St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-09-12
AROUT RIILKAYS


There are 10000 locomotives now run
ming on the railways in the United States,
and they do the work of 94O, 900, 900 horses
In England 30, 0OO. horses were once killed
off annually in the attempt to carry mails
ten miles an hour.
The first real iron railway in the United
Stateswas built in 1926 in Quincy, Massachu-
settles to transport granite for Bunker Hill
Monument three miles from the quarries to
tide water.
In 1882 more than II, 500 miles railways
were built in this country.
Fifty trains a day now pass through the
Boston precinct of Dorchester. But barely
fifty years ago the inhabitants or Dorchester,
in town meeting assembled. instructed their
representatives in the legislature ''to pre-
vent if possible so great calamity'i as the
location of a railway through their territory.
|. Up to 1881 there was no railway west
of the Alleganies, or south of the Ohio river
AS late as 1850 the state of Ohio had but a
siugle trunk line, namely, that ooane ting
Sandusky with Cincinnati, and and in that
year there was not a mile of railway west of
the Mississippi river.
The first railway out of Chicago was to
Galena, chartered in 1886. To-day it is as
serted that Chicago is the greatest railway
centre in the world, with the possible excep-
ton of London.
Fourteen engines have been employed to
drive a train through snow drifts on the
Union Pacific road, and whole trains have
been lost in the snow storms of the prairies.
In the early days of the railroad in this coun-
try, freight cars were called ''burthen cars,
and trains were called ''brigades" of cars.
The freight ears were boxes a little longer
than their width, and had a wheel at each
corner. Many of the locomotives had
enormous driving-wheels, twelve feet in dia-
meter. On one road, and perhaps on others,
a novel headlight was formed by placing a
lot of pitch pine on a platform car thickly
covered as to its floor, with sand. The car
proceeded the engine, and the, burning pine
knots made a famous track-iluminator. AL
most all the first railroads made use of wood
en- rails upon which strap iron was spiked
These strap rails had an unpleasant fashion of
curling up. owing to the weight of the cars on
their central parts, combined with the action
of heat and frost. When, then, the ends of the
rails we're struck by car-wheel they would
often be forced up through the bottom of the
car, and the engineer would sometimes be
obliged to stop the train and pound down the
''snake-head,'' as it was called, or else de-
tail an assistant to hold it down with lever
while the trains passed on.
1t is asserted that on no lines in. the
world is railway travelling more luxurious
than between st. Petersburg and Moscow in
Russia. The saloon cars are of great length
In the centre is a drawing room, with tables.
sofas and divans. Opening from one side
of this is a passage-way leading the entire
length of the car to the iron platform, which
are enclosed with ratings. The cars are
heated comfortably by steam-pipes. Pushing
aside heavy curtains you behold three pleas
ant little private compartments, each con-
tanning six easy chairs. The same car con-
tains three similar compartments reserved
for ladies alone. A winding staircase
leads to a second story or sleeping saloon,
affording from its windows fine views.
The train halts at convenient intervals, at
stations co tipped with refreshmeut rooms
and the cheer supplied consists OF tea, cof-
fee, wines, liquors, beef, ducks, partridges,
venison, sturgeon, caviare. etc, all served
by polite and nimble walters.
Startling train robberies in England, and
in this western country are noteworthy as
also, are various adjuncts and improvements
in railway travel and conduct, such as the
underground roads of London, the elevat-
ed roads of New York, marine railways and
submarine railways, the tunnels through
the Alps, the tunnel through the Hoosac
mountain in Massachusetts, and such ap-
planes as signals, switches, train dispatch
ers, bell-ropes, postal cars, palace cars, and
last, if not least, smokers In view of
what has been accomplished in the past fifty
years, what may not be expected in the next
half century in the perfection of railway sys
tens, their management, freightage, and
improved conveniences for passenger travel.
and rapid transit.
Germany seems not to be up to other coun-
tries in railway travel, which is said to be
very slow and uncomfortable, and but few
and clumsy sleeping car acco mmodations
there.
The most elegant car in the United States
is belieyd to be the one presented to Mr.. E.
H. Talbot, editor Of the Rdiiluay Age in Chi
cago by various manufacturing firms in the
country.