The Dickinson press., 1888-05-12
GEORGE M. PULLMAN.
THE STORY OF THE MODERN PAL
ACE CAR RETOLD.
First Experiments Mado ON the Alton
notwithstanding of tho Palace Car.
Building of the Observation-Disclosures

George NJ. Pullman was born in Brocton,
Chautauqua county, and his birth year 1851.
He lived in Brocton fourteen years and then
moved to Albion, where he also resided four
teen years. AT Albion he became acquainted
with Senator Ben Field, a member of the
state senate in 1916. Mr.. Field was inter
csted in legislation concerning sleeping car
fares, and the Woodruff Sleeping Car COM
pany, in acknowledgement OF his interest in
,hciI behalf, had given him the right to run
their slcepcrS on a couple of western roads.
While Mr.. Pullman was in Chicago i'll 1889
he was called upon by Senator Field with q
request for several loans, and out of these nc.
commodationSn an arrangement grew between
them to run sleeping cars on the Alton road,
Pullman to pay the senator, VINO had secured
the right to run the cars, half of the prosrec-
tive earnings. Matters Went on i'll this way
for n short time. and meanwhile Field, who
hail no business tact, lost his sleeping car ser
vice on the other two western roads which
had been given him.. One day he came tn
MIR. Pullman and told him that he had an OPP
portunity to huy back the privileges on the
other roads, and that he would like tn sell his
half interest i'll the copartncrsl,ip line to Mr..
Pullman. y bargain was struck, and MIR.
Pullman paid his partner $1,000. This was at
the opening of the war, when the night trains
on the Alton road had been takci, oil by
the superintendent, who was IL sy,npaihizer
with Til" south. and VINO thought that before
tm. war was over grass wonll grow i'll the
streets "f the north. The outlook for the AL
tom ROAD was very dubious. 1t is II singular
illustration of Mr.. Pullman's good fortune
that liz had hardly concluded the purchase of
his partners halt intercs: betorc business be
ranic 20 good that the night trains were
started again and the sleeping car business
began u once to maxi returns. These sleep
ilig cars on the Alton road, with which MIR.
Pullman's first experiments were tried. We're
SiMll'lr tw" ordinary passenger coaches.
which IL ia! changed into the romnl"nrSt
bind - sirr.'in:; cars =, slight expense. Fifty
ra,i:5 "as ci,ar al for berth, and the first
i%il;r,,. fuar irrti,s were sold. .Alnut this
time llr riirS peak fever set in, and MIR.
Pullman g.avi'%tesi west and spent two or
three wears ~ Tii-e's peak. He returned in
1864 md again tool up his sleeping car pro-
jNt.
BEGINNING of THE PALACE VAR.
In Is! Mr.. Pullman. who had lr@'n giving
t!r' s.ar,ing car business ii, = attention. and
~" !.,i lmr"-." 'iee.'i.y interested IA the
;~,,.oNr%,., that lil,..n was - - L. ii T.; fox III
~vr:.;:NH rr:;iUs iNt.a,. erection, ~; Il master
~! "..,:ii;irr nj lie Anon rc;i"..l. Vino w:;s
;'u 'I! ir,.'.'l. sad p:n! iial :ltH n m"..t' i"
tax. IN ciitr.r. tic construction Of i. -. 81
car. lie "bt,;i,"l tee privilege ol u,i:,s Il
she'd ri the Alton ra,i-rll in lis yard Ut CHI
'a:,'. nnl :'!l tn ha;ld"r what sort of 81 rlr
L. "r:. 4. Th~ ;:rrre question with iiim
":;> 'N ID have ~, '::':s't and lower berth
;,lit wo;'-l TX comfortable. They were al;
az, a., 49,. .,. ..-j--.:t,,x III IL -
-: RS. NJ. r".l:nan determined shat
l:.r".g rar s!ull.l ir liz, iant,7ol;ie>. r..r
IN !". Heretofore Il Sleeping cur had c.@t
: ~ :at. 81 800 %" ; $500. Looking lin.
f":,rt;! wnn irri:; how he voull ar
4. $3.50 imtt,iS tiiak wn.!i I've roo;nv. COM
:,;,.u.r ;E lrm..nirnt h. was pcrilcxci Il.
t., th. G;sl'oot..pr" 90 ;!e ,:'@ttrrsses. AT tir,t
tame ali tho mattresses We're put away in 4,
.'';"l during til" daytime. In fact, liz,
early sleeping cars We're simply used for
night cars ",,! not run in the daytime.
Mr.. Pull Hll,'s idea was to have n cav that
rp''id hc run "n long trips either as = day ~
Il Ai.ht car. With this object in view Il.
IT, .,tiies:cs ro,i.l 10: Ia put on TIE n~pi.
ints.;;""f the .is:;. ;:nl discomfort. T!."rr
80. III, lla"" l"a"r"n THE windows. an! IL"
- s't'' .'s.i : =. - '.t t'tllhl'I. Nv ittt
AZ ...."t !.ai;i. l"a.' the .,n,i ;ili ;r;t
...'rf:ra. IA il " .en the berth is riu.ptt
-, =. u. d,,i.in~.' 'iim car l.,iilcr To-
~. a: o:,ee limit tn. c:i WASH no: h!phrau, =,
an ;la1 li,.s:u"" would iA too small. i'n.s
wi;'. ....'rsg;" ".S Al.ir with rni>rl '.,l.ri.. =
OF r"at,. ~ an" said Sir. Pullman. "wily
v"rs,,ti 4 "l> y direction that plans sllo.il
| lao, t,., ~, i.,,. :, ,., E. -. A,i!, ,>-,1 a.. l'.i .,
w"til b." l2c,9 ~: ia yet in two Lrrtl.s. III
~ci;,li,..: Oh" ha,..,"l ~ ,ilr Upper side of the
car. iii" plaza vas arrura,ei, drawn for Il
car one foot " l,!nr and two and one-half feet
hi,!l"' than AZ, ~ar that had heretofore brel.
bulit in this r,un,iy.
RAILROAD MEN LAUGH
or c"ilrs, rl,.e"u III men vino heard of Mr..
Pullman. riai;.% nliini. and said that il Mr..
P;iil.uau wi!> u ra!!i' mi l:.sn he would know
br,tcr Il. "a: To- ",,i!a:i hisiinpracrirahlr mropo-
-ili"ns; t.,tt Ii" lie w,uli Only meet disaster
and ln,p ;.ii that liza lln.i. But III, conviction,
was strong arl clear. and with that pluck
and uuiuity which have always chnru.-
tariZcd his clear sighted l~nl,iEcS; ,,o:icv, h.
Went alc: | and the car w, hu;lt. III. nrxt
question WAS the decoration al ii. Mr Pull
man determined t!.at i. siln;li,l ;r the lu!i,i-
soonest car in all respects that ever had beef,
made in I'll" country. He came OF tn New
Iorl, and there happened 10 meet the artist
who had Just decorated the tlnlSr of Samuel
j. fillc, He ut once closed witt, this artist,
took him west and set him at work decorating
the car.
When the Pioneer was finished ii had cost
the extraordinary sum of $4,000, IL lurs.,
price even now for a sleeping car /, was
wonder to everybody Il MA, just IL; J.
Pullman had expected. Til" .m,:iyl
finish and the marvellous im"s.t:nn lie ..
made were advertised far aid n...r by .
newspapers and by railroad men. and .o..,t
of the latter began to believe that the :,:.
of the inventor after all were prur.:rii,lp.
The Pioneer was in process of huild. .,r /.
whole year. The assassination % Li.r,..u
curing at thi, time, it wa; s,l.3srs, ,.t...
the Pioneer Il" used i'll the funeral train. a..
it was run from Springfield to Chicago
tue Alton road. AS had been predicted va.
the car was built, it was too wide to rum
the roads as then constructed. 1t was ncs..e
sary for the Alton road to send along its La.
aud cut of the platforms that projected. an,
to mako numerous changes at stations 81 tia,
the car, with its width of an additional foot
could pass.
Thus the railroads had to make way for tp
Improvements that the convenience of TIN
travelling public demanded. Everywhere
the beauty of the Pioneer was talked of, an,
it was not strange that soon after, when Gen
Grant came home. the use of the car wa
asked to convey the great hero from Detroi
to Galena. The Michigan Central railroa
was compelled to do precisely what the Alto
road did-cut its platforms, and in cthc
ways make way for the car-and from thi
time ON the railroads prepared themselves f,
the new palace car.-"J. A. 81 in Alban,
Journal.
It pear like dc meanes' men has de mo
'auence ohcr de bes' women.