Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-04-21
American and English Baggage sys
fRms-


The story of a p-ortmanteau is briefly
told, and may here be told once for all
says the English author of "a Short
American Tramp in the Fall of 1s64.")
The passenger goes to the Office of his ho-
tel, and tells the clerk there that he means
to go at such an hour and by a certain
line. The clerk strikes a bell, and the
first of a row of negroes or Irish call-boys
attends. He, or a big porter, brings the
p-Ortmanteau to the hall, where it is stack
cd with other luggage. At the hour speci-
ned the bus appears; a porter shouts,
All aboard for the West" and the ira
weller departs, while the luggage follows
in the van. The owner has nothing to do
with it, he pays the porter in his bill, un-
less he is generous and chooses to give
him sixpence fifty cents) the transport
is in his bus fare. Arrived at the station
he takes a ticket, if he has not already
taken n at some Office in the town, and,
ticket in hand, he presents himself at the
baggage office. On showing his ticket
and pointing out the goods q porter
bitches a brass ticket to each trunk with
a leathern strap, and hands a brass dupli-
cate to the owner, who goes his way,
JtH6 81 AAo DAdbo y lhCh u bllN6T GULL
If he chances to turn his eyes towards the
luggage van, the dismayed owner may see
brittle goods flying through the air; for
Yankee porters play catch ball with light
and heavy parcels, and are apt to miss
the catch. The best plan is never to
look, and to hope for the best. On ap-
preaching a large town, a man generally
appears from somewhere in the train, and
walks through the moving street, pencil
in hand, muttering Luggage, luggage"
The traveller holds up his hand and the
wandering chief of porters stops. "What
hotel 2" 1.-THE best, which is it ?" 1.-THE
Linnel House" "Thst will do"
Cheques" Eyes, Stree" The brass is
handed out and exchanged for paper, a
slip with a note of the number. Arrived,
the traveller gets into a bus, gets out at
the hotel, writes his name in a big
book, gets a key and becomes
a number, gives his paper equivalent for
brass and boxes to the clerk, and if SO
disposed, liquors. Hehas nothing earthly
to do with his luggage; when he goes to
his room he finds It there, or he may
leave it in the hall. He pays the trans
port in his hotel bill. With some slight
farlatlous Lns system prevails all over
America, and works well. A broken
desk with 80 sovereigns in it, and a port
manteau without a hasp, travelled togeth-
er Independently from Portland, through
the States, and never paid a red cent as
extra luggage till they got back to Liver
pool. Then they paid dearly, passed
through all sorts of dangers, and were
very hard to find in London. A large
and conspicuous bundle of rods and tent
poles, booked and paid for at Halifax,
directed to London, and sent home
without the owner, was taken to the AdeI-
phi Hotel, in Liverpool and there remained
till friend who knew it CHANGED 10 see
it in a corner, carried it of, and took it
home. There it was found, but after a
long correspondence with the carriers,
who had forwarded one Of two bundles,
but who were unable to find any trace Of
the other" which had the same direction.
Loose packages of like nature travelled
from Chicago to New York, cost
very little, and were found waiting for
the owner at the proper Office. In the
matter of steamboats, and baggage cheques,
Dame Britannia might learn from her big
Columbia