfort 10 a yachting
trip. Call it yachting on dry land, with wheels
instead of a keel below you. and you express
the idea c~apitally. IL is so pleasant to be
able TO do so much work as is involved
in travelling so many miles and yet have no
accompanying fatigue. If we had gone home by
to-day's steamer we could have reached England
after an absence OF just ten weeks. In that time
we would have gone over twenty thousand miles,
and we don't look much like weather beaten or
tOilsome pilgrims. / regret that there should be
such a want OF confidence at home in your rail-
road plans and schemes. but then, where we see
such transfers OF property as we do here. there Is
apt to be some want of confidence engendered.
Where YOU have men who can, as you say,
'gobble' up a road, what is to become OF the other
stockholders? Why, out West, at one place, a pier
had been built at much expense, but a Railway
Company wanted 1t out of the way. so they simply
put a gang of men to work and tore Ii out by the
roots, as II were. They left only the stub of the
pier, and there seemed to be no redress ior the
lnfor raopla ~