Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-08-05
EVILS OF TRAVELLING.
AN ENeLIsHMAN FINDS MANY ANNOY
ANcES IN AMERICA.
How Strangers, Especially Travellers From
England. Are swindicd In Many Of Our
Larger Citics-Cab Fares and Sleeping
Car Heat.

England. Are swindlcd In Many of Our
Larger CitIes--Cab Fares and Sleeping
Car Heat.
Although Alr. Rudyard Kipling may
have a good deal to say for his peculiar
view Of American society, the real truth is
That England and America can learn good
many things from eacL other. English
men are not ali millionaires. and nobody
quite likes 10 be openly swindled
On the Atlantic the traveller Is safe
enough. Travel nowadays ON board those
ocean greyhounds is simply luxury. But
the moment foot Is set on shore the stranger
experiences that he is In "A new country,
where things are not r.Hctly rs they are
at home. An Englishnan's first instinct
on arriving 1T the conclusion Of journey
IS to call "a cab. lie had better nol indulge
this fancy ia New York. 4 passenger ar
irving by any Of the liners at Liverpool
would at once secure his luggage, have II
conveyed TO cab, tip the porter and on
being set down at mis- hotel would pay the
cahman, say, half "A crown. They manage
things otherwise in New York. Heavy lug
gage must, in the first place, be expressed"
at a charge Of Is. 6d. each package. II there
are ladies' In the party, this item may mount
up TO something considerable,
with an Irish driver, possessing none OF the
fun of the old country. On arriving at the
hotel You ask what the fare amounts 10.
And then the Englishmans gore rises.
lie Is accustomed TO stepping into Lon
don hanson and driving longer distance
for lorin. But the lIibcrnian chariotecr
grayely calls for 81, 81 or 81, just according
to the humur he may be in. And il has to
be paid The result Is that when the tray-
elcr finds himself ~ his room il has prob
ably taken :. TO convey himself
and his luggage from the landing place 10
the hotel This of course is simply "A gor.
geous swindie. And the way to avoid it is,
fortunately, equally simple.
The Americans travel with single big
trunk. Everything goes into 1t as into a
handbag. This Noak's ark can bc TEX.
pressed" 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 the way TO do it, but II is lit.
tie short OF scandal that the law should
not protect strangers.
As to hotels, something pleasant and un-
pleasant may be said. In all the cities
these establishments are Of the most pala-
tial character and are conducted on both
the American and European plans. No one
should enter house conducted on both
plans Should he do so the experience OF
our party may be his. We had written
ahead to secure rooms on the American
plan at one Of the Fifth avenue hotels The
charge was s., or A, per day. Arriving
late at night, we were ''skied" in garret.
Judge of our surprise when on entering
the dining room we were calmly informed
that no food was supplied on the American
plan after 5 y. m, and that if one desired
lat~ .
European plan. Ia other words, were ex
pected to pay II a day for board and lodg
ing on the American plan aud pay for our
supper in cash because the Boston train
happened TO be latel This Of course was
sheer impertuencc But we had To submit
IL was too late To 20 elsewhere. At another
of these gorgeous establishments we expe.
rienced another piece of sharp practice The
terms were 81 - per day or 80 shillings each
person. But ou our arrival we stepped into
the wrong room for luncheun-i e. into
the room for visitors ON the European plan
The bill had to be paid in cash, and We had
the extreme satisfaction of paying lis. 6d.
for two luncheons, in addition TO charge
OF 30 shillings per day. These are samples
of the impudent swindles that await the
traveller whois not prepared for them The
only safe plan therefore is To go To house
have said that the American hotels are
gorgeous palaces, but they sadly lack the
homely feeling Of the English home. They
seem to be huge rabbit warrens. They are
the saddest aud dullest places in the world.
But, as rule, the accommodation and the
food are excellent.
AS regards railway travelling, some things
are better than at home, and others are
worse. The rate OF travelling is mostly
slower, and the cost less than in England.
But the cars are infinitely better, and tray,
cling Is, on the whole, pleasanter but for
the heat This is largely caused by the fact
that the porter Is generally a negro, and he
heats the train up to his own ideas of COM
fort, but it Is not pleasant for an ordinary
Englishman to swelter Ia a ear with the
thermometer at 75 degrees or s0degrees and
then 90 ont into an atmosphere below freez-
ing point, or even below zero. The night
travelling also shocks "A stranger. In Eng
land there are ladies' sleeping cars. No
such thing ever occurred TO the American
mind. Men and women shake down pro
miscuous,n and are cuTtained off in kind
of sealed compartment
| confess To a preference for the English
fashion, although Mr.. Hannibal Chollop
would, suppose, have sneered at my pref
udiCes as European But the Americans
can give US points in regard TO dealing with
luggage IL is something To hand your lug.
gage 10 the hotel porter to receive frpm
him at the railway station brass checks for
it, to give these checks TO n collector on
arrival, and u find, for a small charge, your
luggage at tae hotel almost as quickly a.
yourself Why English railway companies
dc not adopt this plan Of dealing with lug
gage passes comprehension. There j.
hardly such thing as a railway porter in
the states. Then the dining car Is Il real
work Of art. Ii j. luxury To be able TO
get comfortable meal eNcellently served
without rushing to refreshment rooms and
eating ut "a rlte ruinons to digestion and to
health. Sonr time or another | suppose,
John Bull Will wake up.
In the matter Of street cars the mother
country il also sadly behind. In Boston,
Washington, Montreal, Toronto and other
cities the electric street cars are one Of the
chief means of rapid transit But here
again there Is the fiy in the ointment. An
American car ~ never so full that II Will
not hold Que more. The passengers crowd
the cars, stand on the platforms and hang
ON To the steps. II Is the American way OF
doing things. and this settles the question,
but prefer tie English car. with only It's
allotted number Of passengers. London
Graphic.
When Ton Take Notes.
Did you ever want to take notes and have
Hltf5N.s