Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-12-19
Getting Back to Normally


We have been "fed up on the
disabilities imposed on railroads by
the World war waste, and it is true
that railroads did suffer when the
people of America concluded to work
railroad plants night and Gay and
hardly ever laid down Il new rail
or built a new car.
But the railroads are surely get
tins on their feet, so TO speak, with
rush. On the thoroughbred" fast
lines to New York the mammoth en-
gines have a new thrill in the "dsh
of travel. Like the little engine in
fine Franklin automobile, they
have a light, fancy tripping step
like a young girls feet, when the
fiddle starts. l left Atlanta one day
between noon and l o'clock, midday
A little after S o'clock next morning
we were in the Washington Termina,
station, and there was no hurry ap.
parent anywhere. The road was
double-tracked and no dread of col.
lision Of course.
In the year 1875, November, ny
husband was on his way to Wish.
1'iS VII Wy c1o lIlSll1DtI VI COuSEeSS
The nearest and quickest way at
that time was via Knoxville, Lynch.
burg, etc.
We got on a night train at 20 p
M, we reached Washington City the
third day at Z o'clock in the morn
ing. We had been out two nights
and a full day and over.
We were congratu,Ating ourselves
we had made such a quick trip ia
south had the old railroad width
and all above LynchDurg had the
present width of rails.
sat in the Pullman near the rear
end and saw the railroad hands
Jack up that car and slip the mar.
rover trucks under it.
In due course of time the narrower
rail width prevailed all along across
the continent.
The hotels used gas, no electric
lighting in those days. The water
We then drank in the old Nationa,
hotel, was brought up from a spring
| that was there when the town was
| picked for the national d1t-,!, I'M
der the hotel. When Thomas ,;af
ferson started to the cartol 20 be
| 1naugurated as president, his fine
| horse was hitched to a swinging lirnt
| IN the woods in the rear of some
fotel then known as "Gadsby's no
| tel" and he mounted his horse ant
rode down Pennsylvania avenue :,
| the capitol on the hill to be sworr
In as chief executive. Isn't a Ions
step from that date to 1922 wher
| Washington City has between three
| and five b1ln6ro6
ltants as its population?
But l was there in 1875. and that
was forty-seven years ago. The
changes are many. AS 1 sat in the
senate chamber a few days ago an(
looked about and around there was
| not, senator who had been there
| at that time, and but one single
| man who said he was a page forty
seven years ago, and served in thai
place
| My mind went over the long age
| times when L had looked down from
the galleries of the senate, nearly
a half century ago, and then 7 was
| only forty years old in the prime
of my own life, and wide-aWake tC
What was going on. What a spared
moment of God 5s mercy, said I.
| looked at my thin, worn hands anG
! remembered they We're the same
! hands that had served me for eighty
seven years and upward. and tbs
same feet that had served me ther
were still useful, and I thanked God
We had lately emerged from the
Civil war, then 1875. and l had also
lived throubh the Spanish American
| war and the World war, and now we
had begun to get back to normalcv
God be praised Ny grateful heart
! fas lifted to Cog
The people OF t,s.:a j'njt'd states
do not appreciate the u ,sng u: