Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and IrelandTatlow, Joseph
History
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland
Tatlow, Joseph
Railroads -- Great Britain -- History
This is the bald outline of our long and interesting journeys, which by
land and sea comprehended some 70,000 miles. How bald it is I keenly
feel, and it would afford me more pleasure than I can tell to give some
account of our wonderful experiences--of the delight of sailing in
southern seas; of the vast regions of the mainland of Australia; of the
marvels of its tropical parts; of the entrancing beauty of New Zealand
and Tasmania; of the wonders of Canada, the variety of its natural
productions, its magnificent wheat-growing areas; of the charm of South
Africa with its glorious climate and its beautiful rolling veldt. What a
memory it all is! Tranquil seas, starlit nights, the Southern Cross,
noble forests, glorious mountains, mighty rivers, boundless plains; young
vigorous communities under sunny skies, with limitless space in which to
expand. I should love to enlarge on these things, but a sense of
proportion and propriety restrains my pen.
In all the Dominions we were received with the warmest of welcomes and
most generous hospitality--governments, municipalities and corporations
vieing with each other in doing us honor, whilst private individuals
loaded us with kindness. It was clear that our mission was popular, and
clear too that affection for the old country was warm and lively. I
cannot attempt to narrate all that was done for us--banquets, receptions,
excursions, garden parties, concerts--time and space will not allow. But
I cannot be altogether silent about the splendid special train which the
South African Government placed at our disposal from the time we left
Capetown until we reached Johannesburg, which (taking evidence at the
various places on the way) occupied several weeks. This sumptuous train
consisted of dining car, sleeping cars and parlour car, was liberally
staffed and provisioned; with a skilful _chef_, polite and attentive
waiters and attendants. It was practically our hotel during those forty
days or more.
In Australia and New Zealand, more than once, the various governments
provided us with special cars or special trains to visit their remoter
districts with the greatest possible comfort. The same was the case in
Newfoundland, whilst the Canadian Government lent to us a steamer--the
_Earl Grey_--for our journey from Rimouski to Newfoundland, which since
has done good service for the Allied cause in the war.
In Canada we travelled from Montreal to Prince Rupert, some 3,000 miles,
in a handsome and most commodious car kindly lent to us by Sir Daniel
Mann, one of the founders of the Canadian Northern Railway. It, too, was
our home and hotel during the ten days which that journey occupied. The
longest passenger vehicle I had ever seen, it had ample kitchen, dining
room, sitting room, sleeping and "observation" accommodation for us all,
with an excellent bathroom and the luxury of a shower bath.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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