The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-02
FIFTY E A AGO.
DISCoMrFoRTS OF A TRIP SOUTH
BACK IN 1870.

Troubles Caused BY tho Dinerent Tissues or
Eiank Nstes, tho Lack or ThrouEh Tickets.
ana tho Transfers - Four Days Occupiea
In GoinE to Charleston from View York.
People who travel nowadays and got .
single ticket straight through to their destina.
ton and have their baggage all checked and OF
their mind ut the starting point, have no idea
of what q trip by rail meant back in 1916 and
1s4S, when every State used different money
said the veteran Colonel. az lived In Brooklyn
then, and once a year, or once every two years
at the furthett, : took my wife and family to
visit my old home In South Carolina. 1 have
vivid recoll ections OF the struggles which
those trips were, and OF the sense Of relief I
felt when. after several days of travel. I landed
tho party, bandboxes and all, safe and sound
under tho paternal roof. Occasionally it hap
pened That some piece OF luggage went astray,
or We narrowly escaped losing one Of the chill.
drep. on tho way, but generally we got through
all right. There wero few porters on the cars
hen, except those employed to look after the
rhilroad's interests. 1t was o case Of every
maj for himself, whether there woro transfers
to DO made or eating houses to DO hunted up.
and tho difference in tho currency Of tho vari-
GUS States added considerably to the travel.
'er's troubles.
This was how II would DO. Getting Off the
ferryhoat from Brooklyn, We would pack our.
sevles into an omnibus and :bo trundlod .oveR
to.the Cortlandt street forty to take tho train
South. There I bought tickets for Philadcl.
phia, paying for tbom in New York money. Ar
irving at Philadelphia. We were packed into
another bus and were cartcd across tho city to
the railroad station on tho other side. That
part OF the Journey stands out No most tedious
and disagreeablc. There was always delay and
much crowding and waiting to 500 how many
! passengers were to DO provided for, and then
tho bus took Its time about moving. At the
\ .NANf&n II I-..-AN -.u - =
us as far as Baltimore. II l happened to have
any gold along. after paying for lunchoons,
dinners. and suppers at the eating houses, I
paid for my tickets in gold. II not, l used my
New York money or tho money that I had got In
Philadelphia, and paid something for the en-
change. Certain Of the roadbouses at thst
time made regulations either for serving very
good fare or very bad. The refreshment rooms
at Wilmington, Del, were on the good List.
when wo got TO Baltimore We were put into
cars drawn by four magnificent horses and taken
over to the railway station on tho other side Of
town In hne style. Really this was o great inn
proVemont on the omnibus system, and every
body applauded 1t. Tho first street cars had
not been put on in New York very long then,
There were two things that that city was noted
f Cont then n,' ~, It's pretty women and its fine horses.
those new sn street eSa' cars 2. sno A aae' tSo T Bsiti hnssnss stS %
ton tickets were bought for Washington. and
s ssfe In T tse ;faSSn iIh in 9Sa ssS Sf mSpsy; A ARR wing
that that h Was St 50 good as almost 70 make up for tho
delicious fried chicken, hominy that wa.
cooked as hominy, should be. corn watties and
b. black, walters in the deftest manner. There
were only q few negro walters in service in
the children. At WashinEton we got tickets
Greek. The day Of Acquia Greek. as q point Of
interest and Importance. passed away long ago,
UPON as a.s q treat. .F'f TS S% sns was aS' %asS G 70 see eeo snd
enjoy after you had once counted the children
bags S on '3 you Dsh miDd. E Eve sfsSES u sea eaTPsS
bags, In those days and sometimes hair-covered
By stout SS canTas e COW iSs'V We're efe oonsiid SaSsp' the
s sUt IL thing hing =. B * ths way, the word swell was
praise pDs s1 as use any ~ a sas s,%Si Of Fssn nsss or S conv es eiss
ever received. The ladies wore hoopskirts and
s .isls f Ss sG %aSe tho Gn 'h ish% @nSssU 81 f srave eiSr sss%
more crowded than they really we're.
always oR tR Mas t pd93n Ss the o1t p0 %ifP sno M csrpm %sTn ON
would toll: There we're no guide books then.
and even tipping had not come into fashion. At
mond. We got into omnibuses at Richmond
again. as we had at Washington. We did not
haye to stop at Fredericksbure, but we did al
petersbHrg. and get new tickets for Weldon.
Ing in the land then that she has now, II my
wife offered a North Carolina note at Stewards
Sissrisst. oi It ws ss0 apt N to be Be- look looked dot at snHnpr"s
r.orth Carolina Is too far off, tho salesman
gould say, and they preferred not to tako 1t.
further of, had better credit. Charleston was
eivo a South Carolina bill when she was shop:
trouble. South Carolina was not 80 far on from
New York in those old days. -
weldon was one OF the points on that trtR
South that stand out clear in the memory q
every man or woman who ever, tried to ea0
anything there. My, wife and the nurse. al
tho Weldon fare. The coffee was o night.
marc. and anybody who ate Q biscuit offered
there was afflicted with low spirits for the en-
From Weldon we moved on to wiImingto9s
At that point fresh tickets were purchased.
Charleston. TheIittle steamers that piled u1
and down the coast were seaworthy, and mod.
erately comfortable. but as much like the gteamA
porcelain lined tub. Tho meals that were -
be got aboard were delightfully."- cooked and
well served. Nobody objected to going on
any Of the trains we had been on. What ya9
Door. Tho snako-head dat rails were in usS
backs. to say nothing Of the Earring and rough-
used to on the vestibuled trains now. OF cours9
and your party as comfortable as possible 90
night, and stuck 1t out as best you could.
"Whsen st the end Of tho four days' j9urp9y
comfortable fonr-posters. on soft mattresses
and yielding pillows, we appreciated the con:
tfssi az no d @SSer Is e eSsr tf fiEeiy To On do inc II fm mere
were few delays and tho trains. hoats. and
buses made prompt connections, We. migho
make the trip, in three days and 9 half. but 70
when things were c%rochety. 1t was even longer"