The courier., 1901-07-20
COMMENT AND COMMENTARY
VILLA SIBERT GATHER.
For The Courier.

There is no experience of travel quite
like the feeling Of relaxation and com.
fort with which a western bred man or
woman steps into his home bound Pull
man or any one Of the great western
railroads running out Of Chicago.
When he settles himself in Burlington
or Rock Island train he is half way
home already. There are several words
on American travel that have never
been written, you can only pick them
up from tourists or prove them in your
own experience. American travel has
so far surpassed in comfort anything to
be found in Europe that word of it has
gone back TO the old world and, in Rus
sia at least, has been productive Of
many reforms. Only few years ago
Prince Rilkoff, the Russian minister of
transportation, spent week in Pitts
burg when he was investigating A
merican railroad Improvements in be-
half Of the Trans-Siberisn railway
then incomplete. His investigation
covered almost every department of the
railroad business, but the Prince him.
self was chiefly interested in the superior
passenger service afforded by American
roads. He admitted that while in Eu.
rope railway travel was necessity. in
America it is a recreation. Much Of
the disparity in the class Of passenger
accommodations furnished in the two
continents, however, was, he said, d.
rectly due to the difference in govern
mental policy. In America, he said.
everything proceeds from the average
man and ia made for bis comfort; even
luxury is provided at prices which the
average man can occasionally meet. In
Europe, that portion Of the population
which demands luxury is 80 small that.
as the minister expressed it. "It would
be impossible to get rate on these
superior comforts, and even unneces-
sary, according to our notions Of the
needs of the people,"
The Trans-Siberian railway, how
ever, opened new problem. The
length of the journey and the costliness
Of operating the road at all made COM
forts to the passengers and the addi-
tional revenue therefrom equally nee.
cessary. The Russian government
wanted models for drawingroom care.
dining cars, observation and sleeping
cars, and Prince Hilkoff knew where to
find them.
Unfortunately for the Trans-Siberian
road, however, the Minister confined his
tour Of inspection to the great railroad
systems of the eastern part Of the Unit
ed States, and, as every American
knows, the real comforts OF travel are to
he found between Chicago and the Pa
cific coast. / remember hearing this
matter discussed at dinner given to
one Of the officials Of the Pennsylvania
road. One of the guests present,
member Of the governing board Of an
eastern railway, told most picturesquely
the story OF his first trip west Of Chi
cago. The gentleman is an Eng'ishman
who was a man Of affairs before he
came to the United States and whose
active and successful business life had
kept him closely tied down to the terri
tory between Pittsburg and New York.
He admitted very candidly that it was
quite impossible for spy eastern road to
offer its patrons the same class Of ac-
commodstions provided by the great
systems Of the west. One OF the guests
told story Of her first experience in