St. Landry democrat., 1888-03-24
RUSSIAN RAILROADS.
A. Country Where Tt IL Not Very Pleasant
"Riding on the Rail-"

RUSSIAN RAILROADS.
A Country where It IL Not Very Pleasant
"Riding on the Rail-"
Railroad travel I'm Russia reminds
one of certain sections of the United
States where the roads are very new,
the equipments cheap, the employees In
experienced and all kinds of accommo-
dations very limited. 1t 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 well built, but they were
not well equipped, and have been
poorly maintained. The arbitrary di-
rection of the Czar that all the lines
should be perfectly straight from one
large city to the other, or from the be-
ginning to the termini, regardless of
the lesser points on the way, will be a
great drawback to the country for
Years. The strangers attention is di-
rectly attracted to the large number Of
small cities and important villages he
sees from one to five miles off the rail-
road lines. These marts of trade are
more or less substantial, and genera
tions will comeS Sand go before the sta
tions are as pldR Rtiful along the railroad
lines as they Tbuld at first have been
made but for she interference of the
Gar. "A
1t is very sda pm that house is pro-
vided for ocalaotives, or there is a
shed for any cIssss of material, notwith-
standing the fact that the nine months
of rain or snow each year make them
more necessary han in other countries.
Locomotives, rusting and falling to
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 five
to forty minutes. The guard comes to
your carriage door when the train
stops, opens it, and tells how long the
stopwill be. He also points to the restau-
rant HARDLY and tells you what can
be purchased, and further that there is
amI'e time. It is probable that there
is a 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 sleeping-car or carriage that
can be utilized as sleeper encountered.
For a run between two cities distant
like New York and Washington, or
New York or Boston. which occupies
five and half or six hours in America.
day or night of twelve to fourteen
hours is consumed. There are seldom
closets or drinking water or similar ac-
commodations. At every station, day
or night, old women or children visit
the carriages and sell drinking water.
There is one comfort, however. on
Russian railway train. There are no
cinders. The old-fashioned wood
burning locomotives are used, and, rs
they have spark and cinder protectors
and burn pine or white poplar or SINH
lar woods, there is freedom from both
cinders and smoke. The roads are too
new for dust, too. when there is a
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 so cold that the metal
is endangered, and I presume they
keep up their work in the summer as
much to maintain discipline as 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 on-houses
and homes for employees. / do not re-
member to shave seen an elevator or
grain warehouse, although this is such
a great wheat-producing country.
Moscow Cor. Louisville Courier Journal.