The Cairo bulletin., 1908-10-14
TRAINS NOT SLOW
eRIToN MAKES COMPARISON OF
RAILROAD SPEEDS.
As Fast Tine Made in England as ir
the United States, He Declares
- Improvements in
Twenty Years.

An EuEIlslUldu WHO FlNANCd '4'AS
country in the interest of railroad
publication had this comment to make
upon American railway speeds AMI
time cards as compared with those in
the British islands,
Our fast express trains are taken
as a rule. as fast and much more
numerous than yours Their distance
is OF course not so great. Our cross
country trains, which exist on local
traffic entirely, are much abused by
Americans who have to use them, and
they really deserve their reputation for
leisurely movement. But have
found roads in this country that use
more time to accomplish shorter Jour
neys than any We have in the British
islands Here is one whose map and
schedule | will show YOU in the cur
rent issue of the Official Guide OF
Railways of the United States. 1t Is.
the Chicago & Illinois Western rail
road, operating II miles OF railway
southwest from Chicago and having
connection with IS trunk lines. Its
passenger train runs from one term
inal to the other in three hours and 30
minutes, moving westward, which Is
pretty slow. But they move eastward
from Willow Springs to McCCok, II
miles, mind you, in just seven hours
Here is their schedule: depart a II
a. m. and arrive at Hawthorne at six
n. m Can you beat it, as you say IN
the states9"
Then there is the Tonopah & Tide.
water Railway company operating
line II miles from Ludlow, Cal, to
Dumunt. New. Passenger trains run
through in precisely ten hours. There
Is also the Oberlin & La Grange Rail
road company. out In Ohio. operating
five miles; passenger schedule time
two hours and So minutes, with one
stop. There is also the Sumter
Choctaw railway in Alabama, which
works one train both ways daily, MAX
ing "a miles in precisely seven hours
running time. Then there is the Wy
andotte & Southeastern railway out In
Arkansas that boldly and truthfully
adYertises an irregular schedule over
20 miles of road | was eight hours
making a transit over that line. ard
we had no accident nor other remark
able delay.
81 only speak of these lines to illus
trate the error that cross-country rail-
way lines in England are the slowest.
In 20 years the roads in this country
tlrr ~
In the south. Twenty years ago ] was
FIVE days from Meridian, Miss TO
Chattanooga, Tenn, over the Chatta-
nooga & Great Southern, 800 miles.
Now It is part OF fine trunk line and
! travelled the same distance In nine
hours in the greatest comfort,
"Our firstcass trains are those run
ming by several routes from London to
Glasgow and Edinburgh, 400 miles in
eight hours. They are very heavy
trains and are usually drawn by
double.headed engines make few stops
and encounter no delays over track
kept clear for them at least 90 min
utes After they lose their 20 minutes
they have to look ont for themselves
because they never pick 1t up. Here
il is different. ] came east on the fast
lS.hour train from Chicago 10 New
York. and We were an hour behind
at Fort Wayne. But We got to New
York on time TO the second. The dis.
lance is about double. but the trains
make the same running time hour by
hour move about the same weight
with the same power and have prac-
tically the same accommodation. After
all there isn't much improvement In a
Pullman over a hrst-class carriage
with lavatory in England, for the dis
lance New York Press.