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CAR-STEP.--This excellent device is the invention of a young lady of
Pittsfield, Illinois.

Every one who has travelled in Pullman cars knows the discomfort of that
last step before you reach the ground. It is true that the porter is
always waiting with a little wooden stool on which you step from the
high car-step above, but for old people or lame people or nervous people
there is always the dread that they may miss the little stool, and be
tumbled over on the platform.

This invention is to prevent any such difficulty.

The steps of the Pullman cars can only be a certain length, and must not
jut out beyond the sides of the car, otherwise they would be liable to
be torn off when the oar passes through tunnels or narrow places. It is
therefore impossible to have them built any longer than they are at
present. The new invention, however, adds a step without going beyond
the proper limit.

[Illustration: Car-step]

It is done in this way: The step is made of iron, and is joined to the
regular wooden steps by strong rods. When the train is in motion the
extra step folds under the car-step. When the train stops the porter
touches a lever, and down comes the extra step, making the descent from
the car as easy as walking downstairs.