The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1891-12-29
HOTELS ON WHEELS
History of the Dining-Car System
in America
A Necessary Institution Which Is Run at
Loss-Something About the
Service In It's Early
DAYS.

Sitting in the lobby of one OF the
hotels few evenings ago, says the Chi
cago Mail, was small group Of rail-
way officials and two or three business
men. After time conversation drifted
to the subject of dining cars. 500 you
know" said a business man addressing
q general passenger agent ''that when
foreigners first travel in this country
they don't half appreciate our American
system? In England and on the CONT
nent eating stations, as a rule, are far
superior to ours. And when foreigner
travels through the United States he at
first naturally turns his attention to-
ward the eating stations. But it takes
only few trials to convince him of his
error The usual poor cooking, bad
service, twenty minutes-for-dinner plan
tires him, and straightway he HES him
self to diner and eats respectfully"
ssThat's right" said one agent. 81
have heard the same thing regarding
foreigners expressed before.
DOUBTLESS true" said the Oldest rail-
roader of the group, sbut on the other
hand we all know that every road in
the country would discontinue the sys-
tenn if it could do So"
ssAnd why sop asked enc of the bust
ness men.
Because" he continued, dining
cars are an expensive luxury and are
run at an actual yearly loss. But the
system has become necessity; the ex-
pense goes to the operating account.
and the directors-well, they kick. With
competition SO sharp, as it is between
the granger roads, no trouble or ex-
pense is spared to make the service per-
feet But after all this a mighty small
percentage of the travelling public pa
tronizes diners"
sHow long has the service been in ex-
istence?" was asked.
ct began about twenty years ago."
answered the veteran agent The
roads did not place much faith in the
scheme at first, but concluded to make
an experiment. 1t was about Decem-
Der, 1870, when the first dining-car was
run out of Chicago to St Louis. A hotel
on wheels was a novelty, and at the
beginning the cars were so well patron
lied that all the other great roads
quickly decided to adopt the scheme.
At first the diners were rather crude
affairs. Ordinary passenger cars were
fitted up at small expense and made to
serve the purpose for two or three years
after this system was inaugurated. The
kitchens were built in the middle, and
it wasn't always agreeable for the pas
sengers. The cars would become
smoky and thick with kitchen odors.
This, however; vusnlt circumstance
to the trouble made. by the darlxies
whenever Misunderstanding arose be-
tween them, which, as remember,
was not infrequent. In the early
'70's dining-car crews were often COM
posed of turbulent set of blacks, and
they were generally ready for scrap
whether their car was full or not. 1t
took nervy conductor to keep order.
There seemed to be a continual feud ex-
isting between the cooks and walters.
Once, Just out of Burlington, a dispute
arose between the head cook and a
waiter over an order The latter final
ly told the cook, who was an ugly
looking chap, to attend to his own bust
ness, and then he started to walk away.
No sooner had he turned than good
sized rib roast struck him in the back.
This was followed by dob of hot
mashed potato which missed the cook
and landed solidly on the bald head OF
one of the passengers. For about a
minute It looked like free fight, but
the train conductor nipped it. Those
occasional rows may have been one in
centive for changing the location OF
the kitchen, but wouldn't swear to it
Those were lively days."