The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1894-03-23
PUT YOUR HEAD TO THE ENGINE.
A Wide Awake Sleeping Car Porter Tells
How Old Travellers SleeD on Cars

A Wide Awake Sleeping Car Porter Tells
How Old travellers Sleep on Cars.
"How will you have your feet?" the por-
ter asked in sleeping car coming from
Buffalo.
''Feet to the engine, F." said the passenger.
eff you travel much, you'll have your
head put next to the engine" said the
colored man.
"No," said the passenger, 81 am afraid
there might be a collision, and then I'd
be thrown with all my weight against my
head" The porter chuckled.
81 beg pardon, boss" said he, "but 1
notice dat all the railroad men has their
heads put toward the engine-aDd all the
commercial travellers also. The biggest
arguments is in favor of doing that way.
In the first place, there ain many head on
collisions. There's more danger of rear
end collision. The reason is that every pas
senger train has its own right of way and
runs regularly every night and is looked
out for by all the trains that's running
ahead of it. Therefore the most danger is
from something behind which don't know
when we have stopped or broke something,
and which runs into us unexpectedly.
There amt any one looking out for any
kind of collisions, cause when they come
it matters mighty little which end you're
putting forward-your head or your feet
but if you insist on looking out for 'em
from behind-I'm a-telling you"
"Any more argumentsW
SCOT plenty more arguments, boss. You
don't want to sleep with your feet toward
the engine, because if you do the draft
through the car blows right again your
head, and when it gets cold at night your
head and chest are exposed. Put your
head toward the engine, and you feel cool
without Citing in no draft. It's just the
same way in summer. If you sleep wi i
your feet toward the engine, you can
have your windows open, with the screen
in 'em, without getting the wind and fine
dust right in your face, whereas, if you
sleep with your head to the engine, you
get the cool air and no draft and dust.
"Is that all you known"
"No, boss. / hain't told you the big.
gest argument yet why you should have
your head made up toward the locomo
tive. The most serious thing of all is the
circulation of the blood in your body. YoT
been having your feet made up toward the
engine, enI well, L T6ChOu you JUL u ueN
er sleep very well in the cars, do you
Your nights res is usually broken, ain y
it3 Well, sir, femme make up your he
to the engine, and you'll sleep like you
baby. OATS because the motion of thi
train is SO strong and steady that it send'
all your blood toward the end that's fu.
thest from the engine. Put your feet <
the engine and all your blood rushe
straight to your head and gives you {
restless night. Put your head to the en-
CINE, and the blood goes away from 70
head, leaving it cool and easy SO as yOl
can res like a child"
"Put my head toward the engine anC
stop talking, will your"
''Yes, sir All right, sir. Anything yol
say, sir. You won't gredge me dat quar-
ter in the morning, I'm a-telling you"
A lapse of half an hour. Then voiC
from between curtains. 1t addresses tn
porter.
Solomon, Diogenes, porterI Any al
guments as to what part of train is tn
safest?"
"There aren't no use of arguments 'bou
dat, sir. The safest place on a train j
the middle of the middle car on the sid
furthest from the other track"
"Good night, Cicero. New York Sun