The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1906-02-10
ABOUT EARLY Timetables.
EARLY Railway Guides OF England
Make Interesting Reading.

Make Interesting Reading.
1t was an inspired moment when'
it occurred to George Bradshaw, the
Manchester quaker, and map engraver
to publish his Timetable" just six
ty-five years ago, says the New York
Herald; and even If his intricate
pages, as had been suggested, have
helped to drive many man out OF his
WITS. it is quite certain that John Bull
could never do without his BRAD
shaw"
In the early days Of this friend OF
those who travel by rail, Punch pub
lished an amusing. If not very kind or
truthful skit, entitled, bradshaw
Mystery" in which two young lovers,
severed by leagues Of railway, plan
to meet by the friendly assistance OF
Bradshaw. But after consulting his
pages until they were on the verge
Of lunacy, the lady, in despair, ex-
claims, Bradshaw has nearly mad
dened me-" "And me-" replied Or
lando.
He talks of trains arriving that never
start,
OF trains that seem to start and ne'er
arrive,
OF functions where no union Is at
fected,
OF coaches meeting trains that never
come.
and SO on; but the genial quaker only
smiled and went on his way.
In these days, when the united
kingdom is covered with an intricate
network Of more than $4,000 miles of
railways, and when It's timetables
spread over considerably more than
thousand densely packed pages of
type, it seems impossible to imagine
a time-though many persons now
living can recall it-when you could
count all the railways on the fingers
Of one hand and when the only guide
was a medal carried in the pocket, on
which were engraved the times of
starting Of dozen trains of the Grand
Junction railway.
This was the condition of things
in the year Of Queen Victoria's Access
sion and, two years later, on Oct.
49, 1889, Bradshaw published his first
Railway Timetable" a tiny pam
phlet four and one-half inches long
and three inches wide, bound in green
cloth, with gold lettering. It was
nothing more than collection Of the
monthly timetables issued by the
seven railway companies then in exist
ence and was as modest volume as
ever came from the press. OF this
pioneer Bradshaw" there are only
four copies now in existence, of which
two are in the Bodleian library at
Oxford, and il by chance one of them
were to come into the market it would
certainly fetch many times its weight
in gold.
The success Of his Timetable en-
couraged Bradshaw to more ambi-
tious effort and he inaugurated the
year 1910 by publishing his Railway
Companion" a twin volume Of but
thirty eight pages, including maps, and
sold at shilling. This was quite in
dependent OF his Timetable" and
published concurrently for eight years,
when the two volumes were merged
In the "Guide." These original Brad
shaws' were published at irregular In
tervals and were kept up to date by
the issue of monthly time sheets,
which often failed to make their APP
pearance until the 9Th or 9Th OF the
month, from the difficulty In learning
the changes In times from the rail-
way authorities.
The companions, indeed, strongly
resented Bradshaw's innovation, and
put every possible obstacle In his way.
But their obstinancy was not proof
against the quakers ingenuity and
persistence; at last they capitulatsd,
and actually agreed, at his request.
to adjust their timetables for the be-
Ginning az each month. It was On