Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-05-23
OVER THE OCEAN.
ARRIVAL At A REPRESENTATIVE
ENGLISH Town.
The British Railroad Systsm-fias Roads
and Good kanagsmsnt-ho Baggage
Checn-kural Beauty OF Ing
Iand-6reat and Smoky
London.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE WORLDS
METROPOLIS.

I left Americas week to-day entered
the gates Of that ancient English city,
Southampton. Ny first impressions oil
representative English town were ex-
perienced at night. Arriving late l fol-
lowed the advice OF a friend and went
to Radley's, the best hotel Of the bor-
ough, 10 spend the night Upon enter
ing the hostelry we were greeted BY the
smile of an inimitable Mrs. John Bull,
seated behind her desk in the office,
which was covered with candles. Regis
tering my hindmost name with the prefix
"Mr.," handing my trunkman one shiil-
ing SIX pence, and with the usual saln-
tatory good night" to the lsnd-lady, i
was armed with candle, and shown to
nv room by one Of the maidens. Why
is il that members OF the weaker sex are
entrusted to manage the affairs in all
the hotels, bar-rooms, coffee houses and
commercial stores Of Britain? l suppose
lt must be from the fact that the female
portion OF the United Kingdom out
lumber the males so largely. The fur
niture and trimmings Of my room had
a look Of extreme antiquity about them,
but perhaps they were not over five
hundred years old. Indeed, l could
easily realize that this might have been
the room in which often stopped the
Earl OF Southampton about the year
1900. II was to this noble Earl
Shakespeare dedicated his "Adon-
is" and "Lucrece," while many
OF the earlier sonnets OF the
great poet have been written IN the
character OF his friend during the quick
ly changing phases OF the Earps adven.
turous life. In order to leave on
O'Clock train for London We arose at day
break the next morning, to give our
easy going Englshman fair warning
that he might serve US with chop and
cup of tea. 1t was useless to hurry this
representative British waiter, so We al
lowed him full hour and hall to pre-
pare our meal. In company with my
friend, Mr.. Chas. Lane, an English ex-
porter, who was, by the way, at college
with Will Hubbard and Dan List, Jr.,
OF Wheeling, stepped for the tirst time
into an English railway carriage, and my
acquaintance related several anecdotes
about his Wheeling friends, saying that
Hubbard was one Of the brightest boys
in college; always with apparent ease
standing first in his classes. Inc nrst
experience Of an American on British
-.
exception. Let me specify the sdvan-
tages OF the English system over ours.
You cannot pay your fare on the cars
You must appear at The booking
ticket Office and procure your ticket
They are called booking" offices from
the TACT that in the old days Of post
roads and post coaches travellers were
compelled to enter their names on
books in the office Of the company he
fore starting on their trips. You take
YOUR seat in a section running crosswise
instead OF lengthwise, as with US, and
holding four on each side.
You enter your section from the side
and lust before starting the guard in uni
form answering to the American con
ductor) examines your ticket and shuts
the door. Very cory, indeed, are those
exclusive little snuggeries, especially II
you and your companions are the sole
| occupants. You will see xt glance the
| immense advantage To travellers and
stockholders OF a system that insures
honesty in the suboriinates by forcing
the passengers to buy at the stations,
and that prevents the over crowding,
and too often the rudeness 80 common
afQfIOn
when the train stops, the doors are
opened, and you pass out il you please,
and on the long line, you are allowed
time enough TO take refreshments, which
are really superior, and by no means
as bad as depicted by Charles Dickens
in one OF his novels. Better tea, sweeter
bread and butter, and finer mutton |
have never enjoyed. The strength and
durability that characterizss these roads
and rolling stock impressed me, and you
glide on with so little motion that l
could have written an occasional let
ter n I had not been better engaged.
The pleasure OF reading and OF rrfec-
ton, so often impossible with US, either
from the iolting of the cars or the y)lu-
bility of some inQuisitive friends, s q
chief delight with the intelligent trLv-
eler in Europe. But better than every
thing else is the admirable order that
guides and governs everything in
connection with the British rail-
roads. Politeness on the part OF obi.
cials to the trayelers is universal. There
is no noise, no confusion and no wrang.
ling. There is one thing. however,
every American censuresin the manage
ment of these roads. In the checking
OF baggage they should initiate our
mirable system. They refuse TO become
responsible after that system, and the re-
suit is vexstious delay at your destl.
nation. You must 20 to the baggage
man and ''claim" your luggage as il is
thrown to the platform.
England is q country which to see il
to love. Our ride from Southampton to
the great and splendid London was over
seyenty.fiye miles, and every part OF
the country on either side was cultiys.
ted like q garden. My past rsdings
had convinced me OF the rare perfec-
ton attained in the arrangement Of pub
lie and private grounds by the land
scspe architects OF Great Britain, and
prepared me for some displays. But I
was not ready 10 see q whole country
side converted into panorama as love-
ly as the New York Central Park, or as
attractive as the Capitol grounds at
Washington, when all these are dressed
Ia the robes OF May and June. Yet pre-
eisely such an experience was mine
theemorning looked in delighted sur
prise from the window Of the car, borne
along at the rate OF thirty miles an hour.
AS lar a the eye could see il was the
same alienation OF green fields, divided
BY dark hedges, white roads, the thatch
roof cottages centuries old, the little
enurenes covered with dark green ivy,
Wild heaths and along lonesome fields
the narrow, shining rivers brimiul to
their banks, and crossed here and thers
with grey and moss-grown bridges. the
stately elms whose low hanging branches
drop over aturf OF emerald velvet. the