The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-05-29

They Really Are Cleaned and A'res 'o'
Zach Trip, and Stocked. Too.


secure perfect cleanliness in the more
luxurious classes of railroad COACHES,
known variously as sleeping, drawing
room, dining and buffet cars. A con-
viction is widespread, particularly among
women. that the reverse is the case. The
blankets that are always so strangely
suggestive Of cold buckwheat cakes,
being of a feel and thickness unlike any
other blankets are we're apt to be viewed
with suspicion AS for the pillows, how
many women have vowed that they
could sniff the hair oil of the preceding
user upon theml Why, even bed bug
stories have been told of sleeping cars.
and the anecdote about dropping gold
dollar in sleeping car and finding 1t a
month afterward just where it fell, has
become such stock story among travel
ing men that some of them now actually
believe it. In view of all this, there Is
solid comfort in such story as Superln-
tendent c. D. Flagg tells about what Is
done with their cars at the conclusion OF
every trip. He says:
Every car, as soon as it Is emptied of
its passengers at terminal point, IL, as
we term it, stripped in the yard. The
carpets are taken up. carried out, beaten
and aired The seats and backs are
taken ont and thoroughly cleaned in like
manner. The mattresses, blankets and
berth curtains are also whipped, aired
and. if the weather permits, summed.
The spring beds are freed from the bed
dust that gathers from fraying OF textile
fabrics, by brushing and wiping in all
parts. All utensils are carried out,
soused in scaldng lye and scrubbed.
The pillows are beaten and summed like
the mattresses. The floor and oilcloths
i'm the saloons are scrubbed, and all the
woodwork, having been secured thor
oughly clean with soap, brushes, hot
water and drying cloths, Is gone over
with furniture polish. About once a
week the veneering or painted canvas
constituting the ceiling is carefully
secured to cleanse from it accumulatlons
of smoke and clinging dust. The win
dows are cleansed and rubbed bright.
All brass and silver mountings are pol
ished Dust and stains are as carefully
washed from the outside of the car as
from the inside To do that work we
keep 100 cleaners steadily at work here
in New York. and numbers at other
points in proportion to the work required.
While all this has been going on. every
shred of textile fabrics that should be
washed-sheets, pillow cases, towels,
napkins and cushion covers-has been
sent to the laundry and replaced by
clean stock of articles. Each car has
two complete outfits of these things,
which are used alternately, one being
laundried, aired and packed while the
other is on the road.
Then. when the process is complete,
the car has to be retrimmed, by the re
laying of carpets and oil cloths; putting
in place of the springs, mattresses. seats
and backs; slowing away OF the pillows
linen and curtains, and, last Of all, the
thorough washing out of the water tanks
and refilling them with fresh water and
ice That last thing is never done unit.
the final moment when the car is about
TO be drawn from the yard 10 take its
place in the outgoing train. While all
this has been going on the railroad PEG
pie who are responsible for the care of
the running gear Of the car inspect the
trucks. test the brakes, sound every
wheel. see that the boxes are rightly
packed. and as fan as foresight can 60,
make sure accidents shall be averted.
That is the regular routine, scrupu-
lousy followed every day upon every
car that comes in. No housewife even
in Holland, ever dreamed of such
thorough house cleaning as this Is. In
addition thereto, the blankets are steam
secured twice year, which is at least
double the attention they get in most
hotels. The berth curtains are treated 50
once a year. Carpets have to be renewed
every fifteen or eighteen months, as the
hard service wears them out very rapidly.
The only variations upon that elaborate
process Of cleaning are in handling the
dining room and buffet cars, where the
operations involve thorough publication
OF all utensils, cleansing of the ice boxes
and kitchens and restocking with pro
visions One rule always maintains that
the primary thing to he done when the
car comes into the hands of the cleaners
is to take out of it everything that can
be taken out. Then every separate piece
so removed must be. made faultlessly
clean before it is put back
Each dining room or buffet car has
its steward, whose duty it is to report to
The assistant commissary Immediately
upon his arrival what stock he has left
over and what he Is short Of To verify
his report the assistant commissary, who
acts as a check upon him, goes through
his sock and then makes out, to replace
shortages and keep up the supplies,
requisition upon the commissary. That
requisitiou is filled out upon blank form,
on which are specified about 500 articles
IN constant use on those cars, with spaces
left for the addition of more as the con-
ditions of the markets enable increase in
the resources of our commissariat In
all the management of this department
there is Just such system of checking
in and checking out as obtains in the
stock room of every big hotel All
groceries, wines, liquors, and other non
perishable goods are bought in great
quantities, and kept in the company's