Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-06-08

ORR ENTAIL SLEEPERS.
I STORY OF LUXURIOUS TRAVELLING
ON AN INDIAN RAILWAY.

ON AN INDIAN RAILWAY.
An American Found Much That Was New
and Undesirable - Deliberateness, tho
Dominant Characteristic. Practiced to .
Painful Degree.
A sleeping Car on an oriental railway ID
death to aristocratic airs. The early morn
ing-the tourist joyfully rises with the
sun-finds his meekness only exceeded by
his shabbiness; and during the long, long
night how often does he wish that no was
sleeping amid the jungles through which
he is passing instead Of tossing up and
down, rounda and round, over and over, in
This %wabbling, rattling, snorting, creak-
ing thing that is carrying him 10 or 15
miles an hourf
l am sure that the Indian sleeping car
possesses a patent of its own. and that it
has never been duplicated Is a blessing to
that part of humanity that does not enjoy
the nightmare while taking nocturnal trips
through this country.
III car itself Is u wonder in %inconven-
lent workmanship. When it remains still
long enough to DO measured, you find that
It measures about 10 by g feet, contains
four indescribable affairs called beds-two
| stationary and two hanging in a threaten
lag manner from above by leather covered
ropes; is sighted by IA single Pickering light
that Is too dim to read by and too bright
% sleep by aud is entered by the tourist
through u side door, which is often too
narrow for the bundle Of bedclothcs that
Tho railroad kindly allows him to furnish.
Having ms my companion during the
nrst night out on my way to tho noun
tains OF India u bright, congcnial fellow
rom the City Of Brotherly Love, the trip
vas crowdud with incidents, some Of
which were very l~aughable several DAYS
| after they happened.
Far in the dark night it turned sudden
y very chilly, and We were aroused to fini
~iyorytbing IN q. stiff galc, and fearing thGt
The monkeys III the jungles would have tbs
10Y OF appearing next day in some of our
| garments we arose to seize them in the
midst OF their wild career as they danced
II the whiriwind, and to our surprise we
Mound that our dnor was swinging wide
| )pen, II from the mountains tho cold air
was sweeping through the car from door
o window and window to door.
These sleeping cars encourage domestic
economy In that they require you to carry
about with you all the bedclothing that
you use and make up your own bed when
you desire TO use It. AS my good naturcd
friend possesses IA passion for such art and
rs 1t Is my creed that every one should be
encouraged il developing his talent ia any
| given direction, | allowed him to practice
On my bed, but when the time came to
blow up my newly patented air pillow then
came the tug Of war. We blew into that
pcrversely empty pillow by turns until our
heads grew dizzy and we seemed to be
blowing our brains cut, but as we held it
up after every windstorm it resemhled in
diameter q pancake rather than "A pillow
AT last my companion, thinking perhaps
that it was not worth while to put on airs
while trying To put in air, assumed an at
titudo OF strength rather than of grace,
ana, turning himself into a vcritable bel
lows, inflated the pillow to an enormous
sizL and uncomfortable tightness, which
he now handed to me with an air OF tri-
uIIph.
In the morning we expected a scene OF
1esolatlon To greet us, as we would be in
the mountains, but, us we looked through |
the windows, everything was green. Not
only the trees and grass, but our eyes
could not rest upon anything hat was not
ercen-green birds, green COWS, green
pigs, green goats, green ducks, green skies,
ana, stranger still-a sight which we look
for in vain in our country-green men and
women.
What kind of country is this, anyhow.
~ mute wonder we gazed upon tho green
panorama, fearing to speak lest we expos
cd uur grcopness.
In u few moments the window pane was
Gppnnp1 ard Tho wanda, t .3oiret,, ,,,,. -
an end. Tho windows were of green color
ed glass and the greonness, alas! was not
outside, but inside of the car.
Delibdratcrcss to Il painful degree is the
dominapt characteristic of these trains, es-
pccially in northern India. While riding
horseback with a party near Darjeeling tho
cars were seen approaching us, and the
steed of one Of the young men became ui.-
manageable Il succeeded in getting away
from the riCer, who had d~isnounted. The
engineer stopped his train, and The brake
man caught he horse, which had run some
distance away.
While on IA railroad near the boundary
unc of India and Assam the conductor was
asked why there were not more collisions.
as there was only a single track. 1.-THE
reason is very simple" he replied. 1--WE
have only ore engine"
To pass away the time during q tedious
delay Of the train in the wilds of Assam
my friend from Philadelphia and l tossed
small coins in tho grass, and the violent
scramble that followed on the part of the
natives was Il remarkable sight. / COUNT
ed 81 grown men struggling in a heap ovci
a coin valued at about hall of our oen1.
When the amusement became "a little
m~onotonous, l exclaimed, SIS it not time
for us to be going, or what causes the long
delay?" A gentleman near me said, lyon
der is tho engineer scrambling with those
other men for the coin just thrown out"
sure enough there he was, with his
fireman, in the midst of the melee.-Dhu-
bri (Assam) Cor. Baltimore Sun