FLORIDA AND THE WEST INDIES 47 



than the public, for the average American business 

 man would cheerfully face the risk of annihilation, 

 but would chafe to go slow. They do what they 

 can to mitigate the chance of collision ; and a 

 thousand steel, fireproof, and non-telescoping cars 

 were, since the time of my visit, added to the 

 Pennsylvania rolling stock. It is by the Penn- 

 sylvania railroad that you journey to Washington 

 D.C., a quick and comfortable transit through 

 very homely scenery. They are building a tunnel 

 now to connect the city with the other shore, but 

 when I was there it was still necessary to cross by 

 the ferry at the top of 23rd Street. 



Baggage, however, was " checked " to destination 

 without further charge, and, after parting with it 

 at the ferry, I saw no more of it until we 

 reached Washington. In this matter of luggage 

 the practice of the two countries differs widely. The 

 Englishman watches his trunks and bags into the 

 van at starting, and accompanies the porter to the 

 van to recover it on arriving at the end of his 

 journey. In very hot or very cold weather he 

 grumbles at having to do this, but, if matters were 

 arranged otherwise, he would find something else 

 to grumble at. The American traveller, on the 

 other hand, prefers to disclaim all responsibility, 

 hands over his belongings in return for "checks," 

 and expects to find it on the platform when he 

 reaches his goal. Often, no doubt, all goes well, 

 and then the checking system has much to recom- 

 mend it. But what of the times when something 

 goes wrong ? Before I went to the States, American 

 friends used to assure me that nothing ever did go 

 wrong, and that their baggage system worked as 



