Evening journal., 1914-11-25
RAILROADS on EDGE
AS President RIDES
Every Effort Toward Safety
and Comfort is Made by
Operators
NATION PAYS TIDY
SUM FOR SERVICE
BY BURTON X. sTANDIsH.

written for the United Press
WASHINGTON. Nov. 25.-Every
railroad in the country wants to pro-
tect the travelling public TO the ut
most of it's ability But when a road
has as its passenger the President of
the United States it is doubly solic-
tous of that passenger.
Everything must be shipshape-if
things Of railroading may be so
termed. The train that carries his
special car must be on time It's con-
nections mast be sure. There must be
no hitch of any kind, and above all.
danger even in the slightest degree
must be avoided
To this end, every road that ever
carries a president makes special eff
forts to protect his safety and TO in
sure his comfort A special passen-
ger agent, one in whom the company
places highest confidence. travels with
the Presidential train from Washing
ton to its destination. Moreover. on
other than the initial road a train
master or division superintendent
goes along TO see that everything runs
as il should. They take no chances
of an accident with such a valuable
and valued passenger
Just as an example, President VIII
sons recent trip to Pittsburgh NAV
be cited as showing extreme CAREFUL
ness with which a railroad places the
itinerary. In the first place. the pas
senger agent looked up the weather
reports the night before the trip. They
showed prospective bad weather. Then
the agent and the trainmaster and di-
vision superintendent knew that this
might mean a heavy fog up through
the mountain country between Con-
ellsville, Pa. and Pittsburgh. That of
course spelled the possibility of dan
ger.
What to do? They could not take
even the slightest chance of blocked
road. So early in the morning al
Connellsville, the presidential private
car was shunted off on Sdetrack
while the President was asleep. and
then il was hitched onto a common
ordinary day coach and baggage
coach, carrying no passengers except
few railroad men and a group of
newspapermen The first section.
that carried the presidents car as
far as Connellsville. was allowed to
proceed a safe distance ahead. and
then the second section proceeded. In
this way the railroad took no chances
Of a fog, although, as II developed,
there was no danger from this source.
incidentally on this same trip. the
railroad made a remarkable record
by bringing the presidential train
back into Washington exactly 45
minutes ahead of the scheduled time
When IL comes to comfort on his
trips. a President has solid comfort
II indeed, there is such a thing about
travelling on railroad trains. He has
a special car, equipped with a pleas
ant lOunging compartment, where he
may read or write or rest. Then he
has a bed room de luxe, with real.
life size. e-wool-and-a-yard-
wide brass bed. Moreover. when
he arises in the morning he may have
either his shower bath or a tub.
There is plenty of hot or cold water
Then when he has completed his
toilet he can sit down in the dining
room to breakfast that cannot be
surpassed anywhere. "Letch" is the
Pullman Company's official chef 10
President Wilson en- route, just as
he has been commander of the
kitchen aboard presidential cars for
number of years. And when It
all the medals.
He can cook a steak with touch
of real art. He makes q jelly om-
let that is worthy of poetry. And
his hot rolls, his fried chicken, his
coffee. and other dishes are almost
beyond description even by a con-
noiseur in the good things of life.
But the President-or rather the
treasury of the nation pays a tidy sum
every trip The railroad company
charges 25 fares for the special car
mileage. and the Pullman Company
tacks ON another S25 or $50 a day for
the ear itself Then of course, the
commissary department amounts to n
fair sum. The secret service pays its
portion Of the cars expense, inasmuch
as its operatives, who guard the Presi-
dent. occupy a part of the car.
A trip from Washington TO the Presi-
dents summer place at Cornish, n. H..
puts crimp in the presidential travel
allowance to the extent of 500 or more.
President Wilson. however. bids fair TO
have considerable of the $4,000 travel
appropriation left over when he fin
ishes the year. as he has not done much
travelling. I'm sharp contrast to VIII
sons travelling account was President
Taft's. He not only expended his an
nual congressional appropriation but
was forced to pay extra out OF his own
money. for he was a record globe trot-
Ter.
President Wilson'S travelling has been
confined TO the east He has been 20
New York. Philadelphia, Cornish, n. H.,
Memphis. Pass Christian, Miss, Rome,
Ca. Pittsburgh and Princeton, n. j.
chiefly. He does not care for travel as
his predecessor did, although with the
opening of the 1916 campaign. he may
| he nrnncind 10 do considerable travel-