Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 186, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 August 1911 — IN OLD SLEEPING CAR DAYS [ARTICLE]

IN OLD SLEEPING CAR DAYS

Col. J. L. Barnes, First of the Pullman Conductors, Tells of the Primitive Coaches. It isn’t generally known, but it is a fact, nevertheless, that Col. J. L Barnes, for nearly a third of a century superintedent of the Southern Kansas division of the Santa Fe, was the. first Pullman conductor in the world. While in a reminiscent mood recently the colonel told of his experiences as the first Pullman conductor: “In 1858 George M. Pullman arranged with the Chicago and Alton railway for two of their day coaches, which he fitted up as sleeping cars. Mr. Pullman at that time had an office on Madison street in Chicago. I passed his office going to and from my boarding house, and on account of a notice in the papers that Mr. Pullman was going to put sleeping cars on the Chicago and Alton, I made application to him for a position as conductor. “In September. 1858, he took me to Bloomington to bring out the first car that he had ready for use. This car, as I remember, was a low deck one and had been used for a long time as a passenger coach. It had rods running up and down at the end of ■each berth. The upper berth was pulled up on the rear side by a rope and pulley and the front of the berth slid up on these rods and was fastened with an iron catch. The lower berth was made out of the two seats turned together “As I now remember. I was paid It a night and made up my report in Mr. Pullman’s office at the end of each round trip, deducting |4 from my collections for my pay. I understand, on ode trip, that the man who ran opposite me was short 50 cents of enough money to pay his own wages. “I remember well looking at one of the cars that was then used on the Lake Shore. This car was called 'Woodruff Patent,' but was very un popular on account of the two upper shelves, as they were actually only •helves for people to sleep on. Mr. Pullman, after using the two old eoaches a year or more, commenced the building of a new car, which was

a very fine one. The construction of this car was in charge of a Mr. Field. At that time Mr. Pullman was in the mining business near Black Hawk, Col., and had not seen the car until he was at Alton, coming home from Colorado. I showed him the good points about the car and I remember well what he said: ‘lt ought to be good—it cost enough.’ ’’