Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-06-01
THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY,, o1-2s PAGES

ing stock. Many of the ties are of Aus
tralian hardwood; a variety called iron
bark is usually considered the best. This
wood is so hard that it will last from TWEEN
ty to thirty years or longer. We are not
troubled much with the white ants They
will eat other kinds of wood, but will gen
orally let the ties alone
do you find the narrow gauge profit
able?" l asked
Yes. 1t pays better than the broad
gauge. Our roads cost only about half as
much per mile as those of New South
Wales and they do all the business re-
CURED
How about tramways?"
I'VE have the entire control of them in
Queensland" said Mr.. ThalIon, land we
make them pay, but they cause us more
trouble than the railroads We are giving
on the average two-mile ride for , cents
which is much. cheaper than your scent
ride in the United States. We have a
number of electric tramways and are pur-
chasing our supplies for them from your
country.
Railroad Fares.
The Australian railways make good time.
From Melbourne to Sydney the distance is
hl6 miles and the trip requires seventeen
hours, including the change of cars at the
frontier. The ordinary fares for this jour
ney are $50 first class and about s23 sec
ond class, being respectively equal to
about "a cents and less than cents per
mile. All the railroads make a reduction
on passenger tickets sold in connection
with steamship tickets, so that people COM
ing into and going out of Australia by
should buy their tickets of the steamship
agents
There is also 20 per cent reduction to
commercial travellers on account of the
large number who always on the
road. The trade here Is done by drum
ming, the commercial travellers going from
town to town with their samples The dis
tances are SO great that such men are
Gi 1nnfh at time Nhav
go to the ends of the railroads and then
travel from station to station and town to
town on horseback or by stage. Some Of
them take tents along and camp out on the
way. There are hotels at all the small
towns, a saloon and hotel often being COM
Dined. The hotels charge commercial
travellers 81 a day. They have sample
rooms for them and give them every assist
ance.
From Brisbane to Sydney.
One of the most interesting rides I have
had in Australia is from Brisbane to sgd
ney. This takes you through the better
parts OF the states Of Queensland and New
South Wales. The road is good, and the
cars are about like those of the United
States, Pullman cars being joined to the
train at the New South Wales boundary.
There Is no checking system such as with
rs, although you are given a receipt for
your baggage. One hundred and twelve
pounds are allowed on first-class tickets,
and all above this must be paid for by
rate. l rode first-class. The cars were
divided up into compartments with cuSh-
toned benches running under the windows.
A curious feature is the drinking water
supply. 1t is impossible to get ice in most
parts OF Australia, and the do not
carry ice water tanks as in the United
States. In place of them each car has
water bag two feet wide and foot and
half long, made of canvas. This is filled
with water and hung to the roof Of the
of no Nor 3S Sr,jO in
the bottom of the bag, and fastened to it
tin cup. The wind causes d rapid evap-
Grafton on the wet surface of the bag, and
this keeps the fluid within as cold as ice
water.
Luncheons are served during twenty
minute stops at one or two principal sta
lions. The meals are laid out in the din
ing rooms and served by girl walters. Each
meal costs 62 cents, or half a crown.
The Trees Shed Their Bark.
The scenery IN a ride like this Is worth
noticing. A part of the way was through
mountains and rolling lands used for graz
ing. A part was through forests of euca-
lvptus and other Australian trees The
leaves of the trees hang down though in
mourning, and the bark of most of them
is half off. Nearly all the trees of Aus
tralia shed their bark instead of their
leaves. The leaves remain green all the
year round, but the bark is the raggedest Of
its kind in nature. The old bark is black,
and it hangs in long strips down the trunk
of the tree as though it were disheveled
hair The new bark is white or silver
gray, which looks very pretty when the
black has all fallen off.
In some places you see groves of dead
trees. They have been rinGed with an ak
in order to Kill them for clearing. Such a
tree loses it's leaves, it's bark falls off and
the trunk and branches are of a DAZZLING
silver gray, which, under the bright sum-
looks like clean and well-poished bones.
A dead forest In Australia is a skeleton
forest, it is the deadest thing in nature
Where the trees have been cut down the
stumps are perfectly white. The logs lying
on the ground are white and the surround
1ngs are those of a bone yard.
The Pastures of the Darling Downs.
| wish 1 could show you some of the
pastures along this line from Brisbane to
Sydney. Take the Darling Downs for in
stance These prairies at the head
waters of a branch of the Darling river
and are as beautiful as the best lands of
the Mississippi valley. There are about
100000 acres in the Downs, a vast tract
Of meadows surrounded by low wooded
mountains This tract consists of green
fields as fiat as a floor, surrounded by
wire fences, inclosing focks and herds Of
fat cattle and sheep. Sometimes there are
1000 sheep in one field and single paddocks
inclose hundreds of cattle.
Here and there field is cultivated
valley, and it shines live velvet under
the sun. Now you pass a tract of a
hundred acres covered with alfalfa, and
now see the green wheat poking its
head through the black soil Now
you cross 4 stream where the water has
cut deep into the land You can see that
the soil is many feet thick, and that it can
be used for generation without fertiliza-
ton.
The farm buildings are few. The houses
are one-story cottages made of wood paint
ed yellow and rooted with galvanized iron
There are no big bank barns and no farm
houses Of any size. Wood is expensive
Galvanized iron is used largely for Sheds
and the houses have big round galvanized
iron water tanks on their porches to catch
the rain from the roofs. Many have gall
vanized iron chimneys, and some few are
built entirely of this material, imported
from England.
FRANK G.. CARPENTER.