St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1888-05-05
RUSSIAN RAllROADA


RUSSIAN RAllROADA
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Railroad travel n Russia reninds
one Of certain sections Of the United
States where the roads are very nsw.
the equipments cheap. the employees In
experienced and all kinds Of aocommo.
dations very limited. Il has been only
since the late rebellion In America that
Russia has figured at all In railroad
circles. The lines Of Winans Of Balti-
more. were we'll built but they were
not well equipped. and have besa
poorly maintained. The arbitrary d.
rection Of the Gear that al tho lines
should be perfectly straight from one
large city to the other. or from the b.
ginning to the termini. regardless Of
the lesser points on the way, will b .
great drawback to the country for
years The strangers attention 10 di-
rectly attracted to the large number Of
small cities and important villages he
sees from one 10 five miles OF the rail-
road linea These marts Of trade are
more or less substantial, and genera
tons will como and 60 before the sta
lions are - plentiful along the railroad
lines Is they would 1t first have been
made but for the interference Of the
Car.
1t is very seldom that . house 10 pro-
vided for locomotives. or there 10 .
shed for any class OF material. notwith-
standing the fact that the nine months
Of rain or snow each year make them
more necessary than in other countriea
Locomotives. rusting and falling 10
pieces. although but few years old.
and tools of every character are seen
strewn about everywhere. The sta
tions. however, are cOmmOdiOus and
comfortable. The fastest express
trains. which make about twenty miles
an hour. stop at every station from hve
to forty minutes. Tho guard comes to
your carriage door when the train
stops. opens il. and tells how long the
stop will be. He also points to the restau-
rant hari-by and tells you what can
Be purchased, and further that there is
ample time. It 10 probable that there
is commission arrangement, or all the
railroad restaurants are run BY the
company. Few passenger trains are
without freight cars. The trains are
long. the rails heavy and good. the
ballasting fair. but the equipments are
so inferior that the employees refuse to
make any speed.
But one passenger train runs each day.
even on the principal lines. and very sell
dom is slceping-car or carriage that
can be utilized rs sleeper encountered.
For . run between two cities distant
like New York and Washington. or
New York or Boston. which occupies
Eve and half or six hours in America.
day or night Of twelve to fourteen
hours 10 consumed. There are seldom
closets or drinking water or similar &C
cOmmOdations. At every station. day
or night. old women or children visit
the carriages and sell drinking water.
There is one comfort, however. on a
Russian railway train. There are no
cinders. The old-fashioned wood
burning locomotives are used. and, as
they have spark and cinder protectors
and burn pine or white poplar or simi-
lar woods. there is freedom from both
cinders and smoke. The roads are too
new for dust. too. when there is .
period dry enough to make dust
At every station force of men with
hammers pound all the wheels on the
cars and carriages to see that they are
sound. The pounding has due respect
to time. and is rather musical. These
men are necessary during the winter.
when the air is SD cold that the metal
is endangered. and presume they
keep up their work in the summer as
much to maintain discipline rs any
thing else. The high tariffs and the
growth OF business have enabled the
railroad companies to make many inn
prOvements in the way of station-h0uses
and homes for employees. l do not re-
member to have seen an elevator or
grain warehouse. although this is such
q great wheat-producing county,
MoscoD Cor. Louisville C0wvier-JOuvssaI.