The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-02-09
IN KANGAROO LAND.
AN "OvERLAN0 JOURNEY" FROM sgd
NEY TO MELBOURNE.
Six Hundred and Seventy Miles on an
Australian Limited Express"-A
DIsasreeable Climate-Face
of the Country.
ICor. Inter ocean,

Most of the year the Australians nave
to provide against extreme heat This is
evident from the construction of the
hotels with open courts, like those of
Spain The railway carriages too have
double tops as they have in India. So
we try to keep comfortable by congratu-
lating ourselves that we are not sweltering
in an Australian summer. But it amuses
us to hear these people talk of the severe
American winter with a shudder! AL
though snow is very rare with them-eX-
cept on the mountains-and the puddles
in the streets seldom freeze over, their
houses, churches, hotels and railroads
are so entirely untitled for even their mode
rately cold weather that we suffered more
than we would at home In the severest
Chicago blizzard.
ABOAFD THE TRAIN
Australian railways are patterned after
those of England, so that the overland
Journey" from Sydney to Melbourne is
somewhat of an ordeal to an American.
We went on the Limited express, which
covers the SO miles in eighteen hours.
We found the train to consist of an Eng
lish locomotive, a luggage and a mail
van " one compartment carriage. and
two sleeping-cars. The latter bore far
away resemblance to an American sleeper.
They were mounted on trucks like ours,
and were entered from the end, but were
lower and narrower to conform to the
other carriages Large panels in the
sides swing out like doors between the
sections, and the upper berths were hung
on to them something like rigid hammers.
One section had to be devoted to mat
tresses and blankets, even during the day,
for lack of room, and all the arrange
ments are so clumsy that it took the con-
ductor an hour to make up four sections
for the night, the whole car being strewn
A. -, RI Il ~Nf Io,s bod
ding meanwhile, and the passengers try
ing to keep out of the way the best they
could A number of sections were
divided from the rest of the car by port
able door or portiere, and assigned to
the ladies. They entered one end of the
car and the gentlemen the other. AS
there is no occasion for any one to walk
through the train, as with us, the lady
passengers are quite secluded, and can
make their preparations for the night
without embarrassment
The train ran furiOusly all night lay
in my narrow shelf in cold perspiration
and grabbed franticaliy at the edges of
the bunk to keep from being thrown out
as the car struck sharp curves on the
down grades. 1t seemed every instant as
D. we should be swung over by the Centrif-
Ssal force, like the end boy in the game
of "crack the whip 1t was wretchedly
cold too, in spite of all thesblankets in
which we were rolled.
THE INCONVENIENCES.
was just getting to sleep when we
were all awakened and ordered up at 400
We breakfasted at in the cold, frosty,
morning air, in a room without heat,
most careless proceeding. Then we rode
three miles further and had to turn out
again. However, as it was just as warm
outside the car as in it. we rather enjoyed
the exercise. We were at the frontier
and as ictoria goes in for protection
while New South Wales believes in free
trade, we had to have our luggage exam
ined. Then, as the New South Wales
engineers favor one gauge for their rail
roads and the V1ctorians another, it is i'm
possible to run. train through intact
from Sydney to Melbourne The two
colonies are intensely jealous of each
other in every way, and so they make
many things as inconvenient for them
selves as they can We therefore had to
transfer ourselves and our goods and
chattels" to another train of ordinary con-
tinental compartment carriages
We sat wrapped in shawls and blankets.
in our hack style of conveyance trying to
keep partially comfortable. The colonials
alight at every station and brace" to
keep warm; So as the government derives
revenue from the importation of liquors.
it may be good policy not to heat the
CdAS! Lulu 10 SICdC uCdl VI
in the colonies. l think more whisky is
consumed per capita than in the United
States, although the absorption of corn
juice is generally thought to be speciality
of Americans, as far as quantity is con
cerned.
The country through which we passed
looks like portions of many of our western
states. It is thickly wooded with
eucalyptus and box trees except where
cleared for farming. We passed many
small villages, whence departure is made
for the gold fields in the distant noun
tains. They resemble in size and appear
ance the towns in our western mining dis
tricts or the stations along the Central
Pacific in Nevada The cabins of
"selecters' are seen at intervals and occa-
sional wheat fields are noticed, but most of
the country is devoted to sheep and cattle
raising. Both mutton and beef are largely
exported to England. and horses are bred
and sent to India