St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-08-19
HIS GREW.
A Lotter Regarding the New Penn
syivania Limited That Is Worth
Reading.

hoaulnS.
The following letter was shown by the
lady to whom it was addressed and who
lives in Columbus, Ohio, to an official OF
the Pennsylvania System of Railways,
who secured her consent to the publica-
ton of the extracts given. That its
praise of the famous train is sincere and
disinterested there is no question, and
it's writer, who is widely known in many
of the cities of the Union, is recognized
as a gentleman of excellent taste and
moderate expression:
"Aug. IL, 1889.
My Dear Sister
Your letter came to me at Minneapolis
more than two weeks ago. n l take
this opportunity to place you in my DEBT
again. 4
AS you will see from the legend at the
head of this sheet, l am writing to you
on the Pennsylvania Limited. You
will remember that you and Frank went
with me to New York on the Limited
two years ago, just after the vestlbuteS
were adopted, and we were aStonlshed
at the beauty and splendor of the train.
1t happens that the train on which l an
riding is a New Limited making its
first trip, and in luxury and conven-
fence it surpasses the train Of two
years ago as much as that train sur
passed its predecessors. as you are a
woman, it will please you to know that
the last apartment of the train is an OBJ
servation room, which is practically a
ladies' parlor. On the incloSed plat
form at the real is DON for three or
four chairs and as many camp stools,
and in the room itself are eighteen or
twenty large easy arm chairs up
holstered in olive velvet. The
ceiling is delicately lined and
inlaid with wood in geometrlcal
designs. Below the fnely-chased glass
of the ventilators is a band of exquisite
ly carved mahogany. Under it are cleo
trio jets from which the side ceiling
slopes to a carved mahogany frieze. Be-
sides the electric jets are lacquer lamps
to be used in case the electricity should
fail. There are bookcases and writing
desks and tables in this car, and it is
for the exclusive use of ladies, and men
who do not smoke. We smokers have
to go to the other end of the train,
where are also easy chairs, books and a
writing desk, and a cabinet on which
stand Turkish narghilis and vases OF
DOulton and SevreS. But the ladies'
car is preferable, as the windows are
large and cut lower than ordinarily, the
two at the end coming within fifteen
inches of the floor. The central win
dows are placed at a Slight angle with
the car, commanding a view for
ward and back as we'll as directly out
ward. The names, China" Japan"
"Australia" suggest what is in all reall-
ty the Oriental magnificence of the cars
to which they are applied. The vestl-
bule opens into a Semi-circular hall
way, lined with mahogany and adorned
with plate glass arranged in a way that
reminds one of a miniature cathedral.
TO one side of the hallway and the aisle
through which it leads to the main part
of the car, is a suite of a drawing room
and a Stateroom, deliciOusly finished in
white CLOSED wood as hard as marble.
with gold tracery. On the floor a Will
Smyrna. These rooms, by means of
folding doors, whose existence you
would never suspect, can be used singly
or en- suite. Connected with the state
room is a toilet roo with hot and cold
water. So on this train, as at a hotel,
you can have a suite of drawing room,
bed room and bath room, and meals Will
be served therein in case of sickness.
Other state rooms have sofas or nova
BILE chairs, and the improvement i'll dee
Grafton and upholstery is conSplcu0usly
noticeable in the main body of cars.
The seats in II are covered with blue
brocaded velvet. of another with white
mohair that looks rich and cool. One
car is finished in cheerful bird'S-eye ma
| pie, another with the reddish brown ma
logany from Bombay. and another with
rich, dark wood that is also a species of
mahogany but unlike any | ever saw be-
fore. The conductor tells me it was
hoated down the GOatZacOltaS river from
Tehuantepec. g
In all the cars are drapery- and cur-
tainS of velvet and silk, of maroon or
pleasing hues OF green and blue that
harmonic with the tone of the sur
roundings. The ceilings are all inlaid
or of frescO. Electric lights are in ev-
cry car, and an electric jet hangs in each
section, adjustable to any position, and
it may be kept ablaze to light the
pages of a book after the
berth has been made up and the
Improvement which will be appreciated
by men and women alike is that the
wash rooms are completely inclOsed.
| thereby permitting a man to take a
sponge bath in the morning, and saving
ladies on their way to breakfast the an
noyance of seeing men in various stages
of deshabille at their toilet. The train
contains a barber shop and bath room
for men and a bath room for ladies,
equipped with bowls of Tennessee mar
BILE. appliances for a shower bath. a
dainty dressing table, racks and mir
rorS. 2
1t is 7o'clock, and the porter has just
made the last call for dinner. l will
write more "anon."
Pardon me, my sister. for referring to
dinner, but the lobster salad tasted
fresh as at Nantucket, the watermelon
was banked in ice. and with me is the
perfume given by rose leaves StreWn in
the finger bowl. The nor | think of
this train the more | wonder. The co.,
ductOrS, in appearance and action, are
perfect gentlemen, and a touch of the
electric bell brings IN obllging servitor
instantly to my side. The six cars, with
the locomotive, cost at least $3.50, 900,
and for that a palatial residence can be
built and furnished. There are four
such trains running between Chicago
and New York over the Pennsylvania
lines every day, to say nothing of the
hundreds of other trains constantly rum
ming over the different portions of the
Pennsylvania system.
| intended to write Of other matters,
but when l started on this train my pen
fairly ran away with me. and it has COW
cred so many pages that l will bid you
'sgood night" This letter will be
mailed to you from Ft. Wayne. which
is the first stop after leaving Chicago.
When you are reading it in the morn
ing l shall be sitting on the ear plat
form of the observation car looking at
the scenery of the Allegheny mountains,
and tomorrow evening at 6 o'clock by
our time | shall be in New York. With
warmest regards to Frank, and my love
to yourself and my nephew, l am,
Fondly yours,
31r