River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-03-13
FROM OUT WEST
JOurneyIng On a Railway Train
BYE. S. REED

In a trip across the continent and
back, a distant of 7 500 miles, con-
Stunning nearly two weeks in the
double transit, one may see and
hear much of interest if he keeps
his eyes open and listens to what
he hears. Especially if it is oyer a
route that is new to him the land
scape will present features that will
command his attention and fill him
with a new delight, while from his
fellow travellers he may learn much
that will entertain and instruct.
1t is possible that he may get mus
sed up in wreck, but he is safer
from injury on swiftly moving
railway train than he is in crossing
a crowded street in a great city.
An extended journey on the cars
is contemplated with more COM
placency now and will be engaged
in with more of satisfaction than
such a venture was considered and
entered upon fifteen or twenty years
ago. The railway companies were
once irresponsible tyrants and their
supercilious employees, taking their
cues from their employers, often
treated the public with studied in
science. But since Congress pass
ed laws for the judicious regulation
of these corporations some of the
conceit has been taken out of them
and they have been constrained TO
realize the fact that railways are
public service appliances and their
employees servants of those who
use the roads for pay. Indeed
managers of railways are now free
to acknowledge that courtesy is an
important asset and the servants of
the roads are instructed to treat
patrons with uniform consideration
and provide for the comfort of pas
oSAS INV u eAHCAlhS ny ALAA AL
these days will seldom find any lack
of courtesy, consideration and help
full attention from servants of the
roads. In fact the helpful attitude of
all these people in the service of the
roads, that the traveller meets at
the stations and on the trains,
will remain with him as one of the
pleasing recollections of his trip.
The intending traveller from the
Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific
coast will be interested to learn
what will most concern him about
the roads. In looking over the
schedule of distances and fares of
the several routes he will find first
that none of the roads crosses the
continent in a direct line. The dis
tance from Boston to San Francisco
in a straight line is about $500
miles, but the more direct railway
route between the two cities is
347S miles in length, nearly thou
sand miles longer than the bee"
line. And if he wishes to go by
the northern or southern route he
will travel nearly thousand miles
farther than by the central and
shortest line.
The railways running TO the
Pacific coast have been accustomed
to give reduced fares for a limited
period in the spring and fall. This
reduction however is only on the
roads running from Chicago or St.
Paul. The roads terminating at
Chicago from the east make no
such concessions, yet the fare from
the Atlantic cities will, at the time
these lower fares are in effect, be
less than at other times by the
amount of this reduction, and the
traveller will be surprised to learn
that the fare will, at such times, be
the same on all roads. He may &C
by Chicago, Council Bluffs anc
Ogden, the shortest route, or BY
Montreal, Winnipeg and Vancou
yer on Puget Sound by the Canad
ian Pacific, and thence down the
coast across Washington, Oregon
and California to San Francisco, .
longer distance than the centra
route by over nine-hundred miles
but the fare will be no more thar
by the shortest route.
The roads lose the most in de
waiting from straight line, or adj