The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-04-20

Steamship Wharf Is a study-The TrAv.
eler and His Bathtub.
As the travelling Briton is known in
this country 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 q
worse thing seems possible, as British
luggage threatens to become interna-
tional Even now you may buy in this
town all the impedimenta with which
the travelling Briton cumbers himself
and bedevils the rest Of mankind. A
b -oadway 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 10 and fro
in their frequent jOurneyings between
the old world and the new. More curl
Gus still, those clever and initiative Jap
anese have begun to produce British
luggage identical with the original in
sewed straps on leather trunks, port
manteaus and the like; but, drolly
enough, the whole outfit is merely a pa
per counterfeit of the real thing.
American imitators Of things British,
lacking the fine humor of the japanese,
have made no substitution of light ma
terial for heavy, but have taken ON the
full burden of pOnderous British hat
boxes, portmanteaus, rugs, bags, hold
alls and even bathtubs. 1t was n travel
ing American who gave to the world an
account of u refreshing scene ON board
a Mediterranean steamer bound TO Tan
gier or some such Mubammedan 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 a sign Of reproach, but when
in the course Of getting the luggage
ashore the 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, MIR. Goddam, Mr. Go;ldam - lt
is since that incident that travelled
Americans i'll their apinB of British
ways have accepted even the burden II
the bathtub.
A study of baggage At q steamship
wharf OF even at a large railway station
III New York is an Instructive Lesson rs
| TO the cosmopolitan character Of the
| city. There Is one article uf British
luggage that seldom survives moro than
| u.
/ United States and sometimes gets nO
farther inland than tie New York hu.cl
| at which the travC.cr makes his iir.t
| stop. This article - the liitla trUul. or
! box of japanned tin much used by trav-
/ elers in Great Britain The flimSy triii0
! hardly survives the first encounter with
the American bagGage handler. and
/ after the first journey # Goo miles IN
/ this country Is battered out cf all re-
I semblance to its original Tectiliucar 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 Guurways
/ to the west is the immigrants luggage
/ Sometimes 1t is a mattress from the
/ steerage wrapped about the few belong
2 AAkS VI ALt nEN Altttit GAiAtEltdAl- AEtlu
I it Is the corded box Of the Irish. English
or Scotch immigrant. 1t viii be recalled
4 how important a preliminary to Char
I lotte BrOntes joUrneyinRs out into the
! great world from her Yorkshire home
/ was the c0rding Of her box. The corded
/ box Is as rare among the luggage Of an
/ American traveller as the cid hair trunk.
/ though both are occasionally seen. The
seaman's locker, rectilinear for n stable
I stowage and strong against accidents,
\ figures in the luggage ct steamship
| wharveS. One knows instinctively its
contents of old clothes, Photographs,
curiCs, 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 that
some Americans and all well TO do
EngliShmen used to travel with are go
ing ont of fashion. 1t is almost a neces-
1 sity that the traveller with this pretty
/ piece Of luggage take along a valet, for
the thing weighs ike so much lead and
is too precious to be trusted to the ten
I der mercies IF the baggage department.
I The travelling desk also has nearly dis
appeared, though some ingenious trunk
makers now produce trunks that open
so as to form desks. The luncheon
hamper that used to accompany every
/ traveller across this continent in the
days before dining cars came into use
has almost entirely disappeared The
/ California milliOnaires of early trans
/ continental travel carried enormous and
richly laden hampers and dispensed Of
ten princely hospitality to their fellow
travellers. The dinner hour ON board a
transcontinental rain was picturesque
incident of travel in those days. The
travelling Briton in Europe still some
times carries his luncheon hamper, and
/ it is often one Of the nuisances Of Euro