The Indianapolis journal., 1894-04-20
NEW BEDROOM CARS
The Latest Thing in Night Coach
es for Genuine Comfort.
Four Storytelling Travellers Compare
Notes and Anecdotes About Mod
ern Ways of Travelling.
New York Sun.

New YORK sun.
A thought that doubtless occurs to many
who travel frequently on our railways is
that the leading trunk lines are conscious
ly or unconsciously making long-distance
railway travel very like steamship travel.
but only for tbe-men. One of the great
roasss~ Throws a sop 10 the women in the
form of a ladies' waiting maid, who is
a fixed part of the crew of each train, but
it is the men who appreciate the growing
similarity to steamship travel. They can
move to and fro between their staterooms
and the smoking room, where they may
smoke, play cards, drink or chat. The three
meals a day in the dining bring
many more breaks in the routine, but
these visits 10 the diner are the only
freshing changes for the women, who grow
more and more numerous in the cars.
The newest thing in railroading takes the
form of bedroom sleeping cars Of great
magnificence but uncertain promise that
one company now runs between New York
and Chicago on the fastest flyers. These
cars carry a strong suggestion OF being
English and a still stronger resemblance
TO the old Mann boudoir plan OF car build
ing. They differ from the Mann patent In
having the rooms on one side as far as
the middle of the car, where the hallway
turns across the car, and the rest of the
bedrooms are on the other side of the car.
Tne bedrooms are comparatively large and
each one contains an upper and lower
berth, washstand, with running water,
and the main appurtenances of the retir-
ing room that are found in the cars Of
older style. The beds are bigger-that is
friends or a married couple secure one or
these rooms they are certain TO enjoy
better nights rest and more comfort gen
orally than ever came TO them In the old
style open saloon sleepers. Women can
undress in their rooms with the doors shut
a
men, Once in bed there is no danger of
any ones falling in upon the sleepers as a
curve is turned and some luckless pedes-
trian is flung through the curtains. Each
room can be ventilated desired, and the
snores and babys cries and bedroom odors
of the old-style cars are all shut out OF
these private rooms.
LIKE A PRISON CELL.
But in all probability the average traveller
will never know, until he gets in one of
these new cars, how much he liked the
chance the old-style cars gave for looking
at the other passengers. The other passen-
| gers lightened the journeys They were in
| teresting and amusing, and enduring
| friendships were often made between men
| and men and women and women in the
| open saloon sleepers. Now, the traveller
| gets into one of these new flying bed
| chambers and understands at once that he
| may only look at whoever has the other
| berth in the same room. He sees the
other mans bag and umbrella on the other
| seat and wonders what sort Of a man he
| will prove to be, for whatever sort he is
that man and he must sit knee to knee
all the time they are in their stateroom.
who Nnhsei net in the smoking car of such a
| train going out the other night, suppose
| your roommate happened to be maniac
like the fellow met in Pullman car II
| Virginia a few weeks ago, what then?"
| ''Oh, Lord!' gasped No. 2:
| But, suppose" said the third man, THAI
|
| met on the way to Buffalo not long ago
when-by, gracious-the baby took the mos
| strange liking for me, and would sit or
| my lap for the hour, and wound up a.
night by yelling blue murder until 1 TOOK
it into the upper BUNK NV Whege ne,, y leii asieei
| But; heavens!' said No. 4, surely. they
don't put women in a closed bedroom
where a man has the other berth. On,
! say conductor, what do you do if a woman
has one berth in one of these bedroom car:
and man has the other BERTH,
| well that don't often happen" said the
conductor The ticket agents try to guard
against that by selling uppers and lowers
together to separate single women who
but suppose it does happen?'
well. then. we manage somehow. Il
| happened tonight, but luckily l found 9
| place to put the man in another car and
| gave the whole room to the lady"
a CRAZY ENGLSHMAN.
The passengers piled the conductor will
| questions. They asked what happened If
drunken man or a lunatic got into one o.
these new cars and he said nothing hap
pened, because such people aren't allowed
on the trains. All the same one of tn,
| passengers told of a trip he took in the fal
West, when one of the passengers was
young English millionaire with a silve
plate on top of his head where the dome
/ of his skull ought TO be. The young mai
had a doctor travelling with him, princi
pally to see that he got nothing spiritou
to drink. Whether he got any spirits o
not he made the acquaintance of young
| lady and her mother in the Pullman car
and in the course of the day he insulte
the girl grossly. A man who had beel
watching the chap leaped at him with
view to giving him thrashing, but tn
doctor begged for his patient and SO cam
to tell OF his misfortune He had bee
crushed; hence the silver plate. That nigh
the lunatic sought the berth into whic
the girl had retired and going down o.
be forgiven. The amiable girl forgave hin
in a frightened voice, through the crac
sisted upon a kiss TO bind the bargain
The girl screamed and several men role
out of bed and tore the lunatic away fror
her berth, while the guardian doctor snore
obliviOus of all that went on.
With such anecdotes the passenger
amused themselves for awhile, and then,
give place TO others who wished to Smok
they went back to their cells in the new
fashioned ears and each sat looking al
stranger untll Dedtlme. w nereNer there wa
a family party or man and wife in OF
of these rooms the new arrangement SCENE
perfect, and laughter and happy voices fl
tered through the doOrways. When all ha
slept and arisen and dressed the passenger
met IN the dining car. and thence the me
went forward to the great open smokin
car, with its easy chairs and its bartende
and barber, and newspapers, and the res
! Then the four passengers met again an
compared notes of how they had spent the
night on the new ears. one would say nOtl
ing good for or about the night or al
feature of ii. because some had TO
him the cars were English-an absurdit
for there is no such thing as comfort
any form on the rails in England. But II
fourth man had had an experience
II went to bed after my roommate NJ
turned in said he. "and what / saw ma,
me very nervous. on the seat in the corn
was a shirt with a big diamond blazing
II. On one hook was a waistcoat with
gold watch and chain boldly displayed
one pocket and against the cloth. on a
| other hook hung par of trousers. Wi
/ the hip pocket in plaiif sight and with
I fat wallet in the pocket. 1 went 10 bed, b
! could not sleep. lest some one should op,
the door and steal the trousers and l
! suspected, as | certainly should be-"