Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-01-12
TELLS OF FIRST
PULLMAN SLEEPER
j.. L. Barnes. ex-Supt. of Atchi-
son, Was Conductor on
First Trip.


the first Pullman car ever run in this
country. He made the trip between
Bloomington, ILL.,, and Chicago on the
night of September l, 1857, and one
of his passengers was George M. Pull
man. inventor of the sleeping car.
Mr.. Pullman arose on the morning
of September 2 with a rather tired
feeling and somewhat doubtful as to
the ultimate 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 1t 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 per-
mitted the first Pullman porter in
history to maltreat a passenger with
a whiskbroom and collect 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 company in Bloomington, ILL.,,
under the direction of Mr.. Pullman
himself The car was q remodeled
day coach and there were but four
compartments, eight berths, four
upper and four lower.
Then as now, the lower berth en-
joyed a monopoly of public populari-
ty, and the upper berths were vacant
on that first memorable night. All
the passengers were from Blooming
ton and there were no women on |
sleeping car.
Crude Beginnings.
Mr.. Barnes described the first crude
car in his office in Cbanute last week.
He retired as division superintendent
of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa
Fe railway In 1910, after railway
service covering f1fty-six years, be-
ginning as the first Pullman con-
duetor in 1857.
Among his other distinctions he was
conductor of the first train that left
Kansas City over what now is the
Frisco railroad. The railroad then
extended only to Olathe, and Mr.
Barnes, as conductor, covered the
twenty miles on the first trip Decem-
Der 1, 1868, in the dazzling time of an
hour and forty-five minutes.
1.-THE first Pullman car" Mr.
Barnes said, was a primitive thing
Besides being lighted by candles 1t
was heated by coal stoves in each end
of the car; there were no carpets on
the floor.
'.The interior of the car was re-
arranged In this way: The backs OF
the seats were hinged, and TO make
ilp the lower berth the porter mere
ly dropped the back OF the seat until
1t was level with the seat itself. upo'
this he placed a mattress and
blanket. There were no sheets on the
first Pullman cars.
.The upper berth was suspended
from the ceiling of the car by ropes
and pulleys, rope attached TO eaci.
of the four corners of the berth, ana
during the day the berth was pullee
up until 1t Rugged the celilng, VIM
at night II was suspended about half
way between the ceiling OF the car
and the floor.
aThere has been little If any
change in The cost of Pullman berths
in the last fifty-six years The pass
engers who occupied berths between
Bloomington and Chicago on tnat nrsl
night paid $3.50 for them. which Is. L
believe, about the Pullman tarlii 10
day; but in those days OF the mrs
e1eeping cars the berth fare was Sl.oo'
regardless of the distance.
at remember on that first night
had to compel the passengers to take
/ their boots off before they got into
the berths. They wanted TO keep
them on; seemed afraid to take them
off.
after the first car had MADE a Few
trims Mr.. Pullman, who then was y
the mining business in Colorado, and
also was a contractor in Chicago, De
cided TO build another car. He had
vision, despite the discouraging OUT
look
III was much more elaborate than
the first car, and not altogether I'M
like the car in use today II was
higher and the interior finish was bet
tor. He made his plans, and the con-
struction of the car was in the nanos
of a. man named Field, in the Chicago
and Alton shops, at Bloomington.
IT was conductor on this car. which
made its first trip from Alton, III, 10
Chicago Mr.. Pullman made the nrse
trip on this car also.
.uTl,an Mr. pullman reached Alton
to take the first trip in the new car
was conductor. l remarked TO MN
that this car was a fine car, and ne
replied briefly, for he was silent
man: 1T ought to be; 1t cost enough
money
at was twenty-five years old when
conducted the first Pullman to Chi
cago. We wore no uniforms; was
attired in citizens clothes. | think
wore badge, but that was all.
II was a clerk in a dry goods store
in Chicago in 1856, and this is the way
in which | became Pullman con-
ductor: Mr.. Pullman had an office on
Madison avenue, just west of La Sale
street, and l boarded with FAMILY
very close to his Office and | used to
go backward and forward past his
office to my meals and / had read in
the papers that he was working on
> sleeping car, and one day stopped in
and made an application to him per-
sonally for a place as conductor. l
gave him some references and called
again and he said the references were
all right and promised me the place.
1.-THE first few months business was
very poor; you see, persons had been
in the habit of sitting up all night in
Z the straight-back seats and they
didn't think much of trying to sleep |
while travelling. Besides that, money
was scarce, and not many people |
could afford to pay the rates that were |
charged for berths,
so, after | had made few trips
it was decided it didn't pay to employ |
a Pullman conductor, and the cars |
were placed in charge of the passen-
ger conductor on the trains which |
carried them, and l was out of a job. |
/ soon was made a passenger conduc- |
tor, however, and when the sleeping !
cars began to pay was given my old |
job again" kansas City Star.
Unearth Revolutionary Relics