The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-10-26
SOME REMARKS

Annual Meeting of the Consolidated
 Railroad.
 To the president and directors of the
 Consolidated" railroad:
 Unavoidably absent from the annual meeting, I take the liberty of inditing what would have said if present, and if opportunity had been offered.
 am quite a traveller. From New York, as professional center, I may any day be called in any direction and to any distance. am familiar with most of the railroads leading west, southwest and south. During the sum- mer months, If in this country, I travel over many of the railroads of New Eng land. If in Europe, take many of the well known routes, and some of the out-of-th -the-way ones, So may be pre- sumed to be acquainted with the ordi- nary comforts of railroad travelling. on no road am l more uncomfortable than on the Consolidated I am large man, firm believer in the use of fresh air, and I need a lot of 1t for may private and individual consump- tion On the Consolidated, I get very httle, if any. I am made more uncom- fortable by trip from New Haven to New York on the Consolidated, than by trip from New York to Buffalo on the New York Central, or by a trip from New York to Pittsburg on the Pennsylvania. The reason Is that the cars of the Consolidated are not proper ly ventilated, while the cars of the other companies if not as fully ventilated as they might be, are still fairly ventilated. | On the cars of the Consolidated the | 1lfst principles of ventilation are vio- | lated. The cars have small, but insult | hcient, openings near the roof for the exit of foul air, but TO openings be- low for the fresh air to set in and take the place of the foul air It therefore is retained, becomes fouler and fouler, heavier and heavier with nosome gases and deadly germs, till 1t settles thickly down over the passengers like loath- l some clinging garment. If its foulness l could be made visible, the passengers 1 with one accord would spring out of | the windows. When the steam is turn l ed on. the element of insufferable heat l is added and the misery of the semi -as- | phyziated passengers is complete You | cannot open a window because, in the | first place the windows are not made | to open If armed with jimmy, and | possessed with the skill of a burglar, an occasional window might be opened. The ordinary delicate woman might as well try to lift the side of house And | in fha ,ola |, neighbor would complain of the killing draught. If you were to persist in spite of his remonstrances, he would appeal to the brakeman and conductor | with the assurance that they would de eide in his favor All the windows are so arranged that they cannot be opened from the top, or in any other way that would not admit of a killing draught.
 Why such cars are built and used is the question to which respectfully ask an answer. It cannot be that the road l derives pleasure, or profit from in turing the health of its patrons. If ths 1 road had a wicked heart it might re- l joice with devilish glee. But being g l soulless corporation, it can neither re joice nor grieve. There remains tht
 
 tilated cars too expensive? Are they more expensive than improperly venti l lated ones? If too expensive for the Consolidated, how is it that other road: can afford to build and run them How much more expensive are they If few ventilated cars were run, eoult not a sufficiency of passengers, whose lungs are not of leather nor earbolic acid gas proof, be found to meet tho extra cost? At least let us have the l mathematics of the question. If thu question of profit be dismissed along with the question of pleasure, no ques ton remains but the question of ignor ance. Are you, gentlemen, ignorant O the character of your cars? Or, ar, you non travellers? Or, have you lungs in some way become So induratec that the air of your cars Is a luxury
 What evidence do you require? Wha proof shall be produced? Shall samples be bottled and laid before the board o health? Anything, everything will b furnished to give you full information The question is a most serious one and concerns the health of hundreds 0 thousands of citizens of this stat
 and of all the other states. We ar close upon the time when the steam 1
 to be turned on The prospect 0
 another winter of abominations is ap palIng. For the sake of the fat am the aging for the sake of the thil and phthisical; for the sake of mother
 and babes, do listen to the cry of yer
 tebrate, air r-breathing humans,
 Again. Why do you continue to en courage the brush you off, sir" nuis
 ance when so many roads have dis
 carded it? To be sure, you have SC fa
 confined the nuisance to the cars of tn
 Bryan classes but there Is no reasol
 why it should not extend itself, witt
 your permission, to the cars of tn
 anti ti-Bryan democratic masses" Tn
 sable fiend still goes about with his in
 strument of office; The public is stil held up in the middle of the car of tn classes" while his accumulations o dirt are whisked over his neighbors while his neighbors sit, or stand, il such awe of the instrument aforesai that they passively allow themselves t be sprinkled with the dirt aforesaid