The Pacific tourist:

10
cars to the Central Pacific Railroad; all through
passengers having usually the preference of best
berths, and about the same position as on the cars
of the Union Pacific.
Fee your porter on the sleeping-car alwaysif he is attentive and obliging, give him a dollar. His attention to your comfort and care of
your baggage and constant watch over the little
articles and hand-satchel, against loafers on the
train, is worth all you give him. Often larger
fees are given. This is just as the traveler feels.
The porters of both Pacific Railroads are esteemed specially excellent, obliging and careful.
Meals.-The trains of the Union Pacific
Railroad are arranged so as to stop at excellent
stations, at convenient hours, for meals. The
only disarrangement is at Laramie, which seemsto be unfortunate to passengers from either direction. To travelers from the East it furnishes
a very early supper, just after dinner at Cheyenne, and to those from the West, it gives a very
late breakfast, just before dinner; but there is
no other place for an eating-station, except at
this point. At Medicine Bow near Laramie,
the re is a lit tle booth where the Western train
coming east, abou t 7 A. M., ofte n stops ten minutes for hot coffee, sandwiches-an excellent convenience.
Usually all the eatinlg-houses on both the Pacific
Railroads are ve,ry excellent indeed. -The keepers
have to maintain their culinary excellence under
great disadvantages, especially west of Sidney,
as all food but meats must be brought from a
great distance.
Travelers need to make no preparations for
eating on the cars, as meals at all dining-halls
are excellent, and food of great variety is nicely
served; buffalo meat, antelope steak, tongue of
all kinds, and always the best of beefsteak.
Laramie possesses the reputation of the best steak
on the Pacific Railroad. Sidney makes a specialty, occasionally, of antelope steak. At Evanston
you will see the lively antics of the Chiliese
waiters, probably your first sight of them. Also
they usually have nice mountain fish. At Green
River you will always get nice biscuit; at Grand
Island they give all you can possibly eat; it has
a good name for its bountiful supplies.
At Ogden you will be pleased with the neatness and cleanness of the tables and service. At
Cheyenne the dinners are always excellent, and
the dining-rooin is cheerful. To any who either
have desire to economize, or inability to eat three
railroad meals per day, we recommend to carry a
little basket with Albert biscuit and a little cup.
This can be easily filled at all stopping-places
with hot tea or coffee, and a sociable and comfortable glass of tea indulged in inside the car.
The porter will fit you up a nice little table in
your section, and spread on a neat white tablecloth.
your little boudoir at home, you will see the
mighty wonders of the Far West.
It is impossible to tell of the pleasures and joys
of the p alac e ri de you will have-five days-it
will mak e vyou so well accustomed to car life, you
feel when you drop up on the wha rf of San Francisco, th at you had left genuine com fort behind,
and even the hotel, with its cosy parlor and
cheerful fire, has not its full recompense.
Palace car life has every day its fresh and
n ovel s ights. No railroad has greater variety
and contrasts of scenery than the Pacific Railroa d. T he gr eat pla ins of Nebraska a nd Wyoming are not le ss impr essive than the great
Humboldt Desert. The rock majesties of Echo
and Webelr are not more won derful t ha n the
cu riositi es of Great Salt Lake and the City of
Deseret. And where mor e grandly and beautifully could a tourist drop down an d finish his
tour, tha n from the grand, towering summits
of the Sierras, and amid the g ol den grain fields
of California, its g arden s, groves, and co ttag e
blossoms?
Whe n the t raveler returns home, nothing will
impress him more strongly or beautifully than
t he loveli ness of the Valley of the Platte. Comilng eastward, first, he will leave behi nd the millions of ac res of little short buffalo grass, s o dry
and yellow, and s oon comes to a little green.
How refreshing it is after days of dry, sere vegetation. Gradually there come other grasses, a
littl e taller and more green; then nearer and
nearer to the end of th e journey, com te the waving of the corn-fields, the va st meadows of tall
gr een gr ass, and the happy little farms. So
complete a transition fro m t he s olitude of the
uplands t o the lovely green verdure of the lowland s of the Platte, is an inexp ressible charm to
all. No traveler ever returns East but with the
most kind ly of memories of the grand, and yet
simple beauty of the Platte Valley.
Think then, oh reader! of the joy s that await
ee r thee from the window of thy palace car!
Practicals Hinits or ofor Comforts by the
Wary.-To enjoy palace ca r life properly, one
alway s n eeds a good companion. Th is obtained,
take a section together, wherever the journey
lead s you. From Chicago to Omaha, the companiy i n sleeping-cars is usually quiet and re -
fined, but beyon d Omaha, the re is often an
indescribable mixt ure of races in the same car,
and if you ar e alone, oft en the chanc e is that
your " compagnon dui voyage " may not be agreeable. It is impossible to order a section for one
person alone, and the dictum of sleeping-car
arrangements at Omaha requires all who come
to take what berths are assigned. But if you
will wait over one day at Omaha, you can make
a choice of the whole train, and secure the most
desirable berths. When your section is once
located, generally you will find the same section
reserved for you at Ogden, where you change
THE pdcrfrc FOUaflyr.
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