The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-02-05
A BRITON'S LUGGAGE.
ATTEMPTS or AMERICAN IMITAToRs
TO INTRODUCE 1T HERE.

Eohucrous BFltisn nat BoHes, Bortman-
teaus and Hold AIIS-The nagKage on n
Steamship Wharf is a study-The Trav.
eler and His Ba,htub.
As the travelling Briton is known in
this country by his luggage, so the
American woman was once hated il
Europe because of her saratoga trunk.
The world has escaped the general
adoption of the saratoga trunk, but n
worse thing seems possible = 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
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 jouTneyings 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
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 n 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 travel
ing American who gave to the world an
account of a refreshing scene on board
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 cOlured Muham-
medan. who accepted the Briton' : curses
without II sign Of repruach, 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 gloefIlly
upon the deck, exclaiming in triumph,
"Oh, Mr.. Guddam, Mr.. GOddam - II
is since that incident that travelled
Americans in their aping of British
ways have accepted even the burden II
the bathiub.
a study of baggage at steamship
wharf or even at a 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 Ian
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 art j. the little trunk or
box Of japanucd tin much used by trIy-
elerS in Great Britain. The fiimsy trIiio
hardly survives the first encounter with
the American baggage handler. and
after the first journey uf GOO miles in
this country j. battered ont # all Ie-
semblancc tuits original rcctilinear self.
1t is an article of luggage not suitable
to the exigencies of American travel
A pathetic feature II the baggage at
the railway stations that are doorways
to the west j. the immigrants luggage.
Sometimes it is mattress from tho
steerage wrapped about the few bclsng
ings of the new made American. Again
il is the corded box Of the Irish. English
or Scotch immigrant. 1t viii lie recalled
how important preliminary To Char
lotte Bronte's jouTneyings out into tine
great world from her Yorkshire home
was the cuyGi:. Of her box. The corded
box Is as rare among the luggage of IN
American traveller a. the old hair trunk,
though both are occasionally seen. The
seaman's locker, rectiliucar for a stable
stowage and strong against accidents,
figures in the luggage at steamship
wharveS. One knows iustlnctiye Ely its
contents of old clothes, Photographs.
curios. tobacco and long treasured let
ters from home and the array Of pic
lures from the illustrated papers pasted
on the inside of the lid.
The elaborate dressing cases tha.
some Americans and all well to do
Englishmen used to travel with are go
ing ont Of fashion. II is almost neces-
sity that the traveller with this pretty
piece of luggage take along valet, for
the thing weighs like 50 much lead and
is too preciuuS 10 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
80 a. 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 milliUnaires Of carly 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 IF travel in those days. The