Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1902-09-17
TRIALS OF TRAVEL IN ITALY.
ton Is WretchedIy Inadequate
and Growing Worse

Returning from the latest of long
series of Journeys in Italy, l hope that
you will allow me to send few words
of warning to British and American
travellers, writes correspondent to
the London Times.
This warning does not refer to
minor discomforts of Italian travel
to the petty eXactions, impositions
and losses so often complained Of
but to what seems rapidly becoming
a complete breakdown in the Italian
railway system as regards the decent
or even safe conveyance of Travellers
For several years, at each of my
visits, it has become more and more
clear that the existing system of rail
way transportation in Italy is wretch
eddy inadequate, and, as the volume of
travel and traffic increases, steadily
growing worse, and that there is no
other intention in the minds of those
in control than to make the most
money possible out of the present evil
system, no matter what suffering or
danger may thereby come to the trav-
cling public.
First. on the lines between Naples,
Rome, Florence and Verona, and be-
tween Venice, Milan and Genoa, and
along the Italian Riviera. the rule pre-
walls to crowd and stuff the carriages
beyond endurance, and this with first
class passengers as we'll as with those
of other classes. During large part
of the year, at every important sta
ton. almost without exception, comes
a struggle-pushing. pulling, quarrel
ing. fighting the way in and out of
carriages. Again and again, in first
class carriages. have seen passengers
standing, in addition to those who are
crowded together upon the seats. This
l recently saw at Florence and again
at Milan. AT Genoa I recently saw
ladies and gentlemen waiting for half
an hour in the rain for a chance to
push their way into seats. At Flor
ence | recently saw what / have seen
at various times, a hand-to-hand strug-
gle for places in first-class carria ges,
in which men, women and children
were concerned.
1t may be said that this was due to
some special increase in the number
of passengers. This was not the case.
1t occurred as l was coming from
Rome northward, just before Holy
week, when the main stream of travel
was southwark.
All this is greatly aggravated by the
ignorance or inability of Italian rail
way officials in making up and manag-
ing trains. Take one case as typical
The great stream of travel which, dur
ing large part of the year, sets both
ways between Venice and Florence,
would seem fully to warrant, if not
through train, at least an adequate
number of through carriages. But
no. Again and again. year after year,
men, women and children travelling be-
tween these two cities are turned out
of the carriages at an intermediate
station and are separated in order to
squeeze themselves into such scattered
| accommodations here and there as
they may chance to find in the through
| trains between Verona and Florence
1t would seem that the petty profits
derived by underlings from pulling
passengers out of one train and crush
ing them into another supply the cen
trail idea of this policy.
Take next the main stations. Al
most without exception they are in
convenient, unsanitary, and utterly
inadequate. During my latest visits
TO the Genoa station. 1 have noted
what seems to be the beginning of an
enlargement; but it is the only one
where any such tendency is visible
1t was high time, for physical i'm
possibility to get the trains in and
manifest, but at other stations
where the demand is almost as great