The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-04-17
A BRITON'S LUGGAGE.
OF AMERICAN IMITAToRs
TO INTRODUCE IT HERE.

Steamship wharf Ia Stndy-Ths Trava
eler and Ills Bafatub.
As the travelling Briton is known in
this countTy by his luggage, SO the
American woman was once hated in
Europe because Of her saratoga trunk.
The world has escaped the general
adoption Of the saratoga trunk, but
worse thing seems possible. as British
luggage threatens to become interna-
tional Even now you may buy in thiI
town all the impedimenta with which
the travelling Briton cumbers himself
and bedeyils the rest Of mankind. A
Broadway trunkmaker has for some
years past undertaken TO fix the thral-
dom Of these things upon his fellow
country men and women, and many
travelling Americans. especially the
wealthy and fashionable, are to be rec
ognized by the multiplicity Of British
impedimenta that they carry TO and fro
in their frequent journeyings between
the old world and the new. More curl
ous still, those clever and initiative Jap
anese have begun TO produce British
luggage identical vita the original in
the minutest details, even down to hand
sewed straps on leather trunks, port
manteaus and the like; but. drolly
enough, the whole outfit is merely pa
per counterfeit Of the real thing.
American imitatOrs of things British.
lacking the fine Lumor Of the japanese.
have made no substitution Of light ma
terial for heavy, but have taken ON the
/ full burden Of ponderOus British hat
t..1I
alls AMI even bathtubs. 1t was travel
ing American who gave to the world an
account of q refreshing scene ON board
a Mediterranean steamer bound to Tan
/ gier or some such Muhammedan port Of
north Africa. a British passenger with
his bathtub had nearly pestered the life
out of a meek, coffee colored Moham-
medan. who accepted the Briton : curses
without n sign Of rcproach, but when
in the course Of getting the luggage
ashore tho precious bathtub fell over
board and sank like lead, the harmless
follower of the prophet was seen TO
pause in his work and dance gleefully
upon the deck, exclaiming in triumph,
"Oh. Mr.. Goddam, Mr.. GOddam 2" It
is since that incident that travelled
Americans in their aping of British
ways have accepted even the burden II
the bathtub.
A study of baggage nc a steamship
wharf or even at n large railway station
in New York is an instructive lesson as
to the cosmopolitan character of the
city. There is one article Of British
luggage that seldom survives more than
one journey within the limits of the
United States and sometimes gets no
farther inland than the New York hotel
at which the traveller makes his first
stop. This article is the little trunk OF
box of japanued tin much used by tray-
elers in Great Britain. The fiimsy trifie
hardly survives the first encounter with
the American baggage handler, and
after the first journey Of 600 miles in
this country is battered out Of all re-
semblance to its original rectilinear self.
1t is an article of luggage not suitable
to the eXigencies of American travel
A pathetic feature Of the baggage at
the railway stations that are doorways
to the west is the immigrants luggage.
Sometimes il is a mattress from the
Eteerage wrapped about the few belong
ings of the new made American. Again
il is the corded box If the Irish. English
or Scotch immigrant. 1t will be recalled
how important a preliminary TO Char
lOtte Bronte's journeyiDgs out into the
great world from her Yorkshire home
was the cOrdiug Of her box The corded
box is as rare among the luggage Of IN
American traveller as the old hair trunk,
though both are occasionally seen. The
seaman's locker, rectilinear for "a stable
stowage and strong against accidents,
figures in the luggage at steamship
wharves. One knows instinctively It's
contents Of old clothes, Photographs,
curios. tobacco and long treasured let.
ters from home and the array Of pic
tures from the illustrated papers pasted
on the inside Of the lid
The elaborate dressing cases thai
some Americans and all we'll 10 dc
Englishmen used 10 travel with are 60
ing out Of fashion. IL is almost a neces
sity that the traveller with this pretty
piece Of luggage take along a valet, fol
the thing weighs like so much lead anc
is too precious TO be trusted to the ten
der mercies Of the baggage department
The travelling desk also has nearly dis
ofAsCNA'Af AHeueA eNAAAo AAkeAAoua AAuuA
makers now produce trunks that oper
so as to form desks. The luncheon
hamper that used TO accompany every
traveller across this continent IN tbs
days before dining cars came into us'
has almost entirely disappeared. Th'
California milliunaires Of early trans
continental travel carried enormous anC
richly laden hampers and dispensed Of
ten princely hospitality to their fellow
travellers. The dinner hour on board
transcontinenial rain was a picturesqu,
incident Of travel in those days. Th,
travelling Briton in Europe still some
times carries his luncheon hamper, AnC
il is often one Of the nuisances Of Euro