Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-07
CLARA BELLIES CHAT.
The Experience of Women In Travel
ing at Home and Abroad.
INCIDENTS OF A LITTLE WRECK.
The Sleeping Cars But Recently Intro
duced Into England.
LONDON'S AWFUL UNDERGROUND ROAD
CORRESPONDENCE or THE DrsrArcH.I

LONDON'S AWFUL UNDERGROUND Road
CORRESPONDENCE or THE D1srArcH.I
NEW YORK. July 6.-There are women
who are bristlingly against all men when
travelling unattended. They seem to feel
that safety lies alone in resolving them
selves into porcupines, and shooting barbs
at everybody masculine who faces them. 1
saw q woman return to hotel after having
missed train. @
"why," said the clerk, "didn't you make
the train?"
"Sir," replied the irate woman, "I'm not
a manufacturer"
81 mean," corrected the clerk, didn't
you get there in timer"
"No; arrived in a coupe"
"My intention is to ask Tiff you sue
ceeded in boarding the train"
"Any train that wants board can come to
this hotel for all me-"
The clerk gathered himself for a last effort
81 simply mean, did you catch the train"
he yelled.
NO." yelled back the guest. ST didn't
know it was contagious.
Just as though woman on a tour hadn't
more important things than hotel clerks to
overcome. Were you ever in a break down?
One forgets all about accidents when on the
cars great deal. Besides, these jolly little
drop-in-a- nickel Observation-Disclosures
policy slot machines around stations make
one feel safe. As a matter of fact, having
an insurance certificate in your pocket does
not really improve a neck breaking, but
there is certainly soothing sound about
the combination of words in lite insurance,
or, better still, as they put it in Canada,
life assurance.
PLEASANT FEATURES.
Not to speak of the real break downs
have been in, remember one or two baby
ones, just enough to scare the men to death.
1t is really great thing if one is perfectly
self-possessed, and able to watch how other
bolting. When car, for instance, locks
wheels with another on a sidetrack, and
lifts gently and steadily into the air, with
every evidence of an intention to continue
the tilt on one side until the vehicle tumbles
entirely over. That, is the time the men
drop everything and plunge TO the ends of
the cars. Then, as the locking stops, and
the car comes to a slantindicular stand-still,
back they plunge, telling the women they
had left not to be frightened, but to cling to
them.
A real smash-up is another matter. The
car runs comfortably along. Suddenly there
is an utter stop, and then a terrifying reac-
tive forward movement. 1t is the rebound
that knocks your teeth loose. Everyone
lunges over the back of the seat in front,
and except for the cracking of timbers,
there is utter silence for an instant All
did their great shouting at the first shock.
Presently voices are lifted. People shrek
for the most idiotic things. Women with
both feet stuck fast in the catch-all over
head, yell that they have dropped their
smelling salts.
Dudes, with their heads smashed halfway
down their collars, and their boots knocked
up above their knees, wall that they can't
find their eyeglasses. Children, with ears
Lalf-pealed of, occupy themselves scraping
up oranges and candy lost by the pedlar
when he plunges into the coal box. Those
who can find their feet lose their heads and
tear up and down the aisle, climbing over
disIocated seats and into dsemboweled lunch
baskets. And the popular cry is, "What is
it, conductor" Curiosity is after all q
dominant passion. Somebody tells you an
old friend is dead.
PERTINENT QUESTION.
"what did he die OFF, say you in an awe
struck voice.
1t is wonderful, too, how good natured
people are in a smash-up. Everybody helps
everybody. everybody makes the best OF
everything. When a long journey runs
smoothly people are apt to get to hating
each other as the miles 60 by, but just let
smash-up come, and YOU cling to the man
next to you as if he were an old friend or a
doctor. You simply have to be sociable
when it comes to sitting on rail fence so
ir,n To-
stray car to come along and pick you up.
Then, perhaps, there is ride in the end
car of freight train. You know freight cars
are not strung together with spri ing arrange
ment between them, as are passenger cars;
so, when such a train comes to a halt, each
particular car bumps against every other car,
aud the last car gets every separate bump
and its own included. If the train is long,
you feel, by the time the cars come to a dead
stop, that your interior has completely laced
around, aud that your backbone is afoat in
sections, heaven knows where.
1 did an awful freight train ride once
after a smash up. Among all the merry,
sociable crowd OF wrecked travellers one
man sat apart, wild-eyed and wordless. At
last some one whispered that he was hoo
doc. He had started weeks before from San
Francisco for New York. He had missed
every connection up to date, and this was
like week so far, and had begun to give up
getting anywhere, much less reaching New
York. A few miles further on the train
stopped while COW was induced to get off
the track. The hoodoo went out on the 4
platform, and, as we started up, he quietly,
hopelessly and passively fell of. He
didn't even run after us, or wave his hat,
or shout. He just sat on the track, and
could see tears trickling down his sunken
IL hor off 8 L. Loa
reached New York yet.
SOMETHING OF A SITUATION.
often wonder when see people get off
trains tor supper or sandwich, how they
ever get on again. 1t may be dusk. There
is a big crowd, all the bells are changing,
and you no more than leave your car than
it 'sides" TO somewhere. 1 myself have
skirmished distractedly about station, car
rying cup of tea for my wise companion in
travel, who knew too much to leave her
seat, and unable to even tell anybody where
my train was going to, or where 1t came
from.
think travelling with woman is strictly
an acquired ability. Women haven't q
good sense of locality, and we do get mixed !
up and confused, and ratified. do to this !
day, though have almost lived on the cars
for spells. One year travelled good deal |
with a big party, and got accustomed to |
having my ticket and baggage attended to.
and also to being warned when the getting |
off place came. The entire next year I |
used to meander into station, sit down,
and let my car leave because I was waiting
10 be told to get on, or else rush madly for |
it the last moment without ticket, and |
then once in il would sit abstractedly gazing |
at the scenery, while went right past my |
stopping place.
1t isn't always, by the way, an easy thing
to get off at your station. Try going from |
New York to Mount Vernon, or from |
Boston to Fitchburg. If you don't know
when the stop is due, it is providence and |
luck that you get of, because nobody can I
understand the conductors veil. I have |