The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-09

had not been provident enough to lay
in a supply of food at starting had to
be constantly on the alert TO catch
Dame Fortune on the wing, so to
speak, whenever she happened to fit
our way. Our principal supply of food
came from the Russian and Tartar
peasants, who would frequently be on
hand, when the train stopped. with
rings of peasant bread, cucumbers,
baskets of wild blueberries and rasp-
berries, in which the country aboundS,
and jars of cold, fresh milk We well
coined their coming as the visitation of
miniStering angels in the hour of need,
and would have gladly paid for their
commodities four times the modest
price they asked us.
To add to our discomfort the train
was constantly Stacking its speed-or
rather increasing its SlOWneSS-aS we
advanced upon the more recently con-
structed roadbed, and, indeed, beyond
the point open to general traffic, this
precaution was by no means unneces-
sary. The ties were but half ballasted,
and in several places the spongy ma
ture of the soil seemed TO. defy all eff
forts to establish a firm foundation.
The train lurched to and fro like a ship
in swelling sea; so much so, in fact,
that all occupants of the train were at
one time requested to get out and
walk.
WRETCHED SPEED OF OLD EN-
CINE.
So far as / could distinguish we lost
but very little in our rate of speed by
this change in method of locomotion.
From Omsk to the OBJ river our sched
ule rate, including stops. was IA miles
per hour, although we actually made
but ten, and before we reached the end
of the partially finished division to
Achinsk we were covering but little
more than four
The stops themselves were exasper-
atingly long and frequent. Owing to
the incapacity of our old-style, second
hand engines, two of which were re-
quired to draw our train over the level
Steppe, we were constantly stopping at
some roadside stream to pump up a
water Supply-for the water tanks at
the stations were not yet completed
or in some one of the many birch
groves which dotted the fiat steppe
country TO fill up the tenders from the
piles of firewood already prepared.
The use of these antiquated locomo-
tiveS from the cast-off stock of the
European lines, pending the arrival of
others, already ordered, leads to fire.
quent and very inconvenient break
downs.
We were stopped one day in the mid
die of the steppe by the binding of an
over-heated piston rod and were
obliged to wait two hours for repairs.
AS it was a warm, bright afternoon,
we put in the time very pleasantly in
wandering about over the steppe,
among the myriads of blushing wild
flowers, or lounging on the grass
among them, to inhale the rich sweet
ness they were lavishly wasting on the
j IL
mic party, for all the passengers had
left the train, and were scattered in
Sauntering or lettering groups about
the steppe, taking no heed of when
the train was leaving, and seemingly
Indifferent as to whether it would or
not. When at last an alleged whistle
from the repaired locomotive an
nounced the signal for departure, those
on the far windward side were unable
to hear it, and the conductor. in con-
sequence, had to make several person.
al excursions to gather in the tardy
members of his flock.
l was told that on another occasion
Of this kind when the whistle of one of
these WORKOUT locomotives was too
weak to reach the far-straying passen-
gers, the conductor resorted very sue
ceSsfully to his small pocket signal
whistle. 1 should have been inclined to
doubt this remarkable, and not alto
gether new story, were it not for the
earnest character and unImpeachable
veracity of my informant. The serious
ness of such an egregious defect in such
an important institution as the Trans
Siberian railway is sufficient guarantee
that he would not trifie with the feel
ings of the management by making it
the pretext for a joke.
NO BRAKES ON TRAINS.
In the absence of brakes of any kind
all trains begin to arrive at station a
mile before they reach it, so to speak,
and the time thus wasted in losing mo-
mentum is almost equalled by the time
consumed in getting started again. AT
every station the same tedious pro-
gramme is religiously carried out
After 10 or 20 minutes chat with the
lounging local officials, the conductor
finally energies upon the platform and
blows upon his small pocket whistle.
Thereupon the station attendant,
standing with his hand on the clapper
of large bell, suspended from the side
of the station house, begins at first an
almost inaudible tapping. growing
louder and louder as he continues. and
finally ending in one loud, piercing
thwact This constitutes the first sig
nal. The passengers now begin to
saunter leiSurely in from the out
lying attractions. and by the time they
have reached the station, taken a final
stroll or two up and down the platform
and lit a fresh cigarette, another
whistle and bell-ringing gives the sec.
Ond note of warning. Then and only
then do they think of getting aboard
When at last all is in readiness another
whistle from the conductor CONVEYS
this information to the engineer. who
announces in reply that he. too, is
ready for the start. Not until the
fourth and reluctantly given signal
does the train begin to move slowly
away on another tedious run to the
next station.
Time" is not money in Russia; if
it were it would cost fortune a day
to run on its present system the
Trans Siberian railway.
THOMAS G. ALLEN, JR.
Is a Rebel Still.
There is lady in Augusta, Ga, who