Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-08-11
THE TWO SYSTEMS.
Differences Between Railway Travel in
England and America-UDder-
Ground Railroads.
Speed OF Trains in Great Britain-In-
sular Prejudices Which Cannot
be Overcome.
BALTIMORE Day.

BdltnnOIe DAY.
English people are conservative; Ameri
cans progressive. The worst accusation tn a
can be leveled at a man in the old country
is that he is a aorus homo, an upstart. NJ
one will do business with him; society dig
trusts or ignores him. But in America the
cry is ever for something new-a new &C
Guaintance, a new hat, a new dress, new
pair of boots, new illusion, even If it prove
so. English railroads have scarcely altered
a whit since the Liverpool and Manchester
road was opened in 1883. In the New World
the struggle of the companies for supremacy
produces something new every year. With
the view of forcing into prominence the con-
trasts between railroads in Old England and
New England let US glance for moment al
John Bulls idea of road and how it should
be conducted To begin with, he has not
yet risen 10 the dignity of producing rings
aud ringmasters. He does not deal in Jay
Goulds, Cyrus Fields or Vanderbilts, but
treats railroad as a square profit and loss
commercial speculation. But while he is
happily free from the manipulations of
these gigantic jobbers, he has no projec-
tors or masters of enterprise who can at all
-Raharta- Huntington or Gar
rett. Z always in England are immensely
costly undertakings, and, in short, there is
everything to check and nothing TO encour-
age the opening of new lines. To begin
landowners along the proposed route rush
to the front, and use every available means
TO thwart it. An English esquire breads
nothing more than the sound OF 4 railroad
whistle 1t means the bringing of the
vulgar, slovenly crowd between the wind and
his nobility; the disturbing of his pheasauts
and hares, the invasion OF his domains by
berry laborers and muddy construction cara
and host OF Inconvenience which he can
for he
But the construction of line once resolved
on, the act of Parliament procured aud the
capital subscribed, the track is laid down a.
il sempiterni,y were the natural condition
of railway affairs. Whether it be a small
branchAine or main track, everything is
made as solid, firm and lasting as possible
1t ia the rarest of accidents for portion of
an English railroad track 10 give way. So
expensive is this construction process that
it has been estimated that the cost of OBJ
tanning and constructing one road only
eighty miles long in length (the London,
Chatham and Dover was as much as if the
rails were made of gold the whole way. In
any case the simple tracks found in our
branch lines would aPpsl an English engin-
Ger at the bare thought OF passing over it.
The depois are constructed on a CORE
spending Ecale of dignity. Those at ST.
Pancras, Cannon street, Paddington, Charing
Cross and Bishops gate, 10 London, New
street and Snow Hill, Birmingham, and
Reading may be taken as typical specimens.
The Great Western station at Paddington
employs 1000 clerks and other officials be-
meath its roof, irrespective of the travelling
employees and general public. 10 the south
west OF London, at Clapham junction, there
are thirteen lines OF railway under one roof,
and it is estimated that at ordinary seasons
400 trains pass through every hour of the
DAY. This fact is, of course, easily accounted
for by the condensation of a large population
in a small area. Depots like thsse at Hilleu,
Charles street, Pennsylvania avenue, Presi-
dent street aud Camden station would be
found even in the small country towns. A
notable distinction in the travel pg arrange
ments OF the two countries is the division
of the English trains into three sections,
first, second and third class, corresponding
10 the well marked distinctions OF English
socieiy-the noble or opulent, the pro-
fessional and mercantile community and
The poor. Twenty years ago these petty
were rigidly insisted on. 1t
was social ostracism Tor a professional man
to be seen descending from third-class car
riage, jostled BY sturdy artisans ard itinersnt
fish vendors. The second class has almost
and the Midland railroad few
years ago pointed the moral by abolishing ii
on their lines. There is good story told in
this connection. A well-krown baronet was
seen alighiing from a third-class carriage to
the horror of his friends who were at the
depot TO meet him. "You are riding third
class, Sir -r' said one of them. "There
was no fourth" was the reply.
The fares are much lower mile for mile
than in this country, for the obvious reason
that in England there is village or town
nearly every mile of the road, while in
A merica the train has often to be run ten,
6fteen or twenty miles for nothing. The
average third-class fare is two cents mile,
he secondclass four cents and the frst-class
.ix cents. The frst-class fare Tone penny
per mile) is rigidly fixed by act Of Parlia-
nent, whence trains. with third-elass car
riages often called the parliamentary, or
more briefly "tke parly."
10 the matter OF speed OF trains, the
countries are much on par, as regards the
great trunk lines, but on the local service
he Euglish is quicker. The fastest train
-un out of London is the Western morning
'xpress, or "FlyiDg Dutchman," as it is
;ailed-sn even more realistic definition |
d ing that OF an enthusiastic American who |
raveled by it from London 10 Bristol, and |
poke OF it az shell in harness." The |
'Dufchmann leaves Paddington Station at
! AS o'clock am, and arrives at Swindon, |
eventy-seven mites distant, at 1:l2 o'clock |
I'M, occupying but eighty-seven minutes on |
he journey. For the first nine miles it can |
un little more than thirty-fve miles an |
lour, owing to the numerous functions in |
he suburbs, but on many parts OF the road
he train has been timed to seventy miles an
lour for miles together. A corresponding |
rain on the Great Northern, known as the
Flying Scotchman," leaves London at 5
o'clock and reaches Peterboro in Northamp-
onshire seventy miles distant in one
l6ur and thirty minutes. Tue Irish mail,
eaving London at 7:l5 o'clock am, arrives
t Rugby, eighty-six miles distant, at 1:45
o'clock. The Manchester express trains, on
he three competing lines-the Great North
IN, the Midland and The Northewstern-
ceomplish the journey, 200 miles, in five
he traveller three hours in the northern
center. The Continental express
o Dover and Folkstone runs eighty miles 10
ass than two hours. The average rate OF
xpress trains is forty-fiye miles an hour,
hitch is about the speed of the Philadelphia
nd New York, Baltimore and St. Louis and
ther express services in this country.
The internal organization of railway car
) very different in the two countries. The
rst aim OF an Englishman is TO find car
he will call it) where he can be
" himself or, at the worst, shut up with his
riends. Thekars are divided by horizontal
~
I 4 hack, there being no provision for NOV
ny about, so that from the moment of enter
og the traveller is a prisoner until he reaches
lis journeys end. There is no layatory or
Their convenience whatever, and notwith-
landing the trouble attendant on the want |
{ such simple and natural adjuncts, the
piriU OF conservatism has prevented the
ompanies from offering or the public from
demanding anything that might SAVIOR OF
The one point on which
ublic opinion has pronounced a favorable
erdict is the Pullman car, which is run on
be principal lines over long journeys, an
lmost prohibitory extra charge being, how
yer, levied for lis use.
The spirit of isolation and retirement be-
ore alluded to as characteristic OF the En-
lish traveller clings to him with perth
acity which even the most forcible argu-
nents cannot remove. Two memorable MUIR
erers, Muller and LEROY, assailed their
ictims in a lone compartment and accom-
,isbed their fell purpose without let or
indrance; nav, even without the cognizance
( their fellow-trayelers. Travellers are
obbed with impunity by thieves and card
harpers, builied and insulted by drunken
occasionally shut up for an
our at a time with lUnatic- And yet
ohm Bull will not take lesson from Uncle
am-not he-not even IN the construction
I navy on the Robson principlei
The system of grading free passes so COM
non on American lines is almost unknown
o England, and such privileges are granted
nly to the companv's employees and few
ayored persons. This sffords one reason
INV a lower charge can be accepted for
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