Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-06-18

George H. Heafford. general passenger
and ticket agent Of the Chicago. Mil
waukee & st. Paul road and published
in the Self Culture Magazine:
To be able to peer into the future,
one must examine the past. Retro
spective views are not always satisfy
ing. but they may be interesting. The
ordinary railway passenger of today
seldom concerns himself about any
thing but the present. If he finds moth
ing to grumble about in his journey
across the continent he is content with
what mas fallen to his lot.
What happened to disturb his equa-
nimity a year ago he has forgotten.
He does not find it necessary to antici-
pate what may happen to him year
hence; that is the business of people
VINO solve the problems of railway pas
senger traffic and their name is legion.
1t is an old story that every man
knows he can conduct a hotel properly.
A large share of the modern travelling
public feels certain it can run rail-
road, but that fact can safely be dis
puted, for few of the railway managers
are sure that they themselves know
very much about it. Yet they may
have spent lifetime in studying the
intricacies of the problem, and have
been apt scholars, too.
The foregoing is the preliminary
flourish to an article which is intended
to be as non-technical as the subject
will permit.
We Americans began to build our
railways in 1928. During the world S
exposition at Chicago in 1898 there
was exhibited by the Pennsylvania
railroad the locomotive John Bull
which was brought from England to
run on the Camden & Amboy railroad
(now part of the Pennsylvania rail
road SYSTEM in August 1881. Most Of
the earlier locomotives weighed from
three to six tons, and could draw, on a
level, from fifteen to forty tons, being
less than the equivalent Of one of our
present style of loaded freight cars.
The modern locomotive of our day
weighs about 120 tons, and hauls from
1900 to 1900 tons.
The first railroad which was operated
for the transportation of passengers
and freight, on comprehensive scale,
was the Baltimore & Ohio, between
Baltimore and Ellicott's Mill Citizen
miles,, opened for traffic in May, 1880.
At the end of 1885, over a thousand
miles of road were in use in different
parts Of the country.
Passenger cars Cor coaches, as they
are usually designated) in early days
were stage coach bodies mounted on
four carriage wheels, and as time pro-
crossed several were joined together
thus forming train" BY 1884 con-
ffdence in the railways had been
established, and Improvements in
passenger equipment were begun.
The stage coach body was placed in
service. These coaches would hold
from twenty to thirty passengers,
sometimes seated on board seats rum
ing lengthwise of the cars and some
times crosswise.
During the first ten or fifteen years,
these coaches were supposed to be
heated in winter by stoves at each end,
but usually the passenger roasted if
he sat at the end, and froze if he sat in
the middle of the car.
Candles were used to illuminate the
interior. There were no screens at the
windows, no spark-arresters on the
locomotive and no toilet accessories.
Coupon tickets (meaning tickets
good for passage on more than one
road) and baggage checks, were IN
known; and if the journey was long
one the passenger had to transfer from
one train to another at intervals, and
at the terminus of each line purchase a
new ticket and pick out his own bag
gage and attend to it's transfer in the
same manner that luggage is still
handled in some foreign countries.
Every year, however, has shown
great progress in the safety, speed and
comfort of railway travel.
Hand brakes to assist in the stopping
of trains were introduced as early as
1S49. Twenty years later the airbrake
was patented, by which power from the
locomotive is transmitted through hose
simultaneously to the brakes Of all Che
cars in a train-a wonderful in
vention.
In 1868 the coaches were connected
by patent couplers, another measure OF
strength and safety.
Dozens of other improvements were
made in rapid succession, some Of them
originating in the fertile brains of rail
way official and employees, other sug-
gested by passengers with equal alert
minds
Ventilation was improved by increas-
ing the length and height of the
coaches; windows could be opened and
closed wholly or partially; curtains
and screens to protect it from the sun S
rays streaming through the windows
were provided; mems and women s
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