Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-11-21
AS TO UPPER BERTHS
SUGGESTED THAT sECOND.CLAss
SHELTERS MIGHT REMEDY THE
SITUATION IN SOME DEGREE.
Through Competition the Sleeping
Chr Service Has Decome u Great
burden Upon Railways.

The article in yesterdays Gazette
relative to the demands being made
upon the Pullman Palace Car company
FOR u reduction of % per cent. upon
upper berth charges by all the lines us
ing those cars. was something OF
surprise to local railway people. still.
the universal opinion is that something
OF the kind should be done by the Pull
man company.
One OF the most long-headed railway
men in the city was approached by the
Gazette representative yesterday and
asked for his opinion of the matter.
"well. sir. viii tell you what
think of 1t on one condition." was his
reply.
Name It," said the Gazette man.
at Is that you will not quote me
personally. In the matter to when
you refer | think something should be
done to reduce the charges for the up
per bcrths In sleeping cars. but | DO
not think the movement should extend
to the lower berths, and ] viii tell you
the reason why. If you lower the rates
for the lower perths you admit n class
Of travel to the sleepers which rob II OF
it8 exclusive character. putting 1t on
cNuctly the same basis as the day
coaches. In other words, the man VINO
desires to travel In comfort and Is
able TO pay for the luxurious comforts
and cOnveniences attached to the mod
ern palace car, win be deprived of that
privilege by any lowering OF the rate.
But any fair minded man must con
ccde there should be q difference In
the price paid by the occupant of the
lower berth and the man who has to
roUst In the top OF the car, There Is
q difference. ard | think n reduction
" % per cent. In the price OF the upper
berth would Just about adjust the
matter. Take a crowded sleeper, for
Instance. and when the upper occn-
pant comes down from his perch and
rides with the occupant OF the lower
berth during the day there Is n sort OF
unwritton law that the upper rooster
must ride backwards. or course, there
IL nothing in the contract demanding
this, but somehow or other the sltun-
ton invariably adjusts itself this way,
and the man who rides backwards
rather feels himself a trespasser, and
that he even enjoys that privilege
through the sufrcrnnce OF another.
"a better way than that suggested
by the Pennsylvania company, in my
Judgment, would be the rum ng Of Sec
und-class sleepers on all lines whose
travel will Justify II. | mean by sec
ond-class sleepers something on the
order Of the tourist slceper---a sleeping
car In which everything IL neat, clean
and comfortable, but whose appoint
ments are not 20 luxurious and cNpen-
slve as the regular Pullman MIKE
tho charges for tho accommodations af-
| torded by those cars about half that
Of the regular sleeper, and 1t IA n mat
ter that will adjust Itself In short or
der
I'M. 10. VsTNN1 aH
! lines, however. IL that few II any OF
them are able TO indulge In this kind
| OF an innovation. The sleeping car
business II great tax on the average
| railway. for no matter whether We are
| pulling an empty car or crowded
one, every time that ear travels mile
II earns for the Pullman company so
much mileage.
"Anothcr thought and am done.
| The sleeping car business through COM
| petition between railways is greatly
| overdonr and made much Of a burden,
Take for Instance the cannon ball run
| by the Texas aud Pacific out NJ st.
| Louis. That train brings into Texas
| Dallas and Fort Worth sleeper, "a
| Galveston md Houston sleeper and q
/ Laredo and San Antonio sleeper, In adj
| ditlon I think to one which Is dropped
| on NJ Hot Springs. No matter II there
Is tnly one passenger to each car those
sleepers nre pulled through anyhow,
| and It Ia doubtless the case often that
| the passengers. ] do not cite this 10 the
| Encouragement of travel over the Texas
| and Pacific but merely as an illustrn-
! ton OF the burden forced upon rail-
ways by conditions they seem powerless
to remedy The sleeping car problem,
ms you see Is n big one, and any move
\ mcnt that will afford even partial re-
| ilef will be welcomed by the railways