Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1889-07-16
RAILROADS IN INDIA.
SIXTEEN THOUSAND NILES or
TRUNK LINES IN HlNoosTAh

TIE Finest Depots ia the world. e"t
wr.tshss Arrangements In the Passenger
c.--Aa,. Th., Va, IN. wesssa Tee
..d Telegraph reis.
India has now sixteen thousand miles
81 railroad. II Il as Ear from Calcutta TO
Bombay n 4 l. from New York to Dem
yer. and several trunk lines run across
Ilindostan from one city 10 the other
There are branches from these which go
up the IIimalaya mountains almost To
the borders Of Thibct. and others which
.hco, OIL 10 the khybef Pass at the en-
trance 10 Afghanistan and not grca,
distance from the new Russian railway.
which has been pushed on past Samar-
cAnd The day will come when We can
travel FROM London Ia Calcutta 10y rail.
though this prcsuppo-e- the cutting Of
tunnel under the English channel south
India has many long miles % railroads,
and the whole % Ilindostan. which IL
half the sire ~ the United States, has q
rsilroad net covering H. The construc-
lion % thcse railroads has included en-
ginecring work. fully a. grand ~ tho
railroad making Of the United States,
and the Keeping Of them In order IL more
difficult
WOOD EArISo ATS
one ~ the great plaques - Indian rail.
rad makers 1. the white ant These In
secis eat every dead thing In wood form
above ground n a pile - wooden tics
Is left out over night an attack % ants
will have carried Il away by morning.
and there l. no possible storage Of wooden
tics such tic- a. are In the roads arr
savcl from destruction 10y the vibration
causcd by the running trains. which
scars the ant. away. I, l. the same
with telegraph polc. aud fences, and the
result Il that the tie. ~ most % the rail
fuads are made ~ iron. have Travelled
about three thousand miles over all kinds
~ railways In India. The telegraph
pole. on many - the lines are hollow
tulss - galvanized iron. about a. big
around A. the average mans calf. 40
made that they 10 into one another and
form POLE about Ten fc,t high To thesc
poles the lines are strung. and many ~
the mad. use such pole. ,hrOughou, their
entire length.
On other lines the telegraph poles are
T iron rails. the same a. those ON which
The car traVc.s Tso ~ these rails re
fastened tos,thcr by lar about foot
vide anil then ihis irun lattice work l.
- dccpin the gruuni ani the wire strung
non IL About somc ~ the stations the
fence, arv made ~ such ifun rails AMI
through hundred. ~ miles along one ~
the "a ahis railr,ad. In Western India ]
found fences - larlrd wire with sand
stone I.-ts ncso stones ar foot vide
and al-,ut four inchc. thick. aud they
sto.-l al-,ut thrrc fc,t al.,vc the ground
The vim. ran through holes In them and
the railnial men tell mc that they arr
much cheaper than wtVi
rim NAGNlrCLNr pEFurS
lam surprised at the masuidccnccoithe
dcfots ~ India ll,rc AZ bombay there
/. a liner railfoad station than any ~
have IN the United Siatcs IL cost aloui
81 90 .OoO. and enthusiastically is u the
PER Of any building at Washington. AZ
Calcutta there are small depot. and even
at the smallest Of the toWns you hni
we'll made stone builiings surrounded
/ hy beautiful gardens. In which bloom all
Kinds ~ tropical flowers Nothing about
thee station. j. made u wool. The
platform. are - stone hlled In with CO
mcnt. and the car, run into the station.
| un plane al-,ui tao feet l-los the tioof.
and :, that the ho.,f u the ears Il just
even with that ~ the depot. Zach sia.
tion has u first. scCund and third class
waiting room. and everything In India
go,. by clas-cs
Tho car, arr fri. second. third and
fourth class. and ties are all on the Eng
llsh plan They ar- about two-thifis
/ the length ~ our ears and . tribe wider
I They arr not - heavy a. tie American
Is.s-engvr ocach and they look more Ike
vide. hong totcs than anything else.
Each ~ the.e car. l. divided into com.
Iartnents In the iirss and -'cond class
/ tll.rc are only two compartments Ia the
car. and the chief difference In thc,~ two
/ clAss.-s u la the numbcr allowed In the
compartment n you ~ill imagine a
little room about 10 feet long by ) vide,
With a rcof feet high. IN the center 81
which there l. glas. glots Tor light,
you NAV have some idea ~ the Indian
/ iir.t class car You must. however. Pui
twO l0ug. leather covered, cushioned
ls.nchos along each side o. this rOom
and ut the end. - these have door With
glass windows In them, oIcning inward
7 over the cushioned lacksof the tenches
there arr windows " hich w., up and down
Ike tho. - the American street car.
and which arr - the anne siEe. The car
has none ~ the finish ~ the American
Pullman. and though you arr expected
a. slccp within IL. there arc no signs "
t-lding 90 curtains AZ the back ~ u
there l. lavatory. without towcls. sap
90 brushes. and there Is tarely NOM
enough for you 20 turn around In u
f when you are washing The second
I class cars are much tlc same, and there
mas h. one -cond class car and one first
In the same cuach. Prank ~ CARPENTER