The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-09-27
SLEEPING CARS.
THEY WE'RE EVOLVED FROM A
PRIMITIVE START.
Wagner and Pullman Conceived the
Same Idea Almost Coincidental-
ly In 1S57-Furnishings and
Seryioe-Private Cars.

aSenI Oh tue Ne" 1oi u t."o
son River, says writer in the Indian
apolis News. He took am ordinary
coach and put the berths in tiers.
There were three tiers, the upper
berths being made of Stats, and during
the day these Stats, with the mattresses,
were taken out and piled in the
end of the cars. 1t cost about Sl2, OOO
to arrange these cars, and in 1858 four
of them were in use. The public at
first fought shy of the "new-fangled"
affairs, and it was two years before the
patronage was sufficient to Justify fur
ther improvements. The berths were
finally changed 80 they were hung
from above with iron rods and not in
frequently when the train was turning
sharp curves were the passengers
thrown out or had their elbows and
heads bruised by the swaying OF the
cars. As the years advanced travellers
began to take liking to sleeping cars
and the patronage was 80 great that
various improvements were made until
the palaces of to-day were the result.
Wagner was killed few years ago in
q collision. When he died he was q
multi-millionaire. The same year, and
about the same time that Wagner in
vented his sleeping car, George NJ.
Pullman was taking trip over the
Chicago & Alton, and the idea of car
on which passengers could sleep struck
him. He got two passenger coaches
and constructed "sleepers" similar to
the one made by Wagner. One OF
these was the Pioneer" now retired
from service on~its honors.
From these beginnings sprang the
two great palace car companies,
probably the most powerful monopolies
in the railroad world. The Wagner
operates 2100 cars on 1000 miles of
road and thirty companies The Pull
man operates 2600 cars on loo, 600
miles of railroad. There were also
two smaller companies begun years
ago, the Woodruff and the Mann. The
former was merged into the Pullman
company in 1891 and the Mann is almost
out of existence. So great has been
the advance in car construction that
with all the gorgeousness and luxury
Of the palace car of to-day they cost
little more than the plain, crude cars
Of years ago. Itrequired one year to
build the Pioneer at cost of SlS, 600.
Now car 10 turned out in two months
at an expense of abouts1s, 600 or $2l,-
600.
1t was only step from sleeping to
q parlor car, but it was years before a
hotel or buffet car was turned out.
Pullman built the first in 1876. All
the Pullman sleepers are now buffets
and few of them are hotel cars, where
freshly cooked meats are served. The
dining cars supplanted the hotel cars.
Observation and combination cars are
only few years old. The furnish
ings of ON average sleeper, which has
sixteen compartments for thirty-two
passengers, for an ordinary run of a
day and night and return are 100
sheets, 100 hand towels, 100 pillow
slips, twelve cakes of soap, six boxes OF
matches, two brooms, six whisk
brooms, four combs and six brushes.
The cars have. in addition to their
other equipments, hammer, monkey
wrench, hatchet, saw and crowbars,
iron and wooden buckets, feather
busters, telegraph blanks, and on some
Rihlaa and other books
The conductors average from $75 to
$10O month, according to ability and
length of service. The porters are paid
from $25 to $75 month, but they buy
their own uniforms and wear overcoats
furnished by the company. The con-
ductor is required to give bond OF
$500; the porter is not required to give
any. On run exceeding what is known
as o short or twelye-hour trip either
the conductor or porter must be awake
and get out at every regular stop,
ready to receive passengers. On short
runs neither is allowed to sleep. Por-
ters in private cars get $75 a month.
Private cars carry three men-cook,
pantryman and waiter. A sleeper usu-
ally carries two, but on short runs
there is porter in each car, while a
conductor is in charge of two or more
cars in the train. The dining cars
carry 8 first, second and third cook at
S75, four to six walters at $50 q month
and o conductor at $100 month, who
also acts as cashier.
There is much rivalry and at the
same time much difference in the Sc
lection of porters in regard to runs.
All of them like the through trains to
fashionable summer resorts. The tip
to a parlor car man who brushes your
clothing at the end of the short trip is
usually 25 cents, and he counts upon
500 or $25 month extra. The sleep
ing car tip averages 25 cents, but it is
often much more, particularly if the
porter is requested to look after in.
yalids or women and children placed
in his charge. The sleeping car porter
counts on $40 month extra. Dining
car men make about $45 month in
addition to their services.
1t is not true, as is generally sup
posed, that the railroad companies
own their diners, sleeping, parlor and
chair cars. 1t is only in few in
stances that this is the case. The ar
rangements between the railroad and
palace car companies is ordinarily il
the form of a contract whereby the
palace car company agrees to furnish
the capital and the cars, while the
so,J, = o~roo +o bo,iI thenn free receiv.