Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-12-20
TRAVEL FIFTY YEARS AGO.
Difficulties and Discomforts That Pre-
vailed at That Time.

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drawbacks peculiarly it's own. A dense
ignorance concerning the powers OF
the then new method of travel pre-
vailed generally. The ancient stage
coach had not been driven out Of bust
ness. Just what the conditions in
those days were are described accurate
ly n a little volume published by Di-
mysius Lardner, D. c. L., in 1847, and
entitled Railway Economy" This
volume was not written in jest, as ex-
tracts from it suggest The pictures
given are vivid and amusing. The
volume begins with the following in
| PRODUCTION:
1T is a popularity of railway loco
motion that the speed, when not very
rapid, always appears to the unprac-
ticed passenger much less than it is.
A railway train moving at the rate of
fast stage coach seems to go scarcely
, as fast as a person might walk. To
this circumstance (Which is explained
by the extreme smoothness Of the mo-
! tion) is to be ascribed the great fire.
/ quency of accidents arising from pas
sengers attempting to descend from
trains while still in notion This is
the most common cause of that class
of accidents on railways, which are
owing to want of due caution on the
part of the passenger. / have witness
ed many accidents of this class, and
( the reports of the railway board
abound with them"
Railroad tunnels had been built, and
here are some rules regarding them
that will be appreciated:
con some lines of railway seats are
provided on lie roofs of the carriages.
These are to be avoided. Those who
occupy them sometimes inadvertently
stand up, and when the train passes
under bridge they are struck by the
arch. Guards and brakemen whose
duty brings them to these positions,
and who are disciplined to exercise
caution, are nevertheless frequent suf-
ferers from this.
Newcastle and Carlisle, Sept. 2,
1 1896 Sitting on top, stood up as the
] train was approaching an archway,
was struck by it. Killed.
! Manchester and Sheffield, March 5,
1847.-Struck by bridge. Killed.
Wagons and trucks made as much
trouble fifty years ago as they do to-
day, as the following shows:
ct may be affirmed generally that
there is always more or less danger
/ on railway when carriages or wagons
are found at a place where, in the reg
ular working of the line, they ought
| not to be- In such cases a train fol-
lowing them, not expecting to find
them there, is likely to run upon them
, and produce a collision. i have per-
sonally witnessed more than one ex-
ample of this, and the reports of the
railway commissioners supply several.
should therefore recommend the
i above rule for general observation;
! but in leaving the train passengers
should beware of crossing the line or
standing on it or of getting out of
the carriages at the wrong side.
Southwestern, Jan. IA, 1848-The
engine of a passenger train having
been partially disabled, the engine
driver got under it to repair the DAM
age While thus employed a goods
train overlook and ran into the pas
senger train, causing the instant death
of the driver and injury to the fireman
and eleven passengers; also injury to
one of the guards of the goods train. "
! What seems to have been frequently
the cause of a loss Of life Mr. Lardner
explains as follows:
''It would appear that there is an
| instructive impulse, which in some in
dividuals is almost irresistible, to leap
/ from a train to recover their hats
when blown off or accidentally
dropped. The reports of railway acct
dents supply numerous examples of
this.
North Midland, April 1, 1884-Pas-
senger jumped out after his hat. Arm
/ broken by the fall
Great Western, July %, 1844.-Pas-
| senger jumped out of a carriage after
his hat while the train was in motion.
| Killed
| Mr.. Lardner describes the danger of
trying to hand an article into the Win
/ dow of train going at full speed,
Y
! about twenty miles an hour, and tells
| how ten people had been killed through
their ignorance of this danger. Then
| he tells about the danger of riding in
private carriages carried on a train:
"The regular railway carriages are
safer in case of accident than a private
carriage placed on truck. They are
| stronger and heavier. They are less
liable to be thrown off the rails or to
be crushed or overthrow in case of a
collision. The cinders elected from
! the smoke funnel of the engine are
generally in state of vivid ignition,
| and if they happen to fall on any COM
bustible object are liable to set fire to
| it. The railway carriages are con-
structed so as to be secured from such
| an accident, but private carriages are
| not so, and, moreover, from their
! greater elevation when placed onN a
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