The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-04-05

che Railways.
An Englishman's first instinct on arriv-
ing at the conclusion of a journey is to
call a cab, saws I. w. Russell. NJ. p, in the
London Graphic He hal better not in
dulge this fancy in New York.
A passenger arriving by any OF the lines
at Liverpool would at once secure his lug
gage, have it conveyed TO a cab, tip the
porter, and on being set down at his hotel
would pay the cabmsn, say, half-a-crown.
They manage things otherwise in New
York. Heavy luggage must, In the first
place, be expressed" at q charge OF
/ shilling and & pence each package. II
there are ladies in the party this item may
mount up to something considerable. But
having disposed of the heavy trunks, what
abou. the smaller impediments? oh"
you say, that may 90 on The cal" Very
good. And off you go on a ramshackle
equipage with an Irish driver. possessing
none OF the Jun OF the old country. On
arriving at the hotel you ask what the fare
amounts TO. And then the Eng ishman's
gorge rises He is accustomed
TO stepping into London
hansome and driving a long distance for a
fiorin. But the Hibernisn charioteer
gravely calls for s., 81 or So, just accord
ing TO the humor he may be in. And 1t
has to be paid. There appear to be no
cab regulations in New York. And if
there were, nobody imagines that any
authority could or would enforce them.
The result is that when the traveller finds
himself ia his room il has probably taken
% shillings to convey himself and
his luggage from the landing place
TO the hotel. This, of course, is
simply gorgeous swindle And the
way TO avoid it il, fortunately, equally
simple. The Americans travel with a
single big trunk Every thing 60 into ii
rs into a handbag. This Noah's ark can
be expressed" at the same charge as a
dressing-case. And this done, Uncle Sam
makes for the street car and reaches his
hotel for cents. This is tho way TO do
II, but 1t is little short OF n scandal that
the law should not protect strangers.
They are unmerciuly tieeced. A drive
OF two hours around Boston cost our party
IS, or 81 shillngs. The only cafe plan is
never 20 enter a cab in the United States
As to the hotels, something y pleasant aud
unpleasant may be said. In ali the cities
these establishments are OF the most
palatial character and are conducted
on both thu American and European
plans. No one should enter house
conducted on both plans We had
written ahead to secure rooms on the
American plan at one OF the Fifth avenue
hotels. The charge was s.. or El per
day. Arriving lac ut night, We were
''skled" IN garrett The electric
bells we're out Of order. The pressure
was not sufficient 10 send hot
water M to the tap aud in the morning
the supply OF cold water also gave out A
bath was out OF the question. The smell
from the tap itself suggested that IL had
! direct connection with the main sewer
But all MS might have been tolerated for
IA night Judge OF our surprise. however.
| when Oh entering the dininc-room we were
calmly informed that no food was eup-
piled on the American plan alter p.
IN, and that il one &c aired supper 1t
should bo served ca the European
| plan. To other words, We we're exp clei
! TO pay 8 DAY for board and lodging on
! the American plan and paw for our sup
/ per IN cash. because the Boston train hap
| pened TO be late. At another OF these gor-
! geouH establishments We experienced an
other piece OF sharp practice. The terms
were $3.50 per day or sos each person.
But on our arrival we stopped into the
wrong room for luncheon. O., into the
room for visitors on the European plan.
| The bill had 10 be paid in cash, and we
had the extreme satisfaction OF paying
! lis Cd for two lucheons in Rddi-
ton to charge OF Sos per day.
These are samples OF tho impudent
swindles that await the traveller who is
not pre- pared for them. have said that
the American hotels are gorgeous palaces,
but they sadly lack the homely feeling OF
the English home. They seem 10 be huge
rabbit warrens. The sDlendid public
II L. Il q b.a
! day And morning, noon and night, Tor
breakfast, luncheon and dinner, people
stream out of their bedrooms. where
they live, into the huge dining hall and
back again. They are the saddest and
dullest places in the world. But, as a
rule, the accommodations and FOOD are
excellent.
As regards railway travelling, some
things are better than at home, aud 9TH
ers are worse. The rate OF travelling is
mostly slower and the cost less than in
England But the cars are infinitely bet
ter and travelling ia, on the whole, pleas
nnter but for the heat. This Is largely
caused by the fact that the stoker Is gem
orally negro, and he heats the train up
to his own ideas OF comfort; but il is not
pleasant for an ordinary EnRlishman TO
| swelter IN a Ger with tine thermometer at
| 75o to SOC and then 40 out into an
atmosphere below freezing point, or even
below zero. The night travelling so
shocks stranger. In England there are
I ladies' sleepinC-cars. No such thing ever
occurred to the American mind. Men
and women shake down ''promiscuous."
and are curtained off in a kind OF sealed
compartment. But the Americans give US
points in regard to dealing with luggage.
1t is something to hand your luggage to
the hotel porter, to receive from him
at the railway station brass checks for
it, to give these checks to a collector
on arrival. and to find, for small charge.
your luggage at the hotel almost as quickly
as yourself Why English railway COM
panies do not adopt this plan of dealing
with luggage passes comprehension.
There is hardly such thing as rail-
way porter in the states. Then the dining
car is real work OF art. 1t is luxury to
be able 10 get comfortable meal excel
| la0tlv aerya1 CithOut rushing gofreen