Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-08-28
HEALTH IN CAR TRAVELLING.
Debilitated Persons Who Ride Regu-
larly and Become Strong.

As train on one Of the elevated road,
drew slowly away from the station 8
brlght-looktng little woman walked
briskly to seat in the ear. bestowing :
just perceptible smile upon the brakeman
"a middle-aged, genial-iOOking person
as she passed him.
"Ihat lady doesn't look much like an
invalid" said the brakeman, . but when
she began to ride on my train about the
middle of last June she was quite thin
and pale. L had to help her into the can
ON her first trip, when she explained that
she was sorry to trouble me, but coming
up the stairs to the platform had tireC
he: very much. She rode to the end o.
the route, and | noticed the air seemed
to brace her up somewhat. | did moi
see her again for some days, but wher
she reappeared | was pleased to notice
that she looked much improved. You see
she is one of those well-mannered little
ladies that you cannot help remembering
after you have once spoken to them.
suppose she noticed my pleased look, fol-
she spoke to me, and asked if she did MOI
appear better than on the day when
helped her to seat in the car. Then she
told me she had not been able to 90 int
the country this summer, but her doctor
had directed her to ride to the end of Oul
route and back at least once a day all
through the season. She has followed the
prescription faithfully, and you see the
result"
''Have you met other people who use
the road as sanatiye measure?"
''There are twenty or more, men and wo
men, on my train alone, who have told
me that they did so, and there are many
more who ride regularly to the end of the
route for no other purpose that | can think
of. Men working on this road and also
on the surface roads have remarked the
same thing. One lady told me that before
she took to car riding, she had made sew
eral Efforts to prepare for going into the
country, but always became tired before
getting ready. She said also that the
very thought OF the amount of dressing
she would have to do for
herself and children if she went awav
discouraged her. The railroad, she said,
seemed to bring the country air right to
her own home, where she could have real
comfort and take good care of her hus-
band besides, whom she used to be Obliged
to leave in the city when she went away.
Her method is to take our road four davs
In the week and give two to the surface
roads for the sake of variety.
Almost all the people | have talked
with, both men and women, seemed to
nave nervous fear that if they Travelled
bhSg hOulQ DC SURF SOOilGE OF
later, to get caught in some great colli-
sion. They said they never thought OF the
matter when they used to make an occa-
siOnal trip, but the idea of riding every
day was what made them nervous. One
man tells me that he takes the surface
roads once or twice week on this ac-
count. BY doing sO,' he said, i break up
the regularity of the thing and great
ly reduce the DANGER ! explained
that the wayne brakemen looked at it
was that a collision on the elevated
might be a much more dangerous matter
for the people underneath than for us.
lie said he took surface road that did
not run under the elevated. The nervous
feeling, however, soon wore away with
most OF my inValids. 1t was the fear of
failing rather than the collision itself
which seemed to affect them most.
''What has surprised me most in the in
valid passengers is the rapidity with
which they would brighten up. Three or
four days would make surprising differ
ence III their looks and liveliness, though
1t was only after two or three weeks of
riding that they seemed to feel the full
benefit of their journeys. A man who
mad been troubled with malaria said lately
that his trips on the ROAD had given him a
better summer than he had passed for four
years. He made two round trips daily. |
think he was too poor to take his family
to the country, and did not like to 20
without them. He stopped making his
Trips a day or two ago, and shook hands
with me quite tremendously, as though |
had had anything to do with it.
"A young man who says he is a clerk
down town spends his dinner hour in
making a round trip. He has not missed
day, except Sundays, since the 4th of
July. He spends a good part of Sunday
in the park. When l first began to OBJ
serve him he always put his hand over
his heart after coming up the stairs, but
he got over that trouble.
''Do feel in better health since l began
TO work on the road? Yes, l am stronger,
though ! think that | am perhaps getting
too much of good thing. l was formerly
troubled with an obstinate dyspepsia.
which has completely left me. / sup-
pose that the benefit which | have myself
received from car riding has given me an
interest in the health of my invalid pas
sengers."