The Washington herald., 1914-03-17
FIRST PULLMAN
primitive Thing
Man Who Was Conductor on
1t 81 Years Ago Tells
Interesting Story.
WASLICHTED BY CANDLES
F. L. Barnes. Ex-Superintendent of
Santa Fe. Describes Maiden Trip
of Original Sleeper.

Kansas City. Mo-, March l6-Fifty-six
years ago ]. l. Barnes, Of Chanute. Kan.
was a conductor on the first Pullman
car ever run in this country. He made
the trip between Bloomington, ILL.,, and
Chicago on the night of September !,
1851, and one of his passengers was
George NJ. Pullman. inventor OF the
sleeping car
MIR. Pullman arose on tine morning OF
September ? with a rather tired feeling
and somewhat doubtful as to the uIti-
mate success of his invention. Three
other passengers who slept that night
In the first crude sleeper restrained any
inclination they might have felt to tender
Mr.. Pullman an ovation.
Mr.. Barnes is seventy-eight years old
and IL probably would be unfair to visit
him with the punishment to which he
is clearly entitled. but he tells how he
stood idly by and permitted the first
Pullman porter in history TO maltreat
passenger with a whiskbroom and coll
lect the original Pullman tip.
He was a husky lad of twenty-five
summers at that time and his muscles
were in a good state of preservation, but
he did not interfere. All, wasted youth,
The first Pullman car in America was
run over the Chicago and Alton Railroad
and was built in the shops OF the com
pany in bloomington. Ill, under the di-
rection OF Mr.. Pullman himself. The car
was a remodeled day coach and there
were but four compartments eight
berths. four upper and four lower.
Then. as now. the lower berth en-
joyed monopoly OF public popularity.
and the upper berths were vacant on
that first memorable night. All the pas
senSers were from Bloomington and
there were no women on the sleeping
car.
Describes First Car.
Mr. Barnes described the first crude
car In his Office in Chanute last week
lie retired as division superintendent Of
the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Rail
way in 1910. after railway service COW
erng hfty-siN years. beginning as the
first Pullman conductor in ISL
Among his other distinctions he va
conductor Of the first train that left
Kansas City over what now is the Frisco
Railroad. The railroad then extended
only 10 Olathe. and Mr.. Barnes. as con-
ductor. covered the twenty miles on the
first trip December !. 1863. in the daz-
zling time of an hour and forty-fiye min
uteS
The first Pullman car" Mr. Barnes
said. was a primitive thing. Besides
being lighted by candles. it was heated
ny coal stoves in each end Of the car
There were no carpets on the floor
The interior OF the car was relrranged
in this way: The hacks Of the seats were
hinged. and to make up the lower berth
the porter merely dropped the back OF
the seat until il was level with the seat
itself. Upon this he placed n mattress
and a blanket. There were no sheets on
the first Pullman cars.
The upper berth was suspended from
the ceiling of the car by ropes and pull
leys. rope attached to each OF the
four corners Of the berth. and during the
day the berth was pulled up until 1t
hugEed the ceiling. while AT night it WAS
suspended about half way between the
ceiling Of the car and the floor.
Little Change in Cost.
There has been little. If any. change
in the cost Of Pullman herths in the last
ffty-six years. The passengers who oc-
Cupied berths between bloomington and
Chicago on that first might paid $50 for
them, which is. | believe. about the Pull
man tariff today; hut in those DAYS of !
the first sleeping cars the berth fare was
N.jn. regardless Of the distance.
Il remember on that first night ] had
to compel the passengers to take their
boots of before they got into the bcrths.
They wanted to keep them on; seemed
afraid to take them of.
After the first car had made few
trips Mr.. Pullman. o then was in the
mining business in C"loI ado. and also was
n contractor in Chicago. decided to build I
another car. lie had visions. despite the 4
disCouraging outlook.
1t was much more elaborate than the I
frs. car. and not altogether unlike the
car in use today. 1t was higher and the
int, iOr finish Was better. He made his
plans. and the construction of the car
w in the hands of a man named Field. !
in the Chicago and Alton shops at Bloom
inEton.
Il was conductor on this car. which !
made its first trip from Alton. H.. to
Chicago. Mr.. Pullman made the first trip
on this car also.
when MIR. Pullman reached Alton to
take the first trip in the new car I was
conductor. ] remarked TO him that this
car was a fine car. and he replied briefly.
for he was silent man: 1t ought to
be: il cost enough money
Wore No Uniforms.
- vas twenty-five years old when
conducted the first Pullman to Chicago
We wore no uniforms; l was attired in