Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-12-08

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more than half a century the favorite
guess:ng name Of the travelling public
fhas been to speculate as to who
names the Pullman cars n why. To
see romantic names, Lancelot and
Adonis, and names such as Farragut
and Hector, suggesting heroic deeds.
emblazoned on the side of Pullman
cars long ago aroused train passen-
gers to curiosity and then to specula-
ton. =
The public enjoyed guessing and
Imagination ran riot. Passengers
have solemnly averred that the Pull
man! company employs an official
manner of the cars" with the chief
duty Of seeing that each new car is
fittingly and artistically named. 9th
ers have insisted that employees of
the company are encouraged to sug-
gest names, and that a dollar is CIV
en- for an acceptable suggestion.
One extravagant, explanation was
that the company long g made q
large collection of slips bearing names
of states, cities, famous folk, flowers,
ct cetera, and hat these slips are
kept in a large box INC n is cere-
m9niously drawn forth by the prest-
dent of the company when it becomes
necessary to christen Il new car.
The Isl given to explain why
the cars are named instead of pro-
saically numbered have run from the
suggestion that passengers undoubt-
edly have a more personal feeling to-
ward a car with a name, to the story
that the little daughter of a high Of
fetal once insisted on calling a GER
tain car Violet.
The majority of the stories are Off
shoots OF the most popular explana-
ton. This was hat the daughter Of
the founder Of the Pullman company,
now Mrs. Frankie. Lowden, began to
name the cars when she was a girl
and received a reward for each idea.
The sum she Was supposed to re-
ceive was generally limited only by
the Imagination of the teller Of the
tale. Some who stuck to probability
said that she received a dollar a car.
! Others said 500, and the most fanci-
full >narrators whispered thai 100000
a rear a the sum she drew for her
services.
Now the Pullman company has de-
med this interesting story and all of
its variations in its magazine for en-
ployees Of the company. It says
Florence Pullman never had such q
C"NSA oAN NAy ~ SoA AAAsAA
ing" z
1t seems that the custom of nam
ing the cars arose naturally, soon aft
er the Pullman's invention was intro
duced. The first Pullman sleepers
We're remodeled day coaches already
known by numbers. When Pullman
began to build his own cars, letters
Of the alphabet were used to distin-
guish the new sleepers from the num-
bered day cQaches. But letters ran
out too quickly and numbers were
unsatisfactory because of the need for
readily distinguishing the Pullman
cars. The only thing to do was to
name the cars and this was done.
Engines, Formerly Chrtstened.
Using names for such purpose
was no altogether an innovation.
Back In 1925 the first real passenger
railway carriage had been given the
name Experiment. Early types Of, To-
locomotives bore individual names such
as Novelty, Rocket, and Old Iron
car wa4 being developed engines were
regularly named. most frequently for
prominent men,
The Pullman company says: "Car
A was really5the first named car, since
It was calledN5the Pioneer. 1t was
the first a built from topic bottom
1by George M. Pullman and II, cost
more than 100000. It was hulr1rriiedly
completed In 1856, 30 that, It might
form q part4of the train that bore tho
body OF Abraham Lincoln from Wash
Iington to Chicago. and thence to is
final Wrestling place at Springfield.
There Gamble no question as to the apt.
ness of the name Pioneer since this
car led the march Of progress into
the waste lands Of lnlmprovedS rail-
road travel S&Ksab t$
After the Pioneer came the Attain
tic Pacific Aurora. CITY of Chicaso,
land Omaha. The first hotel scaur q
sleeper With kitchen At one end and
movable tablss placedsin the ssectiens,
sappearedsins1ts mat took ~ III title,
tthS S5Fr3stdents Other hotel I
liA1iedl mostly 10f eth wSES addSd
until IN modern d3nlH6 SC4is rSplassd
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