The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1886-02-04
TIs.tVi.L IN INDIA.
Eow They Manage Things on the Madras
Railway.

The Madras railway. one OF the p-in-
cipal roads in India, las nearly eigh!
| hundred miles of Inc, and is vel! built.
with good stations all along the line. /,
is broad-guage railway, and is sub
sidized by the An"lo-Ind;an govern
| ment, so as to be controlled by it FOR
military purposes. Tne cars are built
| much the shape rs American freight
cars, only not quite SO long. They
| have no platforms st the ends, but arc
| coupled-together like an American
freight-train. Each car is divided into
compartments. entered at the side OF
the car and reaching across. The seats
face one another, and each single coul-
partment holds twelve persons when
full, one half Of them riding back
| ward
The train is made up of three kinds
OF passenger-coach chcs, besides freight
and baggage c:,~s. The tirst-class pas
senger-carriago~ 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 as 10 turn into slecping-cars
at night. They are cushioned with
leather-covered cushions, but not usu-
ally with spring seats
The second class carriages have no
cushions-simply board seats. Shelves
are made to raise up. like the shelves
of pantry, three on each side, one
above another, so that six passengers
can lie down comfortably, if they have
brought along their own mattresses
and pillows. III each compartment. If
there are more than six in Que COM
partment, some must sit Up. The third
class carriages are, many of them, all
in one compartment. with fixed wool
en- benches. and with no glass windows
st the sides-simply rough VeEetiaus
to slide up and down; nothing to keep
out dust, and no double Roof. The first
and second class carriages have double
roofs and both glass ard Venetian win
dows TO protect passengers from sun
stroke on the journey.
The fares are: First-ciass, A cents;
second class, II cents; slird class, I
cent per mile. This last is not expcn-
sive travelling. 1t would be equal to
going through from New York 10 Ch:-
cago for Ss4 so; but, strange to say, this
railway makes all its profits, SO far rs
passenger traffic is concerned, from lis
third-class passengers at half cent a
mile. For third-class carriages are al
most always full and often crowded,
while as often the first and second class
are haif or three-four,:is empty, aud
sometimes tirst-class carriage will 90
through hundred miles entirely emD-
ty. or with but one passenger in it.
Many trains run with bat one iirst-class
carriage, one second. and from eight
to twelve third. 1'he old saying on the
continent used 10 be that ''only lords,
Americans, and fools travel tirst-class."
Here the higher English officials arc
obliged 10 travel iirst class to keep up
their dignity. a few wealthy native
nabobs also go that way to ''cut a
swell" The maj ,ri:y OF foreigners,
however, and Eurasians (half-castes) 90
III the more Democratic second Class,
and also far number OF weli-to-do
natives. but they usually prefer to take
a separate compartment frO:n the Eth
ropeans. TLc c-Inuitit,,le, consisting of
the poorer Eurasians, and Of Brahmins.
SuIras, and ?arisils, priests and peo-
pie. artisans, trst.ers, flrmers, coolies,
crowd into the cheaper aud more pop
ular third-c!ass carriages. Being thus
huddiei together is = great leveier Of
Old caste prcjudiccs, end the railway
thus becomes something OF an educator
OF the people.-thrtStian J'nioh