Thomas County cat., 1888-04-05
RUSSIAN RAiLRoAos


RUSSIAN RAILROADS
4 Country Where 1t Il Not Very Pie.e.nt
"kidlng ON the RAIL-
Railroad travel in 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 onlv
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-
rcction of the Car that all the lines
should be perfectly straight from ono
large city to the other. or from the be-
ginning to the termini. regardless of
the lesser points on the way. will he .
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 of the rail-
road lines. These marts of trade are
more or less substantial, and genera
tions will come and 60 before the sta
tions are as plentiful along the railroad
lines as they would at first have been
made but for the interference of the
Car.
1t is very seldom that house is pro-
vided for locomotives. or there is a
shed for any class of material. notwith-
standing the fact that the nine months
of rain or snow each year make them
more necessary than 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 c0mmodious 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 hard-by and tells You what can
be purchased, and further that there is
ample time. 1t is probable that there
is 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 q 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.
a day or night Of twelve to fourteen
hours is consumed. There are seldom |
closets or drinking water or similar ac-
At every station, day
or night. old women or children visit
the carriages and sell drinking water.
There is one comfort, however. on q
railway train. There are no
cinders The old-fashioned wood
burning locomotives are used. and, as
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 arc 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
'ars and carriages to see that they are
'ound. The pounding has due respect
20 time, and is rather musical These
nen are necessary during the, winter.
when the air is so cold that the metal
8 endangered. and presume they
Keep up their work in the summer a.
much to maintain discipline as any
hing else. The high tariffs and the
growth of business have enabled the
abroad companies to make many inn
in the way of station-houses
md homes for employees. l do not re-
to have seen an elevator or
rain warehouse, although this is such ,
great wheat-producing country.
kosco,c Cor. Louisrille C0mrier-Joxrnai.