A RAILWAY MAN'S STORY (Daily News.)

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 9408, 4 March 1899, Page 4

A RAILWAY MAN'S STORY (Daily News.)

(Dally Nems.,) I'faoro is one noboworbby change in •>he young Ctetr'a mode of traversing hid dominions, a« oo rapared with the extraordinary eeoredy' which used bo mark the railway progresses of their lab'e Majootioa Alexander III,, and bia predeoesBor, , ibe Czar-Liberator. Wheo the court now gooo to the Crimea, two Imperial brains are employed, one for the Czar and Cscaritan and bhelr personal abtendantB, and bhio other for the suilo, Occasionally, as in tho recent ouooof the Emperor's journey bo Copenhagen, only a eingle train is used. In ibii oonneotion, a retired railway s uporiatendent, who used formerly to take ohargo of one of the Imperial braina coming and rebarning from tho Crimea over the Tatjrida section, related to me iho other day ttomo par ioalarsof tho old stylo. Ho was speaking of tho bime of Alexander II, There were, bo aaid, always three double-.engine trains employed, and these were despatched in fairly close moopsaion from the terminus, Ooo carried bho Imperi*l family, an* other the euite, and the bhird bbo baggage. Reburning from tbe Crimoa to iho capita), bhose Imperial trams ftlw»ya left Sebaebopol after nightfall, and exoepb among tho immediate eo* toorage of hifi Majeaby,no one was permitted to know whlob of bhe bhroo brain?, all idenbioal in appearance, oarritd the Cz»r. On bne last oo oa8slon of tho second Alexander's leaving bbe Oriraoa, my informant was in ohargo of bbe second train, * Merely ae • mabbor of person' at cariosity,'continued bhe ox-superin-tendent, 'my englaeer oolioague in oonbrol of the first brain and myself qaiebly tcok each oIobo oboervationB as 10 aBDuro oursol vea bbat bio Majesty was in tho brain iirab despntobed. Wo bad a fearful night) of ib owing to ft eudden snow.Bborm and blizzard whioh overbook ns just boyond Simferopol. After infinibo trouble with the enow* blocked traok we reached the sec tional terminus about 5 a.m.. eovor&l bourn lato. Immediately before ufl tb§ enowdrifto had beoomo impaBsable but I was happy in believing that the Emperor's brain ahet»d of us gob through safely. A fewminubea later, while ehoabing some directions to the drivor and miohiniaba amid bhe driving and roaring of bbe blizzard, we heard ono of bbe ooaob.dooiR blown open and tbe sound of smashing orookory. Suddenly bhe Minister of tho Court was outside, and apostrophising us ia nil kinds of grossly reproiohfal opi. tbobs for bbe atop page and delay. Did we nob know that we were carrying hie Imperial Majesty tho Gosoudar 1 etc. I waa certainly greatly asboniohod at this intelligence. The Minister was si ill storming and fuming when the ball Ggure ot Alexander IJU loosely wrapped in a long fur poltaao, appeared in our midab. Ho book in the eitaabion ab a glance, Tho driven maobinieo, and mysolf looked like so m»ny forlorn Esquimaux. Wo were partly encased in ice and frozen snow, Laying arc straining band on the Minister's abouU dor, bio Mojesty said, 'Nob another word i Do you nob see how holplets wo all »re in God's, band 1 Whilst you and I and bhe rest of us have been cooaforbably afeeping in our berths, these poor follows have been babblfog with elemonte through this terrible nigbb for our convenience and safely. Yon should rather thank them for their noble and persevering efforts, and not reproach them for what ie really God's vtoibaiion,' The Emperor then addressed to us nomo touobing wdrda of thaok» and sympathy, and returned to tho Imperial coupe. With j the assistance of a oouple of enow ! ploughs we subsequently got tho train | through bo Mosoow, with about 18 hours' delay. As a momento of bhab meoiorahla nighb tho ox*BagioeerSuperintendent pointed to a decoration bo was wearing, and took from his pookeb a gold chronometer, bearing the monogram of tbe Imperial dot or; bia companions were similarly rewarded. Among other bblngs. my informant, said tfmt during tbe lasfctwo reigns bho drivers of the, Imperial trains wort) never allowed to use tho whistle. Be bween one engine and another tho drivers signalled by|band motion, and in the nigbb by lamp signals. Under the block system tbo track ia always kept olear for the Imperial trains! No supb seoteoy (la now observed wibh *tt* gard to bhe particular brain in whiob the Emporor Nicholas II. travels, and it ia devoutly to bo hoped ,bhab tbe beneficently reforming policy of, the youog monarch will obviate all necessity for resorting bo such secret ■ and olalndoBtifto mothoda in tho future*

ptiptftin SicEyro Maaeoy Shaw, who , recently aabraitted to arapabation of tho leg above tho kaee, U making rapid progrees. The Wesb London Oorooor afcabed at a recont inqaoab Ui»bflt loasb 660 ohildren are annaally snffoonbedlnLondoa throagb sloopiog In the enmo bods m their parental