Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-11-27

fortably and get to your journeys end
in decent condition.
The unfortunate third class passei.-
ger who pays for his transportation
from London to Liverpool about the
same $3.50 to Liverpool and return)
as the American passenger does be-
tween New York and Washington. is
not allowed the privilege of sleeping.
He can only do so by paying first class
fare. Now this man, in nine cases out
of ten, is the business man of England.
He answers to our commercial men
and to the people who travel on bust
ness. In England he comprises
numerically about 95 per cent. of all
the passengers. He is, in fact, the
travelling public.
And SO the poor beggar' whose
patronage enables these railroads to
pay an average dividend of nearly four
per cent. on the investment, must fold
up his aching body, tuck himself in an
overcoat or rug, and endeavor to sleep
as best he can, in a draughty, rattling
third class carriage. At every station
the door Of the wretched compartment
carriage is thrown open, and the cold,
damp midnight air plays over the can
didate for Sleep Half tipsy men. go
ing short distances by the late train,
are bundled in and at times the car
riage is full. Then you must uncurl
yourself and sit bolt upright. 1t is
wretched experience.
"Oh, but we have fine third-class car
riages now" / hear those who like this
system say. On some railways between
important places, you have but on ma
jority of the English railways there has
been no improvement in this respect
whatever-not in twenty-five years. Only
this very day | came up from the east
ern counties on the Great Eastern Rail-
way, and nearly half the third-class car
riages were the wooden pens of gen.
Grafton ago. These carriages mad not
vestige of cushions on the seats. They
were pine boards painted and as bad, II
not worse. than the fourth-class car
riages were cushioned, but they were
poorly built, the windows rafting ana
the wheels jolting and jerking. while they
were all about as filthy and disagreeable
as one could possibly imagine. AS for the
smoking compartment, that was too nor
rible to contemplate And for riding one
hundred miles in such carriage paio
precisely what it costs me to rae III d
handsomely upholstered PennsyNania
first-clasS passenger coach from New
YORK 10 FnllduelpHld bSol ~
however that for two shilllnSs tnliE
cents) extra in the United states coulo
secure a parlor chair in the pullman car,
whereas to obtain a seat IN the HluS'y
and mildewy first class emptles winch
rattle along wedged in between the
crowded third-class carriages mere ~
England, would have cost me practicaiy
double fare.
The continental method is haroly any
better. except that the railway carriages
are better built and the mateflai use4
in construction of superior quaii.y'
shall never forget how 1aVorapls III
second-class compartments OF the fioi-
land state railway struck me WIFI w
arrived at Flushing. They were peauti-
fullt clean, built of hard wood, the VIII
dows of thick plate glass, with nla ;.
frames. fitting tightly. The uphoisteriHs
was of first quality and comfortable IN
the extreme. Moreover, these ca i. 50
are much larger, giving more ar, anu i
they run more smoothly. Nui. oras Of
with the flimsy pine painted carai@ fsr en- u.
England. the Dutch railways are lar 81,
perior While the Dutch anu ~,
and Austrian and SWISS raliway 81
riages are more comfortapie tnah s Ii,,
English by day, by night they are oaurs
managed. and it is difficult TO secu a.,
sleeping accommodations even OF me ~ ~
ferior sort provided. How woulu tl i:'se
who growl about American railways me
fo wait about one of these palatiai STATE
onerated stations, and as the tram rolis
in rush nm to an alighting sleeping car ,,
conductor and practically play loo'oai'