Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-03-21
Naples to Rome.
RoM1s, Italy, March S, 1901.

our train blow lis little horn;
that was the signal for the train
to start for Rome. l had had all
/ wanted of Naples and I knew
that it made no difference how
bad Rome was [ had seen the
very worst in Naples.
Let me tell You of these italian
trains. When compared to one
of our American trains they don't
make even an apology; not even a
"Dowery" apology, neither the
passenger nor freight trains.
(But even hatdcar would have
been welcome If it had been leav-
ing the city Of Napols and l could
have been on IT'D You buy your
ticket aud then it you have any
baggage you must pay extra for it.
There is no free baggage in Italy.
# you have any hand baggage
you must "aproach' the gate man
in the proper manner, bring up
some 90 to 80 centime, (about 4 or
S cents in oyir money! and he will
let you take it into the apartment
with you.
The carp are about, we'll, l
should say 36 or 40 feet long and
are divided into five apartments,
the middle one is generally the
first-class apartment and the other
four second-class. It's said, no
one but "Fools and Americans
travel firslt-class." [ don't know
where l come In, l tackled the
second. The only difference be-
tween first and second is the color
of the furnishings of the apart
ments, so Ireally didn't see where
Que COLOR was any better than the
other.
The Heating apparatus consists
of a LONG iron bar that is placed
in the bottom of the car and at
differe4lt intervals, sometimes
longerl and sometimes short, hot
ones are put in and the cold ones
taken tout. The roadbed makes a
fellow think of his childhood days
when lthey were using the rocking
crad!h on him. 1t is about as easy
to gek sea-sick on these trains &C
| it is 4 IN a boat.
THE lights they use give about
2 or b candle power, not more. II
| is impossible to read by the light
of them.
THE apartments each hold about
eight persons.
After one has travelled on these
~, $50 e~.. ...,. ~ -.
An erican railroads and, we'll,
ha y5en't been over them all, mol
have / been over very many OF
hfam, but let me say right here
THAT [ have seen your New York
Central, Boston and Albany, Bos.
tQbn & Maine, d. L. & w. and
pennsylvania lines and 1 don't
know how many others. but I find
fnat the good old Chicago &
Northwestern is without any ex.
sception the very best railroad in
\ America, and we all know that
means the very best in all the
l world. There is no use talking,
you can get better service, better
travelling accommodations on the
o. q NV. than you can on any
of those so-called "Great Eastern
Lines" and l never get on a train
but what l think of how vastly
superior the G. & NV. is to any
one l have ever seen or ever ex-
pect to see. So just make up your
mind that in travelling from one
end OF old mother earth to the
other that you have seen and had
the best when you have been on
the good old Northwestern. It ia
80 close home that we do not ap-
preciate it, but ! tell you you will
after you have been as far away
from it as 1 have. 1 think that
the officials of the G. & NV.
ought to be congratulated by the
people of Iowa for giving them
the best railroad in all the world
today, but l guess I'm straying
from my text.
The ticket you keep until you
get out of the station at your 6es-
tination. The conductor never
sees you from the time you get on
the train until you get off. He
sees you in fact at no time. It
ian't his hnoineaa m lob ofte