New-York tribune., 1905-01-23
LONDON NOTES.
Stage Coach ON RdiIs-Sir W;1l;,u
White Good AngIo-Saron.
london. Januarr II

London. January II
The inertia Of British conservatism eanro+ :.
easily overcome. When railway carriages Va
introduced the stage coach was the old fasbion..
model for the compartment and II has baa,
vested. decade after decade. with the dignity -.
sanetity Of national institution. OriginaF~ !.
was less democratic than the stage. coach =
only wei to do travellers could afford % nav -
high charges: but 1t was not long before core
sionS TO working people were required andtb
classes were provided. with compartments aI-
ing one from another IN the upholstering a, -
seats and other details OF comfort and lgru-,
Even when corridor trains were put an -
compartment boxes were retained and tba ~
ciple Of classification was respected when afri--
and restaurant carriages had their sections -,
first class or third class travellers. Crimes co-,
mitted in compartments when trains vera r,-
ming at high speed and the guards could nor 4.
summoned have caused now and again pervor-
tension among travellers especially women .-a
the leader writer's have often been called upon !.
balance the advantages Of privacy and the dan.
gers OF isolation when men have been black
mailed by adventuresses or frightened u1aidar,
have fed from train robbers or Iunaticz a,4
clambered along the footboard TO claim urota.-
tion; but the stage coach pen has survived score,
Of painful episodes and newspaper agitation,
The old lady who remarked that she didn,,
wish 10 enter heaven unless she could arrive bv
a comfortable compartment in a train IN which
all her fellow travellers were grouped accordnz
70 their class and station was a true British
conservative. The compartment is a recognized
institution with two traditions dear 70 tae. Eng
lish heart-one that 1t helps to keep everybody
in his proper place. and the other that It secures
passengers against contact with strangers and
invasion OF privacy.
The substitution OF long for short carriage,
has been resisted strenuously by English rail-
way companies for practical reasons. Il IS more
economical to crowd 900 passengers into a
short train Of compartment carriages than to
convey $50 passengers by an American train
made up OF long carriages. One engine IS equal
TO the weights. and the shorter train can be
more easily operated during the hours Of densest
traffic The railway lines leading into and out o.
London and the great provincial towns would bs
blocked morning and evening II long American
trains with two engines were used in place OF
compartment carriages. and consequently the
companies have adhered tenaciously 10 the old
fashioned stage coach model The expansion Of
third class traffic has involved the overcrowdins
of close. stuffy boxes but this has increased the
economy of the compartment system. Some
thing over a hundred millions Of passengers are
carried by first and second class carriages in
the United Kingdom during a year; bun ten
times as many-a good deal over thousand
millions-are taken third class, and the officials
have contended decade after decade that longer
and more comfortable trains. with separate
smoking carriages. seats for all. an abundance
OF air and exemption from draughts, banging OF
side doors. heaping OF luggage and other annoy
ances. cannot be introduced without protractst
delays morning and evening and disturbance Of
A.. -I-F
tion OF the retention OF the compartment system
even when the classification plan has been mod
flied. The Midland Railway set the example OF
abolishing second class fares. improving the
third class accommodations and lowering the
first class rates. and IT has been followed by
other lines. until the third class passengers for
a fraction under penny a mile travel With
greater comfort than first class passengers did
twenty-five years ago They are admitted to
the fastest trains have dining and restaurant
carriages for long distances. and can book their
places in advance for a journey from London to
Scotland. With the improvement Of the accom-
modations for third class traffic there has been
a steady decline IN second class travel. but the
distinctions still maintained at the booking
offices On nearly all lines. and the compartment
remains even when there are corridor trains
The introduction OF electric train services tor
suburban traffic has involved the necessity toT
filing and emptyIng the carriages rapidly. and
dispensed IN many instances with compartments
and classification. The "Twopenny Tube in the.
metropolis dehed custom and tradition when II
introduced American carriages and carried pas
sengers at only one price; and while there we're
loud Outcries against these innovations the
managers persevered with their policy and de-
clined TO make any concession to class senti-
ment or prejudice The Metropolitan RaiIWa-
when It's line is fully electrified viii have two
classes. like the underground system in Paris;
and the electric services in the provincial cen
tres are also adopting this method. The NortE-
eastern Railway is trying the experiment e
abOHshing first class fares IN some OF its sub
urban sections in the provinces. and there are
indignation meetings OF property owners. pre-
sided over by dukes and attended by earls anu
baronets at which this democratic leVeil.s
process is condemned as revolutionary 4H'
facility with which long carriages OF the AInei
lean type can be loaded and unioaded saa4S
them 10 the requirements OF suburban eiec'LN
service. and there are no problems OF eeoh'il"
IN weights and motive power. Rapld1'y az"
certainty in dispatching trains prevent -
blocking OF the electric lines. and these IsSu''
are Accomplished when there is only one class '-
fares and passengers find their places N i'"s'
connected trains For this reason the colApa''
unent is doomed in suburban transit RaiiWa
managers may attempt to effect a conp'Onl~
at the outset by substituting two lot u-
classes. but ultimately they viii have s'As
class and long carriages will come into sehs.o-
use When the stage coach model disapPS@
from the electric services il may come TO 'e
Garded as unsuitable for the main lines ana
comfort and convenience OF the thousand HD
ions OF travellers may be considered mere -
pOrtant than the privacy Of the hundred -"