Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-09
OLD RAIL WAY CARS
USED IN ENGLAND
sspondence OF The Star.

special Correspondence OF Inc star.
LONDON. April 2, 1910
~ NE of the things which an American
travelling in England most wonders
at is the survival in a country, other
wise fairly up-tc-date, of the old ashion-
of railway carriage. 1t is true that on
some of the great lines corridor cars
something like the American and CONT
mental cars have been adopted for the
finest trains on the longest runs, but
practically all the short distance and
local travel is still carried in the old
compartment cars
The compartment car is long car cut
up into horse boxes. Each of these boxes
is just wide enough to allow two rows of
persons to sit facing each other and
each is entered from the side Of the car.
There is no communication from one
compartment to the other. This applies
to all classes of carriages The only
difference between the third, or cheap
est. and the first and second is that the
third-class benches are bare boards, while
the first and second are cushioned moro
or less comfortably. From time to time
there is an agitation against this type
Of carriage. usually caused by some crime
rendered possible and easy by this pc
culiai system Of travelling. and just now
we are having one Of those periodical
agitations because of murder which
took place in the north Of England few
days ago.
1t may be we'll to explain that the Eng
lisn are an unsociable people and when
travelling 1t is the first aim of every
Engl1shman to secure compartment to
himself Sometimes De tips the guard
as he calls the conductor, to lock the door
Of the compartment after he has entered.
but as q rule there are so many cars on
each train that except on suburban lines
each compartment usually contains only
two or three persons, each Of whom takes
possession Of a corner and buries himself
in a paper or book.
Well. a few days ago a colIiery pay
master. who had started from Newcastle
with more than 5000 in cash to paw
wages at q mine, was found shot In an
empty compartment and, Of course. the
money was gone. The railwaymen had
noticed that when the train started there
were two persons in the compartment and
that one got out at way station but
no one heard any shots or any sound OF
struggle. 1t was evident that the pay
masters travelling companion had muir
dered and robbed him and then dropped
off at the first stop without attracting
any attention.
Now. of course. the papers are again
emphasizing the part played in the trag-
edy by the compartment carriage and de-
handing that the railways be compelled
to put on corridor cars where such pr-
vacy as makes crime like this possible
cannot be obtained.
The compartment carriage also offers
Solueli opportunity TO the woman
backmailer Many Englishmen. IL a wo-
man enters the compartment i'm -hich
they are sitting. will get out and seek
another where they have the protection
of other members Of their own sex. SINH
larry, few Englishwomen care to travel In
compartment in which the only other
occupant is a man.
But there is nothing that an English
railway director hates and fears more
than spending money on new rolling
stock. On some of the suburban lines
in London there are carriages still run
ming which must have been built about
George Stephenson's day. They are
worse than decent cattle cars and the I'M
fortunate passengers after riding in one
of them feels as sore as If he had been
humping the bumps at Coney Island.
Every now and again the public COM
plains and the railway directors turn over
in their sleep and murmur: I'VE really
must have some new carriages. But
the British public is patient and con-
tinues to ride. SO the railway directors
go to sleep again and dream of a happy
land where passengers can be piled on
top of each other like baggage, and big
dividends can be earned.