Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-09
OUG MAIL POUCH.
The Ft Wayne Railroad Severely Grill.
cised by One of Its Employees.

The Fl. wayne haiirOad Severely Critis
cised by One of Its Employees.
To the Editor Of The Dispatch:
While was in the general Office building Of
| the Pennsylvania Company on Penn avenue
| yesterday seeking information in regard to the
new schedule which is placed in effect to-day,
one of the employees freely admitted to me that
the officers of the road retained many old
| fogy notions in regard to the conduct Of the
suburban train service of the Ft Wayne Rail-
road between Pittsburg and Allegheny and
the region that extends along the Ohio river.
What he said OF the suburban service, in sub
stance, is this:
'Our managing officers are leyel-headed men
in many respects, but they are too much imbued
with the idea that everything they do has to be
made to paw You naturally do not expect
merchants to sell goods at loss but it is differ.
ent with railroads. The aim should be to pro-
duce feeling of satisfaction in the minds of
its patrons; even though the results do aot
always show to the favor Of the company in
the balance sheet. Railroads that are built
through new country often are run at a loss
until the territory Is developed and the sub
urban patronage of the Fort Wayne Railroad
could be largely increased if these gentlemen
wonld only look more to their patrons comfort
and put the almighty dollar farther from
their sight. One thing that ought to be done
is to place cafe car on every morning train
that comes into the city, wherein passengers
could procure breakfast. A man living at Sc
wiokley for instance, would therefore be en-
abled 10 sleep at least 20 minutes longer, and
would not be obliged to miss his breakfast,
even if he had to run from his house to the
train: or if the cafe car would be too expensive,
half of the baggage car could be fitted up as q
kitchen and coffee and rolls served to each pas
senger.
"a market train should start from Allegheny
0lanr1E A1n10 0a1r xs-.a.
Leetsdale, carrying free all baskets belonging
to regular commuters, and the company should
have porter at each station to deliver the
baskets at the houses of their owners in order
that the contents might be properly placed on
ice; for this service there should be no charge,
as the facilities for procuring market supplies
would lead great many families to reside at
these suburban stations and greatly increase
the travel Of the road.
THE gentlemen who come up in the morning
could read their newspapers while enjoying
coffee and rolls, but for the ladies who come
up in the forenoon after breakfast for shop
ping other provision for entertainment should
be made in order that the ride would seem
short and pleasing. This could be arranged by
placing graphophone, with an ample stock of
cylinders. in each car and with a tube extend
ing to each seat 80 that the occupant might
enjoy selections from operas, music of the
violin with piano accompaniment cornet and
piccolo solos and choice recitations. The
brakesmen could easily change the cylinders
without their other duties being interfered
with.
1.-THE graphophones would be greatly appre-
ciated by those who go to their homes on night
trains, and for the benefit of gentlemen who
have been detained late at their offices or tor
other reasons, hammocks should be swung in
at least two cars of the last train in order that
they might at their ease enjoy cigar or nap;
this could be easily effected, and with slight
change in the system of ventilation, would in
ure greatly to the popularity of the road. For
the benefit of ladies on lato trains there should
be cars for their exclusive accommodation
equipped with sofas and easy chairs.
These are but a few suggestions, the adop-
tion of which would cause q wonderful increase
in the population of Bellevue, Ellsworth, Sc
wickley and the intervening suburbs, and tend
to a wonderful development of the Pennsyl-
vania Company's suburban traffic. Newspaper
agitation will doubtless do much toward ac-
cOmplishing the results, but the hoped for
changes will possibly never be fully realized
until younger and more progressive blood is in
fused into the management.
yours, most satirically, AN OBSERVER"
PITTsBURG, November 8, 1889.