The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1888-11-10
ON THE LINE.
When Bessie died.
How Sleeping, Dining and Parlor Cars
Are Cared For.
Errrr 10 Nav Nrrk


Are Cared For.
From the New York sun
1t would probably be a gratifying as
surance to the minds of many travellers
TO know what great care is taken 10
secure perfect cleanliness III the more
luxurious classes of railroad coaches,
known variously as sleeping, drawing
room, dining and buffet cars. A con-
victlon 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 feel and thickness I'M
like any other blankets, are very 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 them?
Why even bedbug stories have been
told OF sleeping cars, and the anecdote
about dropping god dollar in sleep
ing car anu finding 1t a month after
ward just where it fell has become such
stock story among travelling men that
some of them now actually believe il.
In view of all this, there is solid COM
fort IN such story as the general super
lntendent OF one of our palace car COM
panles tells about what is done with
their cars at the conclusion of every
trip. He says:
Every car, as soon as ii is emptied of
Its passengers at terminal point, is as
we term it, 'tripped' in the yard. The
carpets are taken up, carried out, beaten
and aired. The seats and the backs are
taken out 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 scaldlng I've and scrubbed.
The pillows are beaten and summed like
the mattresses. The floor and oilcloths
in the saloons are scrubbed, and all the
woodwork, having been secured thor
oughIy clean with soap, brushes, hot
water and drying cloths, is gone over
with furniture polish.
About once week the veneering of
painted canvas constituting the ceiling
Is carefully secured, to cleanse from ac-
cumulatlons OF smoke and Chnging dust.
The windows are cleansed and rubbed
bright. All brass and silver mountings
are polished. Dust and stains are as
carefully washed from the outside OF the
car as from 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 re-
quired.
while all this has been going on,
every shred of textile fabrics that should
be washed-sheets, pillow cases, towels,
napkins and cushion Coyers-has been
70 N 4 l.
clean stock OF articles. Each ear 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 ear has to be retrimmed, by tie re-
laying of carpets and oilcloths; putting
in place of the springs, mattresses, seats
and backs; slowing away of pillows,
linen and curtains, and last of all, the
thorough washing out of the water
tanks and retilling them with fresh wa
ter and ice. The last thing is never
done until 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 people, 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 tightly packed, and, as far as fore
sight can 90, make sure accidents can
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 a
thorough hOuse-cleaning process as this
is. In addition thereto, the blankets
c+a Il.
is at least double the attention they get
in most hotels. The berth curtains are
treated so once 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, cleaning of the ice boxes
and kitchens and restocking with pro-
visions. One rule always maintains that
the primary thing to be done when the
car comes into the hands of the clean
ers is to take out of it everything that
can be taken out. Then every separate
piece so removed must be made fault
lessly clean before 1t is put back.
Each dining-room or buffet car has
its steward, whose duty it is to report to
the assistant commissarv 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 stock and then makes out,
to replace shortages and keep up the
supplies, requisition upon the COM
mIssary.
THAT requisition is filled out upon
blank form, on which are specified
about 800 articles in constant use on
those cars, with spaces left for the addi-
ton of more as the conditions of the
market enable increase in the resources
of our commissariat. In all the man
agement of this department there is
Just such a system OF checking in and
checking out as obtains in the stock
room of every big hotel
IAN groceries. wines, liquors and 9TH
er non-p erishable goods are bought in
great quantities, and kept in the COM
pany's storehouses for issue upon requi-
sition as demanded; but fresh meats,
poultry game, fish, vegetables and
fruits are purchased by the commissary
in the markets from day to day, or sup
piled by contract with dealers. just as
such things are provided by the stew
ard Of hotel.