Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-06-12
COST OF PALACE CARS
FACTS CONCERNING PARLOR CARS
AND SLEEPING CARS.


ing of Ordinary sleeper-Pny of the
Employees-Big Profits.
No other country can boast of railroad
service equal to our own. Even our pigs
and horses have palaces on wheels.
In 1857 Webster Wagner, then freight
agent of the New York and Hudson River
railroad, running from New York to AL
bany conceived the idea of putting berths
into cars so that passengers might sleep III
them One year later four of these cars
were in operation. Wagner used ordinary
coaches and constructed berths in tiers.
like those in ocean steamers.
There were three tiers. The upper berthS
were made of Stats During the day these
Stats were taken out, together with the
mattresses, and were piled in the ends OF
the cars. The cost of construction of these
cars about 81, 600 each. Two years later
Mr. Wagner changed these berths that
they were hung from above by iron roG$
On sharp curves the occupant of the berth
was apt to be thrown out at least have
his elbows thumped against the side of the
car. The cars were very crude. a tin wash
basin apologized for the absence of a bath
room. The absence of all other comforts
Spologized for them.
"A few months after Mr.. Wagner con
ceived the idea of a sleeping car George "
Pullman riding on the Chicago and
Alton railroad when similar scheme
struck him. lie got two of the railroads
passenger coaches and constructed Il sleep
ing car much like Mr.. Wagner's Neither
gentleman was aware of the doings of the
other. one of those cars built by Mr.. Pull
man was the famous Pioneer" now hon
orably retired From these two beginnings
sprang the two gcea6 palace car companies
of today, the Wagner and the Pullman
The one operates 1850 ears on i1.OO miles
of railroad, with 30 different railroad ccnI-
panies The other operates 2.2O0 cars on
100, coo miles of railroad. There Were also
two smaller companies years ago, the
Woodruff and the Mann The Woodruff
was merged into the Pullman company III
1891, and the Mann company is almost de
funct.
\ picture of 4 car of 1850 and a descrip-
ton of car of to-day would serve better
than anything else to convey an idea Of the
progress and advancement in travelling. Bat
with all the crudeness and plainLess OF the
one and all the gorgcousness and luxury Of
the other so great has been the advance
ment in car construction that the cost of
the cars Of today does net exceed the cost
of the first palace cars built by 5000, save,
Of course in special instances. 1t took one
wear to build the Pioneer, and it cost SIS
coo. Ii takes two months to turn a car out
now and seldom does it cost $1,000.
1t was but a step from Il sleeping car 70 a
parlor car But il was years before hotel
or buffet car was turned out. Pullman huilt
the first one in 1876 for use at the centennial
1t was n sleeping car with kitchen attach
ment. The passengers slept III the car, and
their meals were served in the spaces their
berths occupied at night. All the Pullman
sleepers are buffet cars now. Few Of them
are hotel cars. where freshly cooked meats
are served. The dining ears supplanted tie
hotel cars, which were modified into buffet
cars. The observation and combination cars
are only a few years old. Private cars began
with the organizations of the companies,
but they have changed much In furnishings
and finish
The furnishings OF an average Wagner
sleeping car, which has compartments to
accommodate b passengers. for an ordinary
run of day and q night and return are luo
sheets. 100 hand towels, 100 pillowslips, II
cakes of soap, q boxes of matches, broomS,
c whisk brooms, 6 combs and brushes
The Pullman furnishes $50 sheets, towels
and pillowslipS respectively. The sleeping
cars vary in their accommodations OF pas
sengers from 20 to 81. They have in ad-
dition to their other equipments hammer,
monkey wrench, Ratchet, saw and crowbars,
iron and wooden buckets and feather dust
ers. The cost of equipment of a car, in
Guiding tapestries, averages $500. The cost
of the car proper averages $4,000 more
The conductors of the cars receive from
SO to 500 a month, according to ability
and length of service The companies gov
ern conductors with set of rules much
like a civil service system. 1t is supposed
that those with the best records get the
best runs and the top notch salary. Each
conductor buys his own uniform. The
company provides an overcoat, which it
stores in summer. The pOrters' salaries
vary from S35 to S75 month. Very few,
get SO. Like the conductors they buy their
own uniforms and wear overcoats furnished
ny Z fo1DDany The conductors are
quired to give a surety bond in the sum of
$500. The porters give no bond
The arrangements between the railroad
companies and the palace car companies is
ordinarily in the form of a contract where
BIZ the palace car company agrees TO furnish
the capital and the cars, while the roads
agree to haul them free, only pocketing
the regular railroad fare paid by each pas
| senger. IL some instances where palace
car traffic IS apt to he light the railroad
company pays proper sum to the palace
car company for running cars on the road
\ point on which the general travelling
public has long been uncertain of the attl-
tude of the Wagner and Pullman companies
is the responsibility for the baggage and
effects of the passengers while IN the palace
| cars Officials of both the Pullman and
! Wagner companies say that they are not
! the custodiaus OF the passengers personal
| effects. They call their porters and con
ductors servants and not agents and state
| that they are forbidden 80 become custoui-
ans even for the time being.
| a palace car pays an enormous interest
| when the amount OF capital invested ) con
| sidered. An official Of one OF the companies
| says that the fare to Chicago Is -, and that
| a sleeper makes SIX round trips a month,
| carrying - passenger each way, and re
| turns 35 per cent clear profit on the pro
| ceeds. 1t Is Il poor run where the clear