Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-01-28
GEORGE NJ. PULLMAN.
THE STORY OF THE MODERN PAL
ACE CAR RETOLD.

4 THE STORY OF THE MODERN PAL
ACE CAR REToLO.
First Experiments Made ON the Alton
Road-Beginning Of the Palace Car.
| Building Of tho "Pioneer''-Railroad
Men Laugh-Cutting Platforms
! George NJ Pullman was born in Brocton,
| Chautauqua county. and his birth year 1881.
| He lived in Brocton fourteen years and then
| moved to Albion, where he also resided four
teen years. At Albion he became acquainted
| with Senator Ben Field, a member of the
state senate in 1S54-6 Mr.. Field was inter
ested in legislation concerning sleeping car
fares, and the Woodruff Sleeping Car COM
| pany, in acknowledgment of his interest in
their behalf, had given him the right to run
| their sleepers on couple of western roads
While Mr.. Pullman was in Chicago in 1859
he was called upon by Senator Field with a
request for several loans, and out of these ac-
commodations an arrangement grew between
them to run sleeping cars on the Alton road,
! Pullman to pay the senator, who had secured
| the right to run the cars half of the prospec-
! tive earnings. Matters went on in this way
/
had no business tact lost his sleeping car ser
vice on the other two western roads which
had been given him One day he came to
Mr.. Pullman and told him that he had an op-
| portunity to buy back the privileges OH the
| other roads, and that he would like to sell his
half interest in the copartnership line to Mr.
| Pullman A bargain was struck, and Mr..
| Pullman paid his partner g., 500 This was at
~ no 10, tiki
on the Alton road had been taken off by
| the superintendent, who was a sympathizer
| with the south, and who thought that before
the war was over grass would grow in the
| streets of the north. The outlook for the Al
ton road was very dubious. 1t is a singular
| illustration Of Mr.. Pullmans good fortune
that he had hardly concluded the purchase OF
/ his partners half interest before business be-
/ came SO good that the night trains were
started again and the sleeping car business
began at once to make returns. These sleep
I ing cars on the Alton road, with which MIR.
Pullmans first experiments were tried, were
simply two ordinary passenger coaches,
which he had changed into the commonest
kind OF sleeping cars at slight expense. Fifty
cents was charged for berth, and the first
night, four berths were sold About this
time the Pixies peak fever set in, and Mr..
Pullman gravitatsd west and spent two or
three years at Pixies peak. He returned in
1864 and again took up his sleeping car pro-
ject.
BEGINNING OF THE PALACE CAR.
In 1864 Mr.. Pullman, who had been giving
the sleeping car business close attention, and
who had become deeply interested in the
| thought that there was wide field for in
ventive genius in that direction, met a master
car builder Of the Alton railroad, who was
an old friend, and paid him 500 month to
take in charge the construction of a model
car. He obtained the privilege Of using a
shed of the Alton railroad in its yard at Chi
cage, and told the builder what sort of car
he wanted The great question with him
was how to have an upper and lower berth
that would be comfortable. They were at
that time the merest makeshifts to afford
nights rest. Mr.. Pullman determined that
the new car should be the handsomest ever
made. Heretofore a sleeping car had cost
not moro than 81, 900 or 81, 500 Looking the
matter over and wondering how he could ar
range two berths that would be roomy, COM
Portable and convenient, he was perplexed as
to the disposition of the mattresses At that
time all the mattresses were put away in one
section during the daytime. In fact, the
early sleeping cars were simply used for
night cars and not run in the daytime
Mr. Pullman's idea was to have q car that
could be run on long trips either as day or
q night car. With this object in view be
started to build the Pioneer He found
the mattresses could not be put on the floor
because of the dust and discomfort. There
was no place between the windows, and he
finally said to his car builder, "Why not
hinge an upper berth near the roof and put
the mattresses in it when the berth is closed
during the daytine?' The car builder re-
piled at once that the car was not high enough
and that the space would be too small This
was before cars were built with raised decks
or roofs. 'Then," said Mr.. Pullman, ''why
not raise the carr The outcome of this con-
versation was direction that plans should
be drawn for car as wide and as high as
would be necessary to get in two berths, in
Guiding one hinged to the upper side of the
car. The plan was accurately drawn for
car one foot wider and two and one-half feet
higher than any car that had heretofore been
built in this country.
RAILROAD MEN LAUGH
OF course railroad men who heard Of Mr..
Pullman's plans smiled, and said that if Mr..
Pullman was a railroad man he would know
better than to pursue his impracticable propo-
sitions; that he he would only meet disaster
and lose all that he had. But his conviction
was strong and clear, and with that pluck
and audacity which have always charac-
terized his clear sighted business policy, he
went ahead and the car was built The mex.
question was the decoration of if, Mr.. Pull
man determined that it should be the hand
soonest car in all respects that ever had been
made in the country. He came On to New
York and there happened to meet the artist
who had just decorated the house Of Samuel
J. Tilden. He at once closed with this artist,
took him west and set him at work decorating
the car.
When the Pioneer was finished it had cost
the extraordinary sum of SIS, coo, a large
price even now for a sleeping car 1t was q
wonder to everybody. It was just as Mr..
Pullman had expected. The beauty Of the
finish and the marvellous innovation he had
made were advertised far and near by the
newspapers and by railroad men. and some
of the latter began to believe that the ideas
of the inventor after ali were practicable.
The Pioneer was in process Of building for a
whole year. The assassination of Lincoln oc-
curing AZ this time, it was suggested that
the Pioneer be used in the funeral train. and
1t was run from Springfield To Chicago on
the Alton road. As had been predicted when