Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1893-11-04
PALACE CAR DEVELOPMENT.
Times Have Changed Since Women
Were Not Expected to Eat

Times Have Changed Since Women
Were Not Expected TO Eat
One Of the earliest uses Of an ok.
elusive railroad car in this part of the
country says the Boston Transcript
was on the occasion Of the marriage of
Jenny Lind The great singer, wishing
to pass her honeymoon far from the
mauuening crowd, hired cottage i'm
I1usfield; and, in order to be free from
the intrusion OF imperdnent starers,
had a passenger car Of the pattern in
use fitted for her use rs drawing
room by the removal of the seats and
the supply in their places Of luxurious
household furniture The fashion WAS
frequently adopted by ether noted pco-
pie of the stage anu by statesmen on
an elcctioneering tour. Very likely the
increased demand for the luxury led
to the invention of a ear, the use of
which was for sale at retail so to
speuk-that is, a chair IN 1t to be rented
to any one who came along. The
early efforts were constructed with q
view to privacy, being a series Of
various apartments. The open room,
which has been an encouragement to
sociability, was quickly evolved Ii is
Interesting to notice by tie way, that
the latest device for drawing-roOm
car is "A return Of the apartment sys-
tenn.
Some of the early dining ears were
rough affairs compared with the lux
ulfously appointed dining-rooms on
wheels mat are now found al over
the land. In those elder days you We're
forced to stand up against ii counter
built in the car, fore and aft and
there feed at a trough almost literally
one, since the TOP Uf the counter was
provided with a ledge to prevent the
plates from being tossed to the floor
by the webbing carr, SteaCying your
hand with as much skill as you could
master, just the same rs on board shin.
This luxury was for the use Of the
Steiner sex; the women in those days
were not expected to eat while travel
ing Clumsy as was this arrangement,
1t was an improvement on the railroad
restaurant, into which you rushed to
grab your food and swallow it without
going through the process Of maStica-
ton, and TO swallow q cup Of boiling
hot coffee-in your haste your sense
Of taste was paralyzed 80 that you
we're unable to tell what the scalding
beverage was-all the time in mortal
terror that the conductors irritating
shout, IAN aboard would come before
you had secured a fair equivalent for
your money,
The drawing-roOm and sleeping cars
of these days have come through a
process Of evolution Admirable as
they are in many ways as preventiyes
Of much Of the wcarincss Of long rail
road journeys, they are sdll far from
perfect. The science of heating them
has reached "a high point but in the
best Of them, particularly in sleeping
cars. ventilation is never filSt-rate.
There are many minor points that can
be easily bettered. Why is IT, for in
stance. that You never find a clock in
drawing-room car? It is because
every passenger who can afford the
luxury of the car is supposed to be
furnished with a Frodsham chronome-
ter or JurgeDsen repeater Neyerthe-
less, the clock would be appreciated,
and So, too would be a timetable, in
big type, of the actual train on which
you are travelling. AS a bit of evidence
to show the slowness Of evolution, it
is interesting TO note that only within
q short time has there been built a
drawing room or sleeping car in which
every corner and edge are rounded off
so as to prevent discomfort if YOU are
tossed or thrown against a partition
or casing