Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1907-05-15
DON'T co BY RAIL-,
Advice Given by Australians to
Friends About to Travel.

Operated by the Government, and
Here Is a Truthful Account of the
Wretehed Way They Are Run.
When a new arrival in Australia an
nounces his intention of making a jour.
ney he Is saluted by sort Of para
phrase of Punch's advice to those about
20 marry Instead of saying "Don't'
his friends all say Don't go by rail"
My first experience with the Austria
lian government railway took place in
New South Wales, where the system is
in better working order than elsewhere,
and it was a journey from Sydney
TO Springwood-for miles. A
freight traln-they call them goods
trains in Australla-stuck in the tun-
mel ahead of us, though It had left the
last station three-quarters of an hour
before we arrived. We had taken the
J.37 train and were due at 6:55 We
arrived at 7:50, two hours and thirteen
minutes for the trip Of no greater dis
tance than is traversed by thousands
of commuters every day from New
York. The line Is double tracked all
the way up from Sydney, and ours
was a through train. An American
road would hardly contain a tunnel
grade so steep as to stall even the
heaviest Of freight trains, especially
on n suburban line with n heavy pas
senger traffic, and an American dis
patcher would hardly send out freight
train drawn by locomotive which
might not be able to pull II up the
grade directly ahead of fast passen-
ger train.
The rate for first class tickets is
nearly 5 cents per mile; for second
class more than 3 cents. When l sug-
gested travelling second class my
friends told me that / would be crazy
10 do SO. and when tried II / realized
that they were right. Yet, In spite OF
these high fares, the government much
OF the time fails TO pay 3l5 per cent on
It's Investment. II Is thrifty, though,
for first class passengers are entitled to
only 112 pounds of baggage carried
free, while holders of regular second
class tickets pay excess on everything
over elghty-four pounds.
My business In Sydney ended on Sat
urday, and II would have been con-
venient to leave for Melbourne that
night. But this was impossible since
there Is no Saturday night train south
between the two cities and but one
train n day each way during the week.
As the Saturday half holiday Is gen.
orally observed throughout New South
Wales and Victoria, the traveller be-
tween the capitals OF the two states
must lose that half day and all the
next because OF the way In which the
government railway schedule Is ar
ranged. He can leave Sydney on Fri
day night, but will reach his destina-
tlon too late for business on Saturday.
III he takes the dilemma by the other
horn he must lose the day and a half |
I'm Sydney. take the Sunday night train !
and reach Melbourne about o'clock T
Monday afternoon. There is a Satur-
day train from Melbourne to Sydney.
but none on Sunday. And bear In mind
that this service Is between the two
principal cities OF Australia, each with
a population OF more than half a mil
lion and only go miles apart. :
The season was mldwinter, being
early August and there was no pro-
vision whatever for heating the sleep
ing car. In Australian sleeping cars
the men are herded OF In one end of
the car and the women In the other,
with screen across the aisle between.
Even man and wife cannot have a sec
tlon, but are separated perhaps by the
entire length OF the car. The berth
curtains fasten only at the top, and
everybody who passes down the mar
row aisle pulls them along with him,
letting In the light and disturbing the
occupant, II was midnight when this
sort OF thing ceased and sleep was pos
slble. At @ o'clock In the morning II
again, and a few minutes
after the curtains We're pulled entirely
back and everybody was told TO get
up. Before | was fully dressed the
train ran into the station at Albury, on
the boundary between New South
Wales and Victoria. Those who were
not SO nearly prepared for disembarka-
tion as l was spoke and acted as IL
they were not happy,
But why all this haste and potherl
Merely because the gauge OF the New
South Wales railway system Is four
feet eight and half inches and that
Of the Victoria road is FIVE feet three
inches, and trains cannot be run
hence passengers are hauled
put at o'clock OF midwinter morn
ngs in an unheated car.
The breakfast in the restaurant was
the worst meal ever ate In a rail.
way station, which is strong language.
There is but one dining car in the
whole OF Australia.
Ii was as cold in the Victoria train
as II had been on the New South
Wales sleeper. II was a smoking
this. and brass cones,
sunk point downward through holes in
the floor Of the car, had been provided