The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-10-28
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8O1,6O5.19
PALACE CAR DEVELOPMENT.


to Eat While Travelling.
One of the earliest uses of an exclu-
sive railroad car in this part of the
country was on the occasion of the
marriage of Jenny Lind The great
singer, wishing to pass her honeymoon
far from the madding crowd, hired 4
cottage in Pittsfeld; and, in order to
be free from the intrusion of imperti-
nent starers, had a passenger car OF
the pattern in use fitted for her uso as
drawing-room by the removal of the
seats and the supply in their place Of
luxurious household furniture. This
fashion was frequently adopted by
other noted people of the stage and by
statesmen on an electioneering tour.
Very likely the increased demand for
the luxury led to the invention of a
car the use OF which was for sale at re-
tail, so to speak-that is, a chair in it
to be rented to any one who came
along. The early efforts were con-
structed with view to privacy. being
a series of apartments of various sizes.
The open room, which has been an en-
couragement to socia bility, was quick
ly evolved. 1t is interesting to notice,
by the way, that the latest device for a
drawing-room car is a return to the
apartment system.
Some of the early dining-cars were
rough affairs compared with the luxu-
riously appointed dining-rooms on
wheels that are now found all over the
land In those elder days you were
forced to stand up against a counter
built in the car. fore and aft, and there
feed at trough almost literally one,
since the top of the counter was pro-
vided with ledge to prevent
the plates from being tossed to
the floor by the webbing carr,
steadying your hand and arm with
AS much skill rs you could
master, just the same as on board ship.
This luxury was for the use of the
sterner sex only; women in those days
were not expected to eat while travel
ing. Clumsy as was this arrangement,
it was an improvement on the railroaN
restaurant. into which you rushed to
grab your food and swallow it without
going through the process of mastica-
ton, and to swallow cup of boiling
hot coffee-in your haste your sense of
taste was paralyzed so that you were
nable to tell what the scalding bev-
erage was-all the time in mortal ter
ror that the conductors irritating
shout: "All aboardr' would come be-
fore YOU had secured fair equivalent
for your money.
The drawing-roor, and sleeping-cars
OF these days have come through pro-
cess of evolution. Admira bic as they
are in many ways as preventives of
much of the WEAKNESS of long railroad
Journeys they are still far from per-
feet The science of heating them has
reached high point, but in the best of
them. particularly the sleeping-cars.
ventilation is never frst-rate. There
are many minor points that can De
easily bettered. Why is il, for instance,
that YOU never find a clock in draw
inc-room car? Is it because every pas
senCer who can afford the luxury of
the car is supposed to be furnished
with a Frodsham chronometer or
a Jurgesen repeater? Nevertheless,
the clock would be appreciated. and SO.
too, would be tiIne-ta BILE, in big type,
OF the actual train on which you are
travelling. As a bit of evidence 20 show
the slowness of evolution. Il IS interest
ing TO note that only within a short
time has there been built a drawing
room or sleeping car in which every
corner and edge are rounded of so as
prevent discomfort II you are tossed or
thrown against partition or casing
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