The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-08

2DO not mean by the above title the
 man who smokes although he is a ! smoker I refer to that compart ment of a ship or a train that is set apart for the comfort and convenience of men who indulge in the habit of smoking tobacco in the shape of cigars or when 1t is prepared for the pipe.
 To a certain class of travellers the smoker is the most attractive part of train. 1t is generally full, and ire ouently, when all the seats were occu- pied, I have known men to stand for hours listening to some engaging con versaton between men who never saw one another before they met In the Pull man that now hastens them to their destination. Having deposited my grip in my berth I frequently take seat in s the smoker and occupy it from morning to a late hour in the night, leaving 1t only long enough to heed the first calr' for dinner or luncheon, as the case may be.
 Returning from the diner one stops at his berth, opens his bag. selects few ''Portunas,' and then proceeds to the smoker. You lay off your coat, and then carefully light your cigar and begin slow ly to smoke. l say carefully light your cigar" This is an important act. light only on one side will give a one sided smoke, the fire running down one side of the cigar and simply charring the other side. It is necessary, in or der to the best results, that the cigar be smoked slowly. To smoke rapidly and greedily is to excite too great a heat in the cigar and to burn 1t far in advance of the ash-lne. This burns out the heart of the cigar, destroying the flavor and over-heating the smoke All cigars are good, but, of course, some are better than others. fine cigar improperly lighted and hastily smoked is lowered to a level of a nickelweed, or what IS worse to the sphere of the ''two-fors.'
 Taking one's seat in the smoker, enjoy ing his cigar one has a desire to talk. At first there is a little restraint and sl- lence, for each man in the smoker IS thinking of an opening sentence with which to begin pleasant conversation. Generally the beginning of talk is about the railroad. we are making good time" suggests someone. This simple observation awakens a general conNer- sation on the subject of railroads and railroad officials You are astonished at the vast extent of the knowledge of the
  close. They seem to have travelled on all the roads from the Northern Pacific to the Plant System in Florida. They know the names of the presidents of the roads, and are personally acquainted with many of them. They will give little biograph. ical sketches of prominent railroad men, relate incidents in their lives. and tell you how they reached their present prom thence
 The subject widens. Railroad wrecks ting in a corner there is a man who re- when over 100 souls were shot out into the train crashing down into the river miracle" Another relates that he was tells that he was about to take the train that met with the ''Tay Bridge disaster, but was two minutes late, and so was left This brought up the story of that awful tragedy which was told by an old gentleman who had been resident of England. but whose home was now located in Florida.
 It is astonishing to find how many na- tionalties are sometimes represented in the smoker. was about to relate an incident that had participated in. ans that occurred in Mallow Ireland. I be- gan: "Once when I was in the town Of Mallow. Ireland--' "Go on, sur, go on: I'm from Mallow, meself.' then asked him if he remembered certain places that were connected with my story. Every one of them he could describe. l then