The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-04-12
Che bol11e Reading Circle
American and Foreign
Travel Compared.
The Observations Of Chauncey M. Depew
ON This Interesting Subject.
From the Magazine Of Travel.

and verify it seemeth true. The pro- |
,phet may be a very proper and capable
person, and yet his low-countrymeh |
will turn from him and his achieNe- |
ments to some fakir from foreign lands, |
at whose shrine of medocrlty they VIII
gladly bow. One is constantly hearing |
persons comparing the travelling ac- |
commodations of this country with |
those of England and the Continent, to
the advantage of the latter; exactly
why, it is difficult for one who is IA
mlliar with both to understand. l nave
made the tour of the United Kingdom
and the Continent half dozen or more
times and / always return to my own
country with the comforting conVic-
tion that our railroads are about cy-
Gle ahead of the foreign in construc-
tion, rollng-stock, equipment, service
and, most of all, in management. The
difference is tremendous, and the ad-
vantages are all with this side the At
lantic.
The English is perhaps better than
the Continental railway, the reason
probably being that the English road is
not hampered by state ownership; it
is therefore possible for it to adopt a
progressive measure without conVen-
ing a house of lords, congress, or any
other body than it's own directors. The
more closely you are allied to govern
mental management in the lines, the
more uncomfortable, old fogy, and non
progressive do you become. On
French or German road running at
any fair rate of speed, the discomfort
is great. Tho roadbeds are bad, being
nowhere on the Continent as good as
on our best lines. Again, the cars Of
the Continental roads are much less
heavily built than ours; they have only
four wheels, and they are Joined to-
gether by the primitive arrangement
of lever and screw. The result of this
is that they are Immediately and vio-
lently Influenced by the slightest ir-
regularity in roadbed or track, and
when the train is really going fast the
passengers are shaken and thrown
about in a way which is most tiresome
and irritating to a strong and healthy
person, and really dangerous to an in
valid.
THE COMPARTMENT EVIL.
OF the compartment system which
obtains abroad, enough cannot be said
in denunciation; it is the most un-
pleasant, inconvenient, and dangerous
arrangement of seats in these compart-
ments makes it necessary for one-half
the occupants TO ride backward. Moth
ing can be more disagreeable than to
be shut up in one of these places in
company and close contact with a lot
of strangers. You are helplessly locked
in a small room, crowded so close to
your vis-a-vis that your feet touch.
Your neighbors may be impudent, pre-
sumptuous, or generally offensive in
. speech, manners, or odor; there you
are, and there you have got to remain,
in hopeless submission to these un-
pleasant conditions. The compartment
system offers most inviting opportuni-
ty for robbery, outrage and murder,
and you can scarcely look through any
Continental or English newspaper
without seeing accounts of robberies or
other crimes, the scene of which has
been the train compartment / know
of an instance where an old gentleman,
an extreme invalid, was travelling with
his wife and daughter. The only other
occupant of the compartment was q
big brute in the clothes of gentle
man, who was most offensive and abb
solutely insulting to the ladies during
the entire journey, while the poor old
Ailtill lldh w Sll HGlDlGSSlN Dy.
Americans haze become so accus-
toned to toilet luxures on the cars,
that they now regard them as necessi-
ties, and the absolute lack of such
conveniences in foreign trains is diff
cult to appreciate. If the railroads of
our Empire state should, in any condi-
tion of alteration, adopt Continental
trains, with their almost criminal lack
of necessary accommodations, l am
sure the legislature would convene
within the month, and pass laws COM
pelling the management to return to
Its right mind, and to have some regard
for the Well-being of the travelling pub
lie. The French roads have one car
on each express train which has
compartment with a toilet room. For
this remarkable luxury the charge is
nearly double fare. On the English
lines there is saloon carriage not un-
like one of our private cars but 1t can
only be obtained by application con-
siderably in advance, and then only for
party of a certain number. 1t is
sometimes offered as an act of cour-
tesy to officials.
In the matter of speed the English
railways are equal to ours, and on
some trains the rate is considerably
higher. On the continent, however, the
average speed Of all passenger trains is
not equal to the average freight trains
over the New York Central road,
From my experience in Germany, I
should say the way-trans make about
hfteen miles an hour, and that thirty
miles would be considered a fine rate
for an express.
TIPPING.
Another striking peCuiarity of the
continental railway system of fees by
which station and train officials vary
largely augment their regular salaries,
by the liberality of travellers, who
through a system Of tips even more
eXacting and thorough than is the sys-
tenn which prevails in this country in
connection with hotel employees, find II
necessary to part with considerable
sums in the course Of their travels ON
the continent. All these railway en-
ployes are, on the continent, govern.
ment officials, possessing authority
quite unknown to the conductor
brakeman, or baggageman on Ameri-
can railways. These expect fees foI
about every service they render. and
their methods of reciprocating or re.
senting have, through long indulgence
ana practice, become so thorough and
eftective as TO not only discourage any
attempt on the part Of the traveller n
disregard II, but to successfully base q
complaint to their suneriop ofBoars