Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-26
DINING CAR HOUSEKEEPING
TAKES NICE CALCULATION TO DO
1T SUCCESSFULLY.
The Modern Refrigerator and the
Telegraph Wire Arc Important
Helps in Preventing Waste.

Written for The Evening Star.
'It takes the incest sort OF calculation to
run the domestic gearing Of dining and
sleeping care that gone for days out
| through the country beyond the managers
reach" said railroad superintendent.
What a good housekeeper does every six
months do every few days. that is.
clean our premises from kitchen end
through to parlor compartment, outside
and in. Those special trains leased for
long trips cannot be got at SO frequently,
but at the home station each car. as 1t
gets in. is switched off a siding and
treated to as borough scrubbing, polish
ing and airing as any New England house
hold gets in the spring. Pillows. mattresses
blankets. rugs and curtains are hung to
the winds. Windows and brasseS cleaned
Kitchen apparatus and tableware rubbed
up. Furniture brushed and polished. And
| the outgoing car, waiting. ready for or
ders. looks another thing from the jaded
| towsled roadster that arrived some hours
before. whole brigade of brushes brooms.
| cloths tubs fluids, soaps. disinfectants has
| been in requisition. and the head cleaner
| must give strict account of all. Otherwise
1 much waste would ensue.
Every berry. every pound of meat and
| butter, every loaf of bread, item of milk.
| cream, sugar and other provisioning for the
| dining car is carefully fhventoried when the
| train comes in and the list compared with
| the list Of supplies sent out and the num-
Der of meals served. Only by discipline and
| rigid vigilance is any domestic economy
| maintained on these moving houses. Special
| and private cars and special trains are COM
| ing more commonly into use, and careful,
| discriminating caterers and attendants are
| additionally valuable to road owners. All
commssary supplies furnished for special
| cars trains are charged for according to
| the actual consumption and 70 per cent
| added to cover cost of handling. These cars
are usually paid for by the day.
On the regular train service 1t Is not al-
ways that dining car and kitchen goes
| through to the trains destination. The din
! ing cars are the heaviest Of the lot. Say q
! dining car goes out from certain point
this afternoon with a through train; it
serves dinner and is switched off at some
| convenient place, to be hitched later to the
| train which starts out at midnight with Dut
| such provisioning, but whose passengers
| will want breakfast. This plan permits the
| passengers to taste the creations of several
cooks on their Journey across continent.
Other trains carry their dining cars right
through, particularly if the route is short
and direct one. When road operates rival
dining cars under different conductors. II Is
| easy to ascertain which caterer is generally
| the most economical and satisfactory. AL
| though one may serve a set of passen-
| gers who order profusely and waste much
! three kinds of meat and two kinds of soup
| for one person. things they cannot consume
| and the other caterer may fall in with
conSiderate patrons.
Car Pantries.
| The increased knowledge Of chemistry and
| preserving inventions has somewhat SIM
| plifed dining car housekeeping. Admirable
| canned soups and bouillons can be kept
| handily and served hot and appetizng in
| a few minutes. Evaporated cream, proof
against all jostling. overheating, or long
| congealing. is a modern convenience. Fine
| buildings, minces preserves, pickles, sauces,
| relishes and all two fold better because put
| up under better conditions for keeping than
formerly. tirst-rate canned vegetables now
very nearly counterfeit the garden growth.
| Berries, grapes, fruits, even the most DELI
| cate, now practicable because or the
marvellous improvement in refrigerators.
| The best-built refrigerators. perfectly In
sulated and guarded against all corrosive
| conditions. prevent even the daintiest shell
| fish from losing flavor.
! Then instead of alcohol as fuel for the
| lamps and great boiling urns, superior
mineral sperm oil is used-oil so safe that
| it will actually put out fire ii thrown on
| the flames. 1t takes good force Of heat to
start such oil to burning, but once started.
| boiling-hot water is perennially at hand.
| Space is the great consideration with dining
car housekeeping. The snug way in which
| the fruits, salads, dressings. ETC., are
| packed in their respective lockers would as
| tonish the hotel cook waiter used to
| plenty of room. And the dishes, plates, sill
| yer and glassware all must be kept In in.
| dividual racks to avoid damage when tho
train makes sharp curves Within twenty
| inches Of the steaming kitchen range are
| the refrigerators holding all needfuls. and
| which must be opened and shut every Few
seconds to take out and replace things, for
| nothing can be left out in that intense heat.
| Five walters, the cook and the conductor
| form the dining cars crew.
The Cook ana the telegraph.
| The main portions of a dinner are begun
| when the cook comes on board an hour or
| so before starting time. A forty-five-pound
roast is put on, the soups set simmering.
AS soon as the majority Of tickets are sold
/ ofo ic inf Cd Of he M
and he causes the quantity Of other food to
be prepared according to his judgment. II
| any known party of people Is to como
| aboard at some other point he Is tele-
graphed to - that dinner for that number
| may be got ready. In all standard provt-
| sions there is no waste. but in meats and
| perishabe articles no calculation can be
| made close enough TO avoid loss. Much
cleaners and helpers about the station And
| there are waste fowls left over or dishes
| requiring long preparation that are left I'M
touched because the number Of passengers
was less than expected. The buffet car
| loses extensively in such matters, the pa
| tronage being uncertain, and already
cooked food bound to be provided In case
| Of call. THE efficiency OF the service
! said the superintendent, lis tested by spe-
cial agents. These board the cars simply
as passengers note any imperfections and
many lines extending over a large terri.
tory such an agent is not recognized by
| the train people. He buys a meal like any
| passenger and looks out for flaws and de.
| fects. A printed list Of questions that will
| help him to tell US what we want to know
| Is furnished and he answer them candidly.
II the partitions between state rooms and
| compartments creak when the door is
| opened or closed he tells us, and the fault
| Is remedied. II the carpet is worn any,
| where, or the vestibule lamps don't burn
! clear, we are informed. Also whether the
| attendants are solicitous or Indifferent to
passengers comfort II the porters are
| slack in assisting people to take the train.
| in placing steps for their convenience, etc.,
| we learn the fact through the place where
| the misdemeanor happened. be 1t a thou
| sand miles away. II the porter hands Q
passenger a check without using q salver
we know It. There are only a few ladies'
| maids in the extra smart drawing room
| cars and on some special trains that go out
| to Mexico and up through Canada. OF
these conscientious service IL exacted Wo.
men look after the laundry work and the
cleaning Of bedding at the terminal stations,
| but owing to limited space, mems services
are preferred. they being able to do with
less conveniences than women"
Cremation In England.