, 1885-05-02
EUROPEAN RAILWAYS.
SOME OF TIE PECULIAR FEATURES
OF CONTINENTAL ROADS.
Passenger Coaches and Their Internal
Arrangement signals Pay Of Em-
pI-oyes-Ponkions and Other Special
PIlviIeges-care of Orphans


49, A'n
are Practically Identical with the kind In
England. Exceptions occur Ia Switzerland
AMI one or two lines in Germany, w-er3
tN. toried cars are also in use sometimes.
Certain compartment, lnbslei ~Daue
seuies. = are reserved exciusively for laiies
on every train. anI thsrs * a very general
reservation OF certain cars for non-sm jkerA-
The system OF communication by cord be-
tween passengers AMI tie engineer does not
exist but in almost every compartment thers
Is an arrnngom snt by which you can signal
the guard, +" a, thu brakeman Is called.
Wien you have been slowed away in the a. =
most alright box calleI n compartme u. T.
you Will take trouble 10 examine your oh
Ing prison. you will notice On soma OF tas
lines a little triangular piece OF glass lot into
tho partition ani accompanied by n notes
in French, German AMI English 10 the effect
that IL you should really need assistance you
must break the gla =. touch a lotion or pull
a ring aud then wave your handkers thief out
Of the right-hand window.
Engineers aud firemen are not protected
from the weather In Belgium. Italy or Eng
land, but a cab Is universe In Germany and
Holland, and Thrtially 20 in France, Spain
aud Auslria. Neither cab nor screen Is any
where considered to Interfere with tho en-
gineer's knowledge Of the working condition
OF his locom tive, but the authorities think
that much humane protection might inter
fore with the discernm3nt OF signals nm OBJ
structions N the track Tho continuous
brake rs In tolerably general Use on the con-
tinent As regards signals, n disc placed on
top OF a post ton to sixteen feet high is uD
usual appliance. one side OF the disc bein Z.
rod and tho other white. At night
lamps are used. The s%eInnphors Is
employed at bif~urcations. In certain cases
thrse signnls are adopted, involving at night
tho uB % rel. green and white lamps.
Green means caution In Germany; in Bel
GUM IL means @trark clear" The block sys-
"a IN is not yet generally in use, but IL IS be-
ng introduced almost everywhere. Leve
crossings OF all kinds arc very common on
continental ines Railways are crossed on
the level by other railways, by street cars
and by country roads, but none Of these ever
occur in England. All crossings ara under
or over the track in that country, and
this system Is fast being applied in
Germany and also on some Of the French
lines The terminal stations or de
potts. as they nrs called in America, are
generally very large and covered by elegant
single-span roofs OF great siz,. As for the
platforms, those on the continent are almost
invariably low, that is to say Of a height
varying from four to fifteen inches. The
advantages OF such platforms arc. Facility
for the moving about Of passengers, bag
gage, lamps. trunks and goods; the tracks
Inside the station being in reality one con-
tinuous level crossing, there Is no perilous
chasin between a car and high platform.
The Disadvantages are; Risk Of stumbling
aud falling when getting in or out OF a com
partmont; whore the platform is high tho
passenger is able TO step directly from tho
car 10 tho platform, or vice versa, almost on
n level; bad usage OF baggage.
/ havo mndo inquiry into the manner
in which the employees on railways in France
and England arc treated, and the compari-
son is decidedly against the latter country.
The Compagnie de rOuest, or Western line,
IL not the most prosperous In France, but it
gives employment to about $4,000 persons.
The average yearly wages paid by
S720 TO 5000; firemon, from $500 to
SAVE On a corresponding English line
which has IL 900 employees, the average
wages were; Engineers, 5000 to 1874; fire
men S345 to S5l0. In France all employees
on active duty are paid by the month in
stead OF by the week, as in England. AS for
the other employees, the wages OF signal and
points mon Of all grades average from S252
TO Sl02. and for ticket collectors and brakes
men, from $3.50 to 1852 in France. while in
England the average Is from S262 to SAG
uuu lIDAh F-oO 10 tooat Dut Ine french emf
ployes Of these classes receive an indemnity
for rent and lodgings in addition to their
monthly wages. For train hands generally
the rate in France is from Sl93 to S3l2, as
again.t SIG 10 500 in England. and for car
washers in France, S235 TO 5000, as against
$40 tO S235 in England.
But where the French employee has an i'm
muse advantage over his English fellow is
in tho indirect advantages that he enjoys,
MS, for Instance, the assistance funds" are-
firing funds," saving funds" etc, which
the com panies over here place at the dis
posal OF their people. The ~compagnie do
rCui t ~appropriates regularly SCI, $50 pei
yehr for thoir assistance fund in Gu Q oil
sickness; tie English company only set aside
5000 for the same purpose. In England a
right to u retiring pension exists only at tho
nge Of sixty years and after ten years con
trihution u the pension fund; the French
employee can retire at IS, after twenty five
years " service. or az tho age OF 80 and
after twenty years in service, il pronounced
iucaTahle OF fulfilling his duties. In the
English companiai neither the widow nor
the children of an employo got any thing
from the pension fund in France, in ca . OF
death after fifteen yenrs' service the widow
r%cccivel half the pension the man would be
entiilal t. and when she dies one-half OF
her tension reverts to the children durinx
minority.
The Frumch employees have certain other
privileges, such ns transportation or freight
over the whole line at the low rate OF froa
t~o-hfths TO four-hfths Of n cont per ton per
kilometer. The company will also supply
them with provisions and wines OF ali sorts
at the lowest wholesale rates, and II sta.
toned at points where such articles arc ex-
ccptionally dear, where the company cannot
conveniently keep storehouses, they roceivu
certain additions to their wages. expressly
designated as an indemnity to meet sucl
case. They Hre allowed b purchase their
fuel at the same rate as that paid By thu
company, while in case OF sickness thoy are
attended by the company's physicians aud
supplied with medicine gratuitously. a
French railroad employe can travel over
the line OF his own company at one-fourth
the regular rate OF fare, and by a reciprocal
arrangement he can do the same on all this
other roads in France. Moreover, he has u
right to large reductions from regular rates
FOR all membors OF his family. Besides, the
French compaaiei allow what are called
primes TO all engineers and fremen for
economy In machinery and fuel and Mt the
eni Of the year all meritorious services in
every department are rewarded by -gratih-
cations, that is to say, a certain sum OF
money. The orphans Of all employees killed
while on duty are placed in orphan asylums
at the expense OF the company and arc kept
there until they are II years old. Even
when an employe Is dismissed no Is entitled
70 n certain indemnity especially IL tho dis
charge is not because Of his own fault.
RI..,,..... H..