The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-01-01

above those here, outside the largest
cities, but the rules which prevent
lpeople crossing the tracks except BY a
tunnel under, or a bridge over them,
rules perfectly enforced in Great Britain.
certainly make them safe, but it is wear
ing to haze to convey lot of baggage
over so many long stairs, whdre porters
hre not at hand to assist, these useful
men are far more numerous in the Con-
tinental stations than elsewhere The
baggage system, simply a claim your
own style, is bad enough in England, but
much worse ON the Continent for over
there most OF the railways charge almost
as much to convey a trunk as person,
and most of the baggage is carried By
hand, the only safe way, for when regis
tered, their way of checking it, you never
know when or where it will turn up.
The checking system, so perfect here, is
absolutely unknown abroad; am led -
the conclusion that this is SO simply be-
cause they will cling to their old ways.
A few American sleeping cars are used
in England, and / saw two of Detroit
make in Rome, on the line between there
and Paris, but they are patronized very
little, because the owners appear to Wish
to pay for them by the proceeds Of two
or three trips. They sit bolt upright ell
night in the often times crowded com
partments, unless not over four people
are in one there lis far more comfort in
our style of seats, for the cushions
come up so high, it makes Jones back
ache.
1t is ridiculous the way the English
stations are run, in the largest cities and
on uraat RI lpyaNyc tho rooV,c xnyhara thAr
baggage is kept that has been sent on, is
locked for hours at a time, the man in
charge had gone home to his rest and
meals. The Liverpool room in the great
Northwestern station was closed at Q
p. m, in consequence a fellow voyAgeF
had to come away leaving all his valises
behind him and endure the cold
sea voyage in the light summer
clothes he was wearing: imagine the
Grand Central baggage-room in New
York closed at 0p. m. II you send IN
article of baggage on before, they simply
paste printed slip on to it, giving the
name of the station to which it is going;
if it miscarries, why it does, that is all,
and one has no receipt whatever By
which to find or claim it. The funny
little freight cars appeared to us like
toys, especially the open cars which
when loaded were covered with large
canvas; none of the cars had more than
four wheels. Every freight car on the
French railways had painted on it the
ominous words 30 men or II horses, or
whatever it would carry, showing the
readiness for war, down to such minute
particulars. The freight cars do not a.
rule go out of the country to which
they belong, so such freight systems as
we have, where one car goes from Cali
fornia to Maine are unknown; making
the shipping of goods very expensive.
In England there is great carelessness
about the collection of tickets, the sta
tiOns are open to every one to come and
go, tickets are collected at few of the
functions or at the principal stations.
If one wished to do so, he could easily
ride thousands of miles there and pay
very few fares. On the continent il is
done more as we do it; tickets are ex-
amined at the entrance, and taken MP
either at the exit of the station, or else
the train is halted just outside, and the
tickets taken there. Only in Germany
were our tickets examined on the road;
there the guard had to walk along the
footboard outside with the train at full
speed. The style of cars over there
necessitates much longer stops at sta
tiOns than here, our trains have to stop
only as many seconds for passengers as
theirs take minutes; stopping while
tickets aIe taken up is an
other source of delay. Those who
advocate government ownership of the
railways will surely change their minds
after they have ridden on the railways in
Germany and Belgium, which are owned
and run by these governments. The
systems of signalling are very complete,
especially III Italy, where there is a sub
stantial brick house about every mile and
half, with the flagmau and family liV-
ing in it, while trains announced them
selves by means of electric signals
which sound at every crossing, at every
station, and in each signal house, while
the train is yet miles away. Just outside
most of the stations Of any size, would
be small turn tables on each track, so
that car could be run out on one track
and put into the middle of train if noe
essary.
Some stations had peculiar affair on
which the cars were run, and which then
moved them to any desired track; this
machine had track for itself running
across the regular tracks. In England il
| WAS HOJlllllb UNUSUAL lOT All cAprtSs hain
to run through the stations of large
towns where it did not stop, at the rate
of 40 to 80 miles an hour. Iron ties were
beginning to be used largely in Ger
many. All trains in Europe, except in
Belgium, run on the left hand track, con
sequently the engineers stand on that
side; our way is much better, for the
engineer needs his right hand for the r.
versing lever.
In conclusion, would advise every
one making European tour to take
Paris and London last; we had intended
to go there first but found it necessary
= to change our plans, fortunately rs il
proved, for unless travellers get used tO
, the large foreign cities first, they are apt
to be overwhelmed by the immensity Oi
: Paris and London. A. G. SHERRY.