Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-12-08
A FLYING PALACE CROSSES THE
CONTINENT.
Heated by Steam, Lighted by Elec-
tricity, and Elegantly Furnished
-"Delmonico on Wheels"


its appointments. 1t consisted of five cars
all heated by steam and lighted by cleo
triciiy, with every modern improvement
for the convenience, safety and comfort O
passengers, and furnished in a style O
magnifcence that rivals the most sumptu
Gus private car in the country. There wa
a large crowd of people at the depot TO SCI
| the wonder, and they were permitted TO q
through portion of the train and inspec
its elaborate appointments.
MEETING THE LIMITED.
! On Thursday evening a small party. con
sisting of ]. B. Wright, Superintendent;
! ID. Burckhalter, Assistant Superintendent
| of the Sacramento Division of the C. P. r
R ?. Douglass, Foreman of Repairs. and
representatives of the RECORD UNION and
| Bee, left Sacramento on the overland to
meet the Golden Gate limited. After a
good nights sleep they arose refreshed, and
at half past six yesterday morning stepped
| OF the train into the bracing and frosty air
OF Truckee There was snow on the sur
rounding hills, but the sky was clear and
| the weather delightful. The expected train
was not due at Truckee until I1:30, and the
intervening time was spent in visiting the
finest round-house on the Pacific coast,
looking at the great piles of lumber and
listening to ice men tell about the prospects
of the ice crop in that section this winter.
THE vEsTIBULE TRAIN
Arrived on time, and J. II. Whited. Su-
perintendent of the Truckee Division.
turnedit over TO Superintendent Wright,
who took charge of it for the balance of
the trip. Mr., Whited, however, came on
as far as Sacramento. Some repairs
were needed to the steam connections
and it was 11:50 when the train pulled
out OF Truckee, with engine No. SS, Bonas
Lghtner, engineer; J. L. Pearson, con-
ductor. The train is run by the Southern
Pacific Company and Union Pacific Com
pany, but as 1t is made up entirely of Pull
man cars II is handled by some twenty
employees of the Pullman Company. There
were on board: J. P. Meehan, Superintend-
ent OF the Pacific Division; Msior ]. f.
Trout, Commissary; George Goldsmith,
Assistant CommissaFy; John Larkin, Con-
duotor: T. A. Grady, Train Agent; c. r.
Hughes, Conductor of Dining. car: Ira G.
Bets, Electrician; Mrs. K. Flood. Chaperon
and Ladies Attendant; four porters, three
cooks, five walters and barber. All of
these were selected from the best men in
the service OF the Pullman Company.
There were but few passengers on the
train, owing to the fact that the leaving
time OF the train had been badly mixed up
by the papers in the East and the correct
time was not known. Several passengers
left the train at Ogden for Salt Lake, and
those who came through were Colonel \ .
D. Hodge, General Agent of the New York
Llte Insurance Company, en- route to Aus
tralla; W. B. Bancroft. Secretary and Man
ager of the Bancroft Publishing Company,
San Francisco; Miss NJ B. Britton. of Red
wood, Cal; Tilden Blodgett, Of New York:
w. p. Appleyard, representing the Neil
roy Heating Company, by whose system
the cars are heated, and l. D. White, repre-
sentative of the New York World.
DESCRIPTION OF THE TRAIN.
The train, as already stated, consists of
i've cars, having q vestibule connection bv
which it is practically all one car when the
doors leading from the car steps into the
yestibule are closed, as they always are
when the train is in motion. The doors
leading from the platforms into the cars
are then like so many inside doors of a
residence and may be left open or closed
as desired. Thus, person may pass from
one end OF the train to the other without
going into the air. The vestibule connec-
ton is difficult to describe so that the
reader will gain clear idea of its appear
ance The platforms of the cars are the
same as on an ordinary Pullman, except
that they are rooted over with steel casing
OF great resisting power. A handsome
door, the upper panel of beautiful cut
glass, is situated just at the iop of the steps
on each side of the platform When two
cars are connected, the platforms
come close together, and are coy
cred with q heavy rubber flooring.
so that no dust or air comes uD from be-
low. Instead of the ordinary railing to
the platforms, there is connection between
the cars consisting Of a diaphragm of rub
I Der, folded In pl9ifs so as to work like the
| bellows OF an ACCORDION, With chatting
plates between. The steel castings over
mead fit together closely and have the same
power OF resistance as the platform and
butter. Mr.. Larkin, the conductor, said
that this aTragnement reduced the dangers
of travel by rail to the minimum, and that
they were the safest cars ever run. He
has been for along time the conductor of
the celebrated Chicago Limited of the
Pennsylvania Railroad, and Is one of the
most trusted men in the employ of the
Pullman Company. As illustrating the
power of resistance in these vesiibule con-
necious, be stated that one time his train
collided with another when they were run
ming at the rate OF forty-fiEe miles an hour.
Both engines were demolished and two
baggage cars were telescoPed, but not a
wheel of the yestibule cars went off the
track, and the passengers did not know
that collision had taken place. The cars
We're not damaged enough to require
five minutes repairs. and left Chicago on
their return 10 New York the same day.
THE CARS.
The first car of the train is e combination
car named Golden Gate In the front
end is located the dynamo, which supplies
electricity to all the cars. 1t IS run by
steam from the engine, and the latter also
furnishes steam TO heat the cars and hot
water for the bathrooms and wash-stands.
The rest of this compartment is used for
baggage, which is so arranged that passen-
gers can open their trunks en- route, if de-
sired. In the center of the car is a spacious
| store-room, where the commissary supplies
are kept. Then comes an elegantly fitted
up barber shop. with large mirrors. 1t is
presided over by Oscar Zwilling, an accom-
| plished tonsorial artist who was once the
| private barber of George Pullman, and the
iist TO ply his vocation on the Pullman
/ yesilbule trains of the Pennsylvania Rail-
road. Here the passenger may get a shave
| with as much comfort and safety as in the
best barber shop in America. OFF the bar
ber shop is bathroom for gentlemen, with
wash-stand, closet and all the conveniences
| found in the best hotels Hot and cold water
is supplied here, as in all of the cars, under
pressure. Incandeseent electric lights are
here and everywhere throughout the train.
THE DINING CAR
Is named Casa Monica and is capable OF
| seating forty people at comfortable tables
1t is handsomely fitted up in antique oak.
| upholstered in dark green plush, with vel
vet lambrequins of the latest fashionable
color. In unique side brackets over the
| tables are potted plants and flowers. The
seats at the tables are divided in the center
SO that they can be turned up like those in
q thester, to allow persons to pass in and
out easily, and are even provided with the
wire hat-racks underneath. Ten incandes-
cent lights illuminate this portion of the
car. On the dining-room is the kitchen,
pantry, ice chest, ice cream freezer, china
closets, sideboard and everything else
necessary to setting q first-class table.
HOW THEY LIVE