The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-02
RAIL AND CROssrIE.

The record Of tram accidents in July,
compiled by the Railroad Gazette, includes
70 collisions, 6S derailments and 5 other
accidents; a total of l43 accidents, in which
80 persons we're killed and 147 injured. The
comparison with the same month of pre-
vious years shows favorably in the total of
persons killed, but in passengers alone the
reduction is not so encouraging.
A curious protest was recently discov-
cred among the archives of the Nuremberg
Railway Company at Furth. 1t was drawn
up by the royal college Of Bavarian doctors
in 1885, and contains the following passage,
pointing out the danger of the new system
of travel: Gravel in cars drawn by loco
motive ought to be forbidden, in the inter-
est of public health. The rapid movement
cannot fail to produce among the passen-
gers the mental affection known as
detiTtum turiOSum. Even if travellers are
willing to incur this risk, the government
should at least protect the publicN A single
glance at locomotive passing rapidly is
sufficient to cause the same cerebral de-
rangement; consequently it is absolutely
necessary TO build a fence ten feet in hight,
on each side of the railway
The German railroad coach is a little bet
ter than the French coach of the same class,
and the English is better than the German.
An English third-claSs is about the same in
comfort and finish as French second-class
The German and English second-class are
about alike, except it be that the
English is cleaner than'the German. The
French tirst-class is little better in the
average than the English second-class,
except on special trains. On such trains
the cars are often very fine, indeed. The
German knows no competition, owing to
the system of state control, and the cars ere
uniformly good, the same for all, aud with
out much departure from the standards
adopted by the government for all roads.
In Germany a through train of sixteen cars
has several first class compartments, not as
many as in an Egg ish train, nor
as few as in a French train of the same gem
| eral character. A hrst-ctass compartment
on a German train is often arranged for
three persons only, tie three seas being all
on one side, with fo0t-rests for the passen-
gers feet On the opposite side These foot
rests are adjustable, and can be folded away
when not needed. When completely down
they support ones legs as far up as the
knees. The backs of the seats are high, and
form very satisfactory head-rest. The
width of each seat is greater than in almost
any other European first-class cars. In
such seats one can take very comfortable
nap. The ventilation Of the German cars is
by the side windows and by sliding registers
above the windows, entirely at the control
of the passengers. The cars are heated in
cold weather almost invariably by steam
from the locomotives, which is admitted to
one large pipe under each seat in each com
partment The passengers are permitted TO
regulate the temperature at will by the
manipulation of a small handle from "hotn
to cold" as may be desired. Steam heat
ing has been in successful use in Germany
for several years past. The lighting is by
the Pintsch system, the lamps being in the
roof and lighted from overhead, as is the
general European custom. If the passenger
desires to reduce the light, there are pretty
silk curtains arranged on a hoop. which one
can draw over one-half or all OF the light
at will. If gas is used, then the movement
of the curtains operates the plug of the gas
cock and lowers the flame to about one
third OF its original hight when the cur
tains are pulled down. Smoking compart-
ments are provided in almost every train.
but if one obtains the permission of his
companions in his compartment he may
smoke almost anywhere. However, in no
case must he use the weed in those cornpart-
ments marked for ladies'