Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-22
RAILROAD DlSCOMF ORTS
Amusing Efforts to Seek Repose in an
Ordinary Car.
Car Makers Are Evidently Not Fa-
miliar With the Anatomy of
the Human Frame.
From the New York Herald.

From the New York Herald
Seats in the ordinary railroad car are
not arranged with view to their adapta-
bility to the requirements of slumber, as
everybody who has had occasion to use
them for that purpose knows. But the de-
mands of Morpheus are memorable, and on
trains That leave the city between mid
night and the "wee sma' hours most OF
the passengers i'm the ordinary cars, after
some attempts to keep wide awake, en-
deavo- to accommodate themselves to cir
cumstances and steal a few hours of sleep.
Then it is that the individual who is able
to resist the tendency to somnolency can
have lots of fun watching the contortfons
of his fellow passengers as they endeayor
to so adjust themselves to their environ
ments that the maximum OF mature
sweet lestorer' may be obtained with the
minimum of discomfort.
AS rule, such cars are not more than
half filled, so each passenger generally has
the space allotted to two seats in which
to make the experiment. That is Just hal1
of what he needs. 1t is how to dispose or
his legs that bothers him. There is no
room the seat for them. They become
obtruslvely and painfully superlluous.
A man usually begins by jamming his
knees against the back of the seat In front
of MIN. That is an entirely satisfactory
arrangement, so far the upper half or
him is concerned. But the lower half soon
begins to protest against it. 1t involves an
unfair division of the burden of existence.
While the muscles of the body are relaxed
the legs, from the knees up, are as stiff as
pokcrs. The only sleep they can get that
way is that sort Of sleep which Is sugges-
tive of the sticking OF pins and needles
into that portion of the anatomy which is
SO affected. The legs resent the unfair
treatment, and soon their unfortunate
owner finds it imperative to attempt a new
adjustment of his dimensions to the space
at his disposal.
Finds 1t Different.
With a muttered malediction against the
business which compels him to be travel
ing when he would fam be tucked snugly
away in his own little bed. ne arouses him
self from his torpor sufficiently to bestow
a little thinking on the problem before him.
Mindful, perhaps, of the comfort he has
often experienced when, in his hours Of
ease at home, he has stretched himself out
in an easy chair and deposited his heels on
an adjacent table or mantelpiece, 1t occurs
to him that his efforts to WOO the drowsy
god may meet with better success If he
throws mis- feet over the back of the seat
in front of him. To be sure, it is not a
very dignified attitude. but dignity rs about
the last thing one thinks of when feeling
sleepy
is accomplished. His legs are thrown over
the back of the seat in front of him. 1t
doesn't take him minute to discover that
il won't work. The back of the seat isn't
far enough off. Instead of his heels resting
upon 1t. it strikes his calves just where
they are most sensitive to external pres
sure. And 1t isn't a padded cushion that
they rest upon. but something as hard and
unyielding as the spinal column of a razor
back hog.
His legs can't be induced on any terms
to accept such an arrangement. and he
finds himself compelled to study the situa-
ton a little more closely.
Very likely his next move may be to
squeeze himself into a corner of his seat
nearest the aisle, and in this position IL
his legs ne not too long. he can rest one
heel on the extreme inside end of the back
of the seat in front of him. while the other
boot finds support in the angle made by
the wirdOwsill. There is no grace about
the position, but 1 have seen men slumber
peacefully for an hour or more on a
stretch in it