El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-05-28

EAST INDIAN RAILWAYS
FRANK G.. CARPENTERS LETTER.

fare Of the class by which you travel
a third class fare for your servant.
This servant speaks English. He acts
as your interpreter, sees to the hiring
and paying of your cabs. and waits
upon you a. the hotels. In many places
you will get nothing to eat if you have
no servant. Your bed is not made.
your boots are not BACKED. amp you may
clap your hands and ringiand ring
without getting an answer. If you have
a servant he sleeps on the stone floor
outside your door and fights with the
other servants to get the best for you.
If you do not watch him he will
cheat you right and left and always
gets a commission of 10 percent upon
all that you buy.
India's Forty Thieves.
The most of these servant are
thieves They make me think of the
gang which Ali Beba robbed. 1 know
they robbed me. have already
had three in my employ during
this present trip 10 India. The
first almost froze to death at OAR
jeeling. He had not enough muscle TO
get what I wanted and after I dis
charged him 1 found some wooden
Clothes missing. The second was black
liar with a tUrban as big as a peck
ropean dress and 1 got rid of him be
cause my pajamas and stockings were
fast disappearing. There was also q
little trouble as to a gold sovereign
which I lost and which he at once picked
out of the outside pocket of my over
coat I now have a tall, fine looking
Aryan with a swaTthy complexion. an
enormous black mustache and a height
OF six feet. He wears a costly turban
n nd lon ha1-Qd in he
1 pay him SO cents day. but of course
he has his commission.
This man viii manage our trip. He
goes in advance through the gates, and
when we reach the cars We find that
the best seats are covered with our
pillows and bedding. Every one car
ries his own sleeping convenieRces'
while travelling. The cars have leather
covered benches, and the passengers
make their own beds As a rule the
women have cars to themselves. 50
that the men can undress and put ON
their pajamas as nightfaH comes On.
In the morning the servants roll up
the comforts and rugs and pack them
away under the seat or on the racks
overhead
On the Trains.
The Indian cars are comfortable
enough when not crowded At other
made on the English plan, about two
thirds the length of our cars and
little Bit wider. Each car is divided
into compartments which look more
like long boxes than anything else.
The passengers sit on leather cushions
facing cath other. with glass windows
ana glass doors at each side On some
Of the cars there are lavatories. and
Oh others none Within the past year
he 1~1i1
question of adopting new cars and the
Central India road has now coaches
somewhat like ours. Its cars have cor
ridors running along one side of them
from end to end. Into the corridors
open two berth compartments which
are fitted with electric fans, electric
lights and bells. There are servants
compartments connected with the cars.
At each end of the coach is a bathroom
with a big tub sunk in the floor. and
one can have a wash while he goes
flying over the country at % miles an
hour.
1 say 30 miles. That is rather fast
for India. Many of the trains do not. i
make 20 miles and some not over Is
per hour, while a fast express now and
then covers 80 or so. Everything here
is run after oriental methods, which
means. that tomorrow or the day after
W III Nv d. " Gil DIS lOudS.
The Animal Rates.
1t is interesting to watch the triffic
on these Indian trains. You now and
then pass a freight car filled with
camels. You may see tigers in cages
or baby elephants and carloads of
ponies. There are stock trains filled
with the sacred bumped cattle and on
the passenger trains special arrange
ments for dogs. The dog rate is II
cents for every 80 miles of travel No |
dogs can be taken into the cars except
with the consent of the passengers and !
then only on double fare for the dog.
Horses are carried at cents a mile
when they go by freight train. and
return tickets are issued for polo DO
MES at Is cents per mile the round |
trip. Two attendants being carried free |
with every carload Calves. sheen and !
goats, if sent single, must pay double !
dog rates, and small deer cost the same.
Wild animals in cages are charged - /
cents per mile per truck, and cameIs
are at the same rate per carload. but |
only four can be put in one car. Full |
grown elephants are transported by spe- !
,ial agreement, and elephant calves not :
more than four and ane-half feet high
are charged 6 cents per mile
Passenger Traffic.
In travelling over India 1 have found
he cars universally well filed Every
rain has its first, second and third
classes. The first is made up of Brit
sh officials, Americans and weIItodo
with now and then a ra
all or some high native official The
second has the poorer classes of the
British. army officers of second rank.
With now and then a soldier or so. and
perhaps welltOdO natives, and the tbir1
lass carries the masses of the peopIe
md, as I have already said, il brings
he profits. 1t constitutes twO-thirds
# the traffic, the rate being consider