The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-05-22
4 BRITON'S LUGGAGE.
ATTgHpTE or A.ERIcAH IMITAToR9
TO INTRODUCE " HERE.

Steamship wharf i = stsdy-Th- Tsar.
slsr snd His nathtah-
As the travelling Briton is known in
this country by his luggage. so tie
American woman was once hated in
Europe because Of her saratoga trunk.
The world has escaped the general
adoption Of the saratoga trunk. bus .
worse thing seems possible. as British
luggage threatens to become inferma-
tional Even now you may buy in this
town all the impedimenta with which
the travelling Briton cninbers himself
and bedevils the rest Of mankind. A
Broadway trunkmaker has for some
J drS past undertaken 10 fix the thral-
dom Of these things upon his fellow
country men and women. and many
travelling Americans. especially the
wealthy aud fashionable. arc 20 be rcc-
ognized by the multiplicity Of British
impedimenta that they carry 10 and fro
in their frequent journeyings between
the old world and the new. Moro curl
Gus still. those clever and initiative Jap
anese have begun to produce British
luggage identical with the original In
the minntest details. even down 90 hand
sewed straps ON leather trunks. port
manteaus and tho like: but. drolly
enough. tie whole outfit is merelya pa
per counterfeit Of the real thing.
American imitators u things British.
lacking the fine humCr Of the japanese.
have made no substitution of light ma
;erial for heavy. but have taken on the
:ull burden Of ponderous British hat
knwaa Ls.nI
alls and even bathtuhs. IL was a travel
ing American who gave TO the world an
account Of n refreshing scene ON board
a Mediterranean steamer bound 20 Tan
gier or some such MOhammedan purt u
north Africa A British passenger with
his bathtub had nearly pestered the life
ont Of n meek, coffee colured 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 20
pause i'm his work and dance gleefully
upon the deck. exclaiming In triumph.
"Oh. Mr.. Goddam. Mr.. Goddam!'' It
Is since that incident that travelled
Americans in their Aping of British
ways have accepted even the burden -
tho bathtuh.
A study Of baggage at a steamship
wharf OF even at large railway station
in New York is an instructive lesson as
10 tho cosmopolitan character Of the
city. There is one article Of British
luggage that seldom survives more than
one journey within the limits II the
United States and sometimes gets no
farther inland than the New York hotel
at which the traveller makes his first
stop. This article IL the little trunk or
box Of japanned tin much used BY trav-
elers in Great Britain. The fiimsy trifi0
/ hardly survives the first encounter with
the American baggage handler. and
( after the first journey Of COO miles in
this country j. battered out of all rc-
/ semblance 20 its original rectilinear self
4 Ii is an article Of luggage not suitable
I TO the exigencies Of American travel
A pathetic feature q the baggage at
the railway stations that are doorways
to the west is the immigrants luggage.
\ Sometimes IL is n mattress from tho
I Eteerage wrapped about the few belong
/ ings Of the new made American. Again
it is the corded box Of tho Irish. English
or Scotch immigrant. II viii be recalled
how important a preliminary to Char
lOtte Brunte's jOurneyinPs out into the
great world from her Yorkshire home
was the cOrding Of her box. The corded
box is as rare among the luggage of an
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
wbaryes. One knows instinctively its
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 tho lid
The elaborate dressing cases that
some Americans and all we'll to do
Englishmen used to travel with are GO
ing out Of fashion. II is almost a neces-
sity that the traveller with this pretty
piece Of luggage take along n valet, for
the thing weighs like 80 much lead and
is too precious to be trusted to the ten
der mercies Of the baggage department.
The travelling desk also has nearly dis.
appeared. though some ingenious trunk
makers now produce trunks that open
so as 20 form desks The luncheon
hamper TINT 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 n princely hospitality 20 their fellow
travellers The dinner hour on board q
transcOntiDental hain was picturesque
incident Of travel in those days The
travelling Britsn in Europe still some.
times carries his luncheon hamper. and
IL is often one of the nuisances OF Eurx-