The Palace on Rails: A Tycoon’s Private Journey to the Pacific
Dr. W. Seward Webb, brother-in-law to a Vanderbilt, prepares a $100,000 two-month excursion across the continent in a private, four-car train equipped with a piano, library, and hidden servants.
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.
One more train than usual will leave the Grand Central station today. There will be only four cars behind the powerful engine, but they are four of the most luxurious 'palaces on rails,' representing an outlay of $100,000. The train will carry a party of only 11 folks—people of millions of wealth—starting on a journey such as was never before undertaken in this country. They will traverse 30,000 miles, the trip will take them two months, and it will cost $100,000. The party includes Dr. W. Seward Webb, his wife, and their three children. Dr. Webb is the president of the Wagner Palace Car Company, and his wife was the youngest daughter of Mr. William H. Vanderbilt. The train is scheduled to travel from New York to Buffalo, Cleveland, St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Santa Fe, Los Angeles, Monterey, and eventually Portland, Seattle, and Tacoma. Upon reaching the Pacific, Dr. Webb will board a chartered steamer to Alaska. The Webb special is a marvel of coordination; he has arranged for a clear track, fresh crews, and new engines at every stage. The train includes the 'Elm-mere' (the President’s car), the 'Mariquita' (remodelled for Mrs. Webb and the children), a dining car with a full kitchen, and a servant/baggage car. Dr. Webb’s hope is to see the West and hunt in the wild country.
“It is a train of the most luxurious 'palaces of the rails,' and the train as it stands this morning will represent an outlay of $100,000.”
While private rail cars of the late 19th century represent the ultimate Gilded Age excess, they mirror modern debates about the extreme concentration of wealth in the Pacific Northwest. Today’s luxury tech-bro travel or the rise of private aviation serves as the contemporary 'palace on rails,' continuing a long tradition of the ultra-wealthy moving through Seattle with total insulation from the everyday reality of the city.
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