Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-01-08
3. TRAVEL IN INDIA.
How They Manage Things Oh Tho Madras
+. . '.,'& . .&... RAILWAY. ls 81:

The Madras railway. one of the prin-
cipal roads in India, has nearly eight
hundred miles OF line, and is welllbuilt,
with good Stations all along the line. 1t
is broad-guage railway, and is sul,-
sidized by the Auglo-Indian govern
ment, SO rs to be controlled by it for
military purposes. The cars arc built
much the shape rs American freight:
cars, only not quite 80 long. They
have no platforms at tho ends, but are
coupled-together like an American
fre;ght-train. Each car is divided into
compartments, entered at the side of
tho car and reaching across. The seats
taco one another, and each single COM
partment holds twelve persons when
full. ono half Of tllcln riding buck
ward. . d .->
The train is made up of three kinds
OF passcnyer-coaches,' besides freight
and baggage cars. The tirst-class pas
senger-earriages. though of the shape
described above, and with doors and
windows in the sides only, are better
built than the others, and are all ar
ranged SO ;s to turn into sleeping-cars
at night. They are cushioned will,
leather-covered cushions, but not usu-
| ally with spring seats.
The second class Carriages have no
cushious-simply board seats. Shelves
are made to raise up, like the shelves
OF pantry. three on each side, one
above another, SO that six passen gers
can lie down comfortably, if they have
brought along thcir own mattresses
| and pillows, in each compartment. Ii
there are more than six in one COM
partment. some must sit up. Tue third
class carriages are, many of them, all
In one compartment, with fixed wool
en- benches, and with no glass windows
at the sides-simply rough Venctians
to slide up and down; nothing to keep
| out dust, aud no double roof The first
| and second class carriages have double
roofs and both glass aud Venetian win
dows to protect passengers from sun
stroke on the journey.
The fares are: First-class, ~ cents;
second class, II cents; third class, !
cent per mile. This last is not expen-
sive travelling. 1t would be equal to
going through from New York 10 Chi
cago tor 81 80; but, strange to say, this
railway makes all its profits, so fur as
passenger traffic Is concerned, from its
third-class passengers 1t half cent a
mile. For third~elass carriages are al
most always full aud often crowded,
while is often the tirst and second class
are half or thrce-fourths empty, and
sometimes hrst-class carriage will 20
througha hundred miles entirely emp
ty, or with but one passenger in it.
Many trains run with but one irst-class
carnage. one second. and from eigut
to twelve third. The old saying on the
continent used TO be that ..only lords.
Americans, and fools travel tirst-class.'
Hero the higher English officials are
obliged to travel first class to keep up
their dignity. A few wealthy native
nabobs also go that way to "cut a
SWELL The majority Of foreigners,
however, aud Eurasians (half-ca ~tes) 90
in The more democratic second class,
and also fair number of well-to-do
natives but they usually prefer to take
a separate compartment from the Ell-
ropeans. The multitude, consisting of
the poorer Earasians, and of Brahmins,
Sudras, aud P,li ;h>, priests and peo-
pie. artisans, traders, farmers. coolies,
crowd into the cheaper and more pop
ular third-c:ass Carriages. Being thus
huddled together is Il great ievelcr OF
Old caste prejudices, and tho railway
thus becomes something OF an educator
of the people. - christian Union. F.,