The Wilmingtonian., 1888-01-14
GEORGE M. PULLMAN.
THE STORY OF THE MODERN PAL
ACE CAR REToLD.s

tIrst Experiments Made ON the Alton
Road-Beginnlng of the Palace Car.
Building of the "Pioneer'--Railrosd
Men Laugh-Cutting Platforms.
George M. Pullman was born in Brocton,
Chautauqua county, and his birth year 1881.
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 1876. Mr. Field was inter
ested in legislation concerning sleeping car
fares, and the Woodruff Sleeping Car COM
pany, in acknowledgment Of his interest in
their behalf, had given him the right to run
their sleepels on a couple Of western roads
While Mr. Pullman was in Chicago in 1859
he was called upon by Senator Field with
request for several loans, and out Of these ac-
commodations 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 prospec-
tive earnings. Matters went on in this way
for short time, and meanwhile Field, who
had no business tact, lost his sleeping car SER
vice OH the other two western roads which
had been given him. One day he came to
Mr.. Pullman and told him that he had an op-
portunity to buy back the privileges on the
other roads, and that he would like to sell his
half interest in the copartnership line to Mr..
Pullman. A bargain was struck, and Mr..
Pullman paid his partner a., 500 This was at
the opening of the war, when the night trains
on the Alton road had been taken off by
the superintendent, who was a sympathizer
with the south, and who thought that before
the war was over grass would grow in the
streets Of the north. The outlook for the AL
ton road was very dubious 1t is a singular
| illustration of Mr.. Pullman's good fortune
that he had hardly concluded the purchase OF
his partners half interest before business be-
came SO good that the night trains were
started again and the sleeping car business
began at once to make returns. These sleep
ing cars on the Alton road, with which Mr.
Pullman's first experiments were tried, were
simply two ordinary passenger coaches
which he had changed into the commonest
kind OF sleeping cars at slight expense. Fifty
cents wns charged for berth, and the first
night, four berths were sold. About this
time the Pixies peak fever set in, and Mr..
Pullman gravitated west and spent two or
three years at Pike's peak He returned in
1854 and again took up his sleeping car pro-
ject.
BEGINNING OF THE PALACE CAR.
In 1854 Mr.. Pullman, who had been giving
the sleeping car business close attention, and
who had become deeply interested in the
thought that there was a wide field for in
ventive genius in that direction, met a master
car builder of the Alton railroad, who was
an old friend, and paid him 500 month to
take in charge the construction Of a model
car He obtained the privilege Of using a
shed OF the Alton railroad in its yard at Chi
cago, and told the builder what sort OF a car
he wanted. The great question with him
was how to have an upper and lower berth
that would be comfortable. They were at
that time the nlerest makeshifts to afford a
nights rest. Mr.. Pullman determined that
the new car should be the handsomest ever
made. Heretofore o sleeping car had cost
not more than "a, 900 OF $4500 Looking the
matter over and wondering how he could ar
range two berths that would be roomy, com
Portable and convenient, he was perplexed as
TO the disposition Of the mattresses. At that
ime all the mattresses were put away in one
section during the daytime. In fact, the
early sleeping cars were simply used for
| night cars and not run in the daytime
Mr.. Pullmans idea was to have a car that
could be run on long trips either as day or
night car. With this object in view he
started to build the Pioneer He found
the mattresses could not be put on the floor
because Of the dust and discomfort. There
was no place between the windows, and he
finally said to his car builder, "W'hy not
hinge an upper berth near the roof and pu}
the mattresses in it when the berth is closed
during the daytimelo The car builder re-
piled at once that the car was not high enough,
and that the space would be too small This.
L was before cars were built withsaissd "decks"l
Tor roofs "Then," said Mr.. Pullman siwbv'
iga rba - Al.
versation was a direction that plans should
be drawn for car as wido aud as high as
would be necessary to get in two belths in
cludtng one hinged to the upper side of the
car The plan was accurately drawn for a
car one foot wider and two and one half feet
higher than any car that had heretofore been
built in this country.
| RAILROAD MEN LAUGH.
OF course railroad men who heard Of Mr..
| Pullmans plans smiled, and said that if Mr..
! Pullman was railroad man he would know
better than TO pursue his impracticablep propo-
sitions; that he he would only meet disaster
and lose all that he had But his conviction
was strong and clear, and with that pluck
and audacity which have always charac-
terized his clear sighted business policy, he
went ahead and the car was built. The next
question was the decoration of it, Mr.. Pull
man determined that il should he the hand
soonest car in all respects that ever had been
made in the country. He came ON to New
York and there happened to meet the artist
who had just decorated the house Of Samuel
j. Tilden. He at once closed with this artist
took him west and set him at work decorating
the car
| When the Pioneer was finished it had cost
the extraordinary sum Of $4,000, a large
price even now for a sleeping car. II was a
wonder to everybody, 1t was just as Mr..
Pullman had expected. The beauty of the
hmsh and the marvellous innovation he had
made were advertised far and near hy the
newspapers and by railroad men, and some
OF the latter began to believe that the ideas
of the inventor after ali were practicable.
| The Pioneer was in process of building for a
| whole year. The assassination of Lincoln oc-
curring at this time IL was suggested that
the Pioneer be used in the funeral train. and
it was run from Springfield to Chicago on
the Alton road. As had been predicted when
the car was built, it was too wide to run on
the roads as then constructed 1t was neces-
saly for the Alton road To send along its line
and cut off the platforms that projected, and
TO make numerous changes at stations so that
the car, with its width Of an additional foot.
| could pass.
Thus the railroads had to make way for tbe
improvements that the convenience OF the
travelling public demanded Everywhere
the beauty Of the Pioneer was talked Of, and
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 Detroit
TO Galema The Michigan Central railronc
was compelled to do precisely what the Altor
road did-cut its platforms, and in othei
ways make way for the car and from this
time on the railroads prepared themselves I.
the new palace car. A $. in Albnny
Journal
What Kept Lincoln Aw Ike.
DIUJnGy tba dos i.