The Champagne Express
A train full of high-ranking U.S. officials is forced to a screeching halt in Washington Territory because they ran out of wine.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The regular train that left Tacoma yesterday, passing through Ellensburg, carried a special car of 'tourists of high degree' known as the Dorsey party. Among them were Representative George E. Dorsey of Nebraska, Governor J. W. Stewart of Vermont, and Congressman McKinley of Ohio. As the train neared Puyallup, one gentleman became thirsty and requested refreshments. When the porter returned empty-handed, Dorsey flew into a rage. 'Stop the train!' he cried, grasping the bell cord. The train was sidetracked for an hour while telegrams were sent, causing local air to turn blue with the curses of delayed passengers. An engine finally arrived with the missing champagne, and the distinguished party resumed their journey, leaving the public to deal with the hour-long delay.
“The air in the immediate neighborhood assumed a bluish aspect, ceased by the imprecations of delayed and weary passengers.”
The entitlement displayed by 19th-century political elites is a familiar narrative in American history, yet the visceral reaction of ordinary passengers to such disruptions mirrors the tension we still see today when infrastructure is prioritized for the privileged at the expense of public service.
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