The Barnwell people-sentinel. (Barnwell, S.C.) 1925-current, December 31, 1936, Image 3
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STREAMLINES BRING OUT CROWDS
TO WATCH THE TRAINS ROAR BY
By WILLIAM C. UTLEY
W E HAD just finished dinner in a home in one of Chicago*s
north shore suburbs. We settled back, lighted our ciga
rettes. There was that temporary after-dinner lull when
I could read the minds of my host and hostess with ease. They
were thinking, "Well, now that dinner’s over, what are we going
to do to entertain him?”
I was wondering the same thing. The sun had not yet sunk
in the west and there was a long evening ahead of us.
My hostess hail an idea. “Let’s ^
drive Bill out to see the Hiawatha,”
she said. “Swell!” replied the man
of the house. “But grab your hats,
we’ll have to hurry! And we have
five miles to go!”
“What time does it begin?” I
asked.
“Begin?” Both were plainly puz
zled at my question.
“Yes,” I said. “I assume it’s a
pageant or something of the sort.”
“Oh, no,” she explained. “It’s
one of those new railroad trains?
We thought you might like to ride
out and see it go by.”
“House Is Packed.”
I was too polite to ask aloud if
it were true that people in this won
derful year of 1936 still gathered at
the stations to see a train go by. I
simply went along, resignedly. I
remember wondering if anyone
would catch me at it and josh me
about having a stiff neck from look
ing at the tall buildings.
I got the surprise of my life. This
was out in the country, but the rails
were lined with little groups of peo
ple as far as the eye could reach
in either direction. They were all
eager, intent, out for a good time,
as if they had been coming to watch
a parade or a circus. A century
ago the crowds that gathered to
watch the first railroad trains could
not have been much more excited.
It was contagious. When the mur
mur of the crowds, heralding the
approach of the train, reached us,
the hair bristled on the back of my
neck like a bull pup's. In the twin
kling of an eye the Hiawatha, like a
long, slim serpent with the speed
of light was upon and past us,' a
swift red and orange streak that
created a chill wind in the wake
of its roar, depressing the tall grass
and making dead leaves and cin
ders leap momentarily to life for
many feet on either side of the
right-of-way. The spectators were
all waving their hats ano cheering,
and I swear that I cheered louder
than any. We all went home happy
that we had seen a good show.
The amazing thing is that this
little scene is being re-enacted in
hundreds of places throughout the
United States, wherever the stream
liners run. Crowds like that which
watched the Hiawatha are also
thrilling to the sight of the Mark
Twain Zephyr, the Mercury, the Su
per Chief, the Sunset Limited, the
Argonaut, the Green Diamond, the
roads. A thousand petty annoy
ances and a few serious ones are
being ironed out. Even rates are
being streamlined, and now you can
often travel for two cents a mile or
less. There are remaining only a
handful of extra fare trains.
Typical of the streamliners is the
Mark Twain Zephyr, a long tube of
stainless steel which weighs not
vation of this city on wheels.
An Innovation in Trains.
New types of berths have been
created for these trains. They have
sliding aluminum panels which op
erate like roll-top desks and allow
the traveler certain privacy. The
upper berths have windows, and
some of them even have running
water.
What these trains stand for in the
streamlined design trend, the Chal
lenger, which runs between Chicago
and Los Angeles, stands for with
respect to streamlined service.
Thip train is the brainchild not
of any engineer or designer, but of
the people who ride the railroads.
The vice president of the road hired
a woman. Miss Avis Lobdell, to ride
all the trains on a large western
system, interview passengers and
Above: Serving meals from a loaek*
lined trains. At top of page: The ballet-like
one of the newest streamliners.
eart on one of the new stream-
so ef the City ef Denver,
much more than a standard Pull
man car. ^t does not have cars,
but is completely articulated, that
is to say, it is all in one piece.
Only the varying decorations of
the different sections of the train
allow the passenger to know when
he is passing from one “unit” to
another. Diaphragm vestibules al
low the train to “bend” around the
curves.
Riding on Robber.
Interiors are light and gay in ap
pearance, pastel shades displacing
the customary reds and greens of
the old-time trains. Baggage racks
are gone and grips are stored out
of sight. Specially treated windows
will not frost or steam to obstruct
the view. Complete air condition
ing, doubly important on trains that
are traveling at high speed, makes
every breath of air purer and
fresher than if you breathed it out
in the woods. Rubber-cushioned
The Twentieth Century Limited, probably the world’s most famous
train, is now pulled by a streamlined locomotive. Inset: England’s
streamliners look more weird than our own; this one, built at Swindon,
is called the King Henry VIII.
Columbine, the Mountain Blue-Bird,
the Abraham Lincoln, the Royal
Blue, the Ak-Sar-Ben and others.
The -Twentieth Century and the
Broadway limiteds are now partly
streamlined.
It’s Fun to Travel.
This is the age of speed, and the
railroads with their streamliners
'Ire beginning to live up to it. New
York to Chicago in 16ft hours, Chi
cago to Los Angeles in 39ft hours;
Washington to New York in 4 hours;
Denver to Chicago in 16 hours.
Trains fly along regularly at 90
miles an hour, sometimes hit it up
to 115 or 120. "
What is important is that stream
lining has come to be the symbol of
a great awakening of virtually all
the roads to the dawn of a new
day of service and accommodation
which is already revolutionizing
passenger travel.
New little attentions arc being
upon the customers of the
wheels make it possible to ride
with the greatest of ease at 100
miles an hour and more. Radios
provide entertainment and keep the
passenger in touch with the world.
Stewardesses look after his com
fort.
There are three “cars” beside the
power unit on the Mark Twain.
Trains like the City of San Fran
cisco and the City af Portland, de
signed for longer runs, may have
ten or twelve.
On these trains, decorations and
sections are planned to make the
passenger’s trip enjoyable over
longer periods. The City of Den
ver, for instance, has a “room”
that is a reproduction of a frontier
tavern shack of the period shortly
after the Civil war. Walls and ceil
ings of rough white pine board,
lighting fixtures that accurately
simulate old kerosene lanterns,
rough log furniture and spikes to
hang your hats on make an inno-
flnd out what they wanted on
train. The suggestions were in
corporated in the Challenger, which
carries travelers on a limited sched
ule for about 1ft cents a mile, and
is always packed.
Some persons said that the coot
of meals in the diners was too high,
and some even disliked having to
go from their coach into the diner
because they might meet friends
who were traveling first class. As
a result, there Is only one class on
the Challenger—everybody’s class
Stainless steel lunch wagons are
operated through the aisles, serving
b r **kfasta for a quarter, luncheons
for 30 cents and dinner for 35 cents.
Prices are just as low in the two
diners.
Porters Refuse Tips.
Many other things on trains had
annoyed some of the passengers—
the petty charges for drinking cups,
towels and pillows; the fact that
there was usually no one to help
day-coach travelers with their lug
gage unless they engaged a redcap,
and many of them could not af
ford that;* the straight-backed seats
became broken-back seats on a long
ride; the lights were left burning
throughout the night and trainmen
were constantly disturbing the sleep
of passengers by calling out the
stations.
On the new train there are adjust
able reclining seats and pillows are
provided free. So are towels and
drinking cups. Every car carries
a colored porter who takes care of
the baggage, giving it to a redcap
on the platform wt the station. Nei
ther of'them is ^rmitted to take a
tip. Lights in the coaches are put
out at 10 o’clock, but little blue and
ambpr lights are left to guide pas
sengers and keep them from trip
ping; there are tiny individual
lamps for those who want to read.
Passengers who must get off in the
night are told individually—no sta
tions are called.' Another nuisance
was done away with when the rule
was established that tickets were
to be collected only once during the
2,300-mile ride.
Stewardesses Make Hit.
But perhaps the greatest innova
tion of all in this remarkable train
is its stewardess—the first in the
history of railroading. A registered
nurse, this pleasant young woman
is able to give first aid, is invalu
able in looking after old or infirm
persons. She takes care of chil
dren, too, when they are traveling
alone, or when their parents wish
to leave them for a little while.
The Challenger has two cars re
served for women. The stewardess
keeps the key to these cars, lock
ing them at night to keep out stroll
ers; even the train crews must have
permission from her to walk
through them. This busy young
lady looks after babies that cry
during the night She even keeps a
baby’s bottle warmer and a milk
cooler in each car.
This is what the railroads are
doing—and finding out that it pays.
The people Idve it Is it any won
der they are going down to the
tracks to watch the trains go by
again?
• W(
UNCOMMON
AMERICANS
By Elmo
Scott Watson
• Western
Newspaper
Union
First War Correspondent
r\ N THE monument which they
erected over his grave are in
scribed these words: “He was a po
et, journalist, author, and farmer-
eminent in all.” Yet this does less
than justice to the career of George
Wilkins Kendall.
A native of New Hampshire, Ken
dall became a L printei at an early
age and followed his trade in many
cities. He was in New York in 1833
vhen an outbreak of the dreaded
cholera caused him to take ship
for New Orleans. There he entered
the employ of a paper called the
True American, and while working
there conceived the idea of a new
daily newspaper which, should fol
low the policies that had made the
New York Sun and Philadelphia
Ledger so successful.
Taking into partnership Francis
A. Lumsden, a fellow employee,
Kendall launched the New Orleans
Picayune in January. 1837. He was
only twenty-eight at the time and
his resources were small. But he
was such an enterprising editor
that the Picayune soon became one
of the best known papers in the
country..
At the outbreak of the War with
Mexico in 1848, New Orleans be
came the chief outfitting point for
the American forces. It was also
the natural center of communica
tion between the armies in the field
and Washington. Ker dall was quick
to see the journalistic opportunity
which this offered. He organized a
system of relays of horses and rid
ers between Mexico and New Or
leans and of fast boats between
New Orleans and Baltimore. Then
he accompanied the armies of Scott
and Taylor and began sending back
vivid first-hand accounts of their
battles, frequently writing his dis
patches while cannon roaied and
bullets whistled around him.
Kendall supplied the government
with its first knowledge ol the bat
tle of Buena Vista and it was again
this enterprising journalist who in
formed Washington that the treaty
of peace had been sigt.ed. He came
out of the war with the title of
major and a bullet in his knee, re
ceived at the storming of Chapulte-
pec. In his later years he retired to
a farm in Texas where he was a
successful farmer and stock raiser
and he died there in 18U7.
Ambassador to His
Native Land
LIE WAS born a Yankee during
11 the early days of the American
republic. Forty years later, having
helped establish a new American
republic, he came back to his native
land, the accredited minister to its
government from the government
of the younger nation of which he
later became the last president. And
that in brief is the paradoxical ca
reer of Anson Jones.
Born at Grea*. Barrington, Mass.,
on January 20, 1798, young Jones
decided to become a doctor. After
several years study in Litchfield,
Conn., he was licensed to practice
in 1820. Then the wanderlust seized
him and he wandered to Philadel
phia, to New O.'leant, to South
America and Anally settled in Texas
in 1833.
At the outbreak of the troubles
between Texas and Mexico he was
among the first to advocate a dec
laration of Texar independence.
When the war started he enlisted
as a private but was soon appointed
a surgeon in the Texas army of
liberation. With it he served at
San Jacinto and after the republic
was founded he became representa
tive from Brazoria to 'he Texan
congress.
In 1838 he was appointed minister
to the United States. Thus this
Yankee came back to his home
land as an “ambassador” from a
“foreign power.” While in Wash
ington, he was elected to the Texas
senate and later became its presi
dent. During the second term of
Sam Houston as president of the
Lone Star republic. Jones was his
secretary of state, and in 1844 he
was elected president.
That was a critical year in the
affairs of the new nation. There
was talk of annexation by the
United States and a sharp division
of opinion arose among Texans over
it. One of ^osc who was opposod
to it was ine President. But the
citizens of the republic voted over
whelmingly in favor of it and on
December 29, 1845, the republic of
Texas came to an end ana the state
of Texas succeeded it.
Bowing to the inevitable, Jones
turned over the reins of govern
ment to James Pinckney Hender
son, the first governor of the state
of Texas, and retired to his home in
Washington county. In 1857 he was
prominently mentioned as a candi
date for United States senator but
he was destined never to return to
Washington where be had once gone
as “ambassador.” In a fit of in
sanity he died by his own hand on
January 8, 1858, convinced to the
last that Texas had made a mistake
in giving up its independence.
—
Simple, Elegant Practical
1812
'T'lME and Sew-Your-Own
A fashions march on. To
day’s trio have the simplic
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Pattern 1812—Little Miss Two-
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dressing with the aid of this frock
that buttons down the front. She
will be the picture of daintiness
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step-in is the essence of practical
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ster's comfort This ensemble is
available in sizes 2, 3, 4 and 5
years. Size 3 requires 2ft yards
of 35 or 39 inch fabric and ft
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Pattern 1988—This new dress
“belongs” in almost any company.
Its great simpUcity will endear it
to homemakers, and business
women alike. It is a combination
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Pique, silk crepe or velveteen will
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40. 42, 44 and 46. Size 36 requires
4ft yards of 35 inch material,
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Pattern 1938—Daytime distinc
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this supei - styled frock. The
squared shoulders, swing skirt
and peplum fulness are the im
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Available for sires 14 to 20 (32
Foreign Words ^
and Phrases *
Arriere pensee. (F.) A mental
reservation
Crescite et multiplicaminl. (L.)
Increase and multiply. (The motto
of Maryland.)
Faites vos jeux. (F.) Place your
stakes (at roulette, etc ).
Ipso jure. (L.) By unques
tioned right.
Lusus naturae. (L.) A freak of
nature.
Sartor resartus. (L.) The tailor
retailored.
to 42 bust). Size 16 requires 4ft
yards of 39 inch materiaL The
collar, jabot and belt in contrast 1
take ft yard.
Don’t miss these grand num
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Send for the Barbara Bell Pal
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Send your order to Hm Sewing
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a Ba
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