The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-08-27

OF tueI lives anu Nohioh ~ s,%~
their honor.
1t is to the competition existing among
our American railway companies that we
owe the conyeniences, such as ice water,
toilet and retiring rooms SO literally pro-
yided for travellers upon all our first class
trains, and which, under system OF
governmental ownership and control,
would never have come into being. i will
pass over with simple reference to what
travellers I'm our own country have long
since come to regard as absolute necessities
OF railroad travel but which are absolutely
unknown on all the government-con-
trolled railways of Europe. i refer to ade-
quate arrangements for eating, sleeping,
amusement, lighting, heating, etc. But
must very strongly emphasize one glaring
deficiency, which is SO utterly inexcusablo
and even incredible that in the United
| States il would arouse the most
bitter Indignation. ! mean the fact
that the trains on the government
controlled railways of continental
Europe are entirely devoid of even the
most primitive toilet conveniences. The
annoyances and the suffering occasioned
thereby are incalculable. Think of the
feeble women and elderly men, OF the in
valids and children, who are forced to put
up with such monstrous neglect on the
part OF those whose duty it is to provide
in every possible way for their comfort
and happiness during the journey, as they
are paid for doing 80. Te he sure, the
railway companies do, it is true, make
pretense Of furnishing their patrons with
these Accommodations at the stations along
the route, but as the runs between the
stations are often very long and the stops
very short, and as the weather is often in
clement, 1t is very difficult for ladies,
children and lnvalids to leave the train
in order to avail themselves Of even these
wretched excuses for conveniences.
Let me give an illustration of the gross
abuses of sucha a system. j will mention
a case which came under my own obser-
vation during one of my journeys in
Continental Europe An American lady
left her seat in the train to enter one of
these cabinets, and she was actually
locked in and kept there until the train
had moved off without her simply because,
having left her purse in the cars, she was
unable to pay the few sous that were de-
mended.
Another great annoyance which must
be suffered by the traveller on the govern
ment-controIled railways OF Europe, and
one which would necessarily never be
remedied except under the severe compe-
tition fostered by our system of indepen-
dent companies, is the incessent jolting,
due very largely to the small size and
faulty construction of the cars. IL you
happen to ride In any OF the forward car
riages of any of the express trains
on a European railway you are
thrown up and down, and from side
to side, with q violence which could only
have been equaled in the United States
in the old days of stage coaching, when
those numbering vehicles were driven
over what were called corduroy roads,"
which were constructed by telling trees
and placing them in close juxtaposition
across the highway. Charles Dickens had
some experience of roads of this kind
while travelling in Ohio on the occasion of
his first visit to this country in 1912, and
he has eloquently described in his s'Ameri-
can notes" the consequent sufferings of
himself and Mrs. Dickens from the jolting
and humping to which they were sub
jected. 1t would require pen as brilliant
and facile as that OF the great novelist to
do Justice to the discomfort endured by an
American tourist while travelling in the
forward car OF q government controlled
railroad In Europe.
Railways under governmental control
must inevitably be conducted in despotic
and autocratic manner, with little regard
to the rights OF the people. because, as
stated above, there would be no compe-
tition and no practical redress for in
juries, losses or damages Of any kind,
since all such claims would remain
unsettled down to the third or fourth
generation. How despotic and autocratic
our railways would be under Government
control is well illustrated by the follow
ing incident, which know to be authen-
tic: A party Of American students, trav-
elling through Germany, reached a rail-
road station in one Of the large cities just
as their train was pulling out. An
official, seeing that they had started
TO run after the moving train with the in
tention of jumping on board, called out
to them to stop and not to attempt to get
on the cars while they were in motion. AS |
the cars were moving slowly, they paid no |
attention to this official warning, and |
clambered aboard the train.
Their disobedience Of the railway off, |
cia's mandate was punished at the next |
station, where they were met |
by guard of soldiers and all |
marched off under arrest. At first |
the young Americeis were inclined to
treat their Hrrest Hs hinge jest and they
inquired with mock seriousness when
their trial for the heinous offence of jump
ing upon a moving railway train would
take place, but they soon found out that
it was no laughing matter when they
were informed that, having deliberately
violated an ordinance of the great German
Empire, they had been already tried and
and sentenced to 80 days inn
prisonment. In fact before they had fully
realized the gravity OF their situation they
found themselves behind iron bars in cells
Of the city Jail, and 1t required all
the influence OF the American legation,
together with the most abject and humili-
ating apologies on their part, TO procure
their liberation.
AS have already said, many courtesies
and concessions are extended to the ira
Yelling public by the railways in this coun-
try owing TO the severe competition
existing between the different lines,
and due TO our system of independent