, 1874-09-06
ON THE ROAD.
iIIew l;,c Business Of the Train-D0y
Is Managed.
1a.at a Lively Specimen Of the Genus
Has to Say for Himself.
The Most Popular Books---Av-
crage Sales and Profits.
Various Singular Experiences.

American inventive genius is never more hap
nily disp1avcu than in it's application to the in
crease OF tho comfort and case of everyday lie.
It is this which 1nal;es American homes 80 snug
and comfortable and it is safe to say that II one
of tie most thoroughly equipped homes IN
Chicago vcre to bo suddenly deprived OF such
articles rs were of American invention or
American improvements On time-honored nut
comforl'css predecessors, it would be nearly
c,ontr 1,y tho time the clearance was eiicctcu.
perhars this tendency to cultivate com1of1 on
tbn mart of the men who originate las been more
.,arEed}y shown in the matter OF railway tfaFcl
than cuyth;ne else tho ordinary Afst-
,1,ss car or m American road being
rno1e comfortable than that Of any 1of-
cinn line, while tho sleeping-car IL
stroke Of genius whoso excellences arc acsno"l-
edged in all parts of tho world. There Is one
occuliar fcsture in American travel which IS rs
distinctive q mark Of the national love OF conl-
fort as tho sleeping-car itself, and which Inc
traYclcr will, on giving the matter thought dc-
c7do tn be quite as Indispensable an adjunct to q
frst-class road as tic Miller platform or the
Westinghouse air-brakc. This ID
TIE TEA1S-DoF,
tho rcady-tonsued energetic vcuder ct oil eorts
of articles from q box Of figs to o book OF sor-
mons. When t1ain-boys first began to p!E thelf
vocation is . thing which nobody seems to kao"
ANYTHING about but that ho is peculiarly m
American institution there il no room to douot-
It is probabie that Like all things perfect IN tec
n,trro }c WAS not The result Of q single STROKE
of .raniue. bat rather Of slow development.
Tic ucws5oy, whose energy prompted INN
}o hoard tra:u Is it passed suburpaa Sta
t;,n in order to sell his IRIDUSEs 10 tne
c,tc-anD1oachins passengers. Wns probaois:the
Adam Of tho spccies A happy idea striking
rim, onc morning. ho added a boz OF cigars 20
b;s stock. then basket of peanuts, and SO on,
urt1 in time he secured pernlssloa 10 stase1
v;th his wares from station to station, and la.o
the foundation Of the present tsaln-oos' "hose
1init of enterprise and utility EccEis no" to nave
been reached, but whose scope IS boanueu Only
BY tie limits OF rnil.;:y enterprise.
r. naturally follows that, being great railway
crutro. this city is also tie headquarters OF
large number OF traia-boys. who. though the1
life NAV be said to be spent On the ROAD, as"ass
c,a,r, with conscious pride, that their homo IS
cb;c.eo. Here it is that they lay III their stock
of wares, and what Little rest they DO haFo Is
fonna in such hotels lie near Their Stations OIL
dcnartnte< In order to find out something OF
the
MANNER or LIFE AND BUSINESS
Of the Chicago train-boya. a TRIBUNE Iepot1e,
called Yesterday morning at the otice OF lanas
Rni1road News Agency and Headquarters 1or
Everything Sold on Railroads. opposite tue
Michigan Central depot. Here ho found the
aocnt- Charles ". Lyon, in consultation Win q
train-boy who had had the misfortune to return
IN headauarters with fifteen Journals, which he
had been unable to dispose Of the night pre-
yious.
..Whv didn't you sell 'em ?" asked tho agent
"Conldn't do it. Too wet. Very few pass en-
eere nboard. and they didn't want to read" The
ngcnt threw tho unsold Journals into corner,
and the train-bo9 left
In the course Of conversation with the reporter
the agent explained
THE MopCs opEEASDI
of the business. The agency hc represented was
ona Of the largest in tho country. having the
1;r1,r RI sell over nine different roads. For thls
ri9ht the agency paid large sums OF money
81 zoo per anuum being paid to = sinsio foao,
and the total amounting 10 aoou1 So,too c,;a.
6ora r: whom thrre were belonging te Cnlca9e
shonr 150. we1c employed By the agency on com
mission. 20 per cent being paid On the prohtH o.
their saica. A., .; ~,
an,iact ~; 49, nrctty well exhausted. as follows:
Rero-ter-Tllat' arc the best t1aius for tnt
aant-Tbn ley trains. On these boy car
RES = large assortment Of goods Worth on - . anlst
c1asa nasscncer truin in tho vicinity oi S1oo an
matcs anyyhe1o from sl5 to $50 week, accord
inp to lis capacity as d salesman. on the nlSh
,ra,ns. for Obvious reasons, there Is no ncccsslt
Of such large stocI
pc,orter-Gi;o me the particulars OF the stoc
n,rrici1 h., the trai:,-boy on the day express be
tween Chicago and Detroit.
AIert-Ou sccl, 9 train boy would carry Z
n 4 1t1FtSv ~n
bound books, so G-sELns aha 4setl.'g a,1?,f;., w.
Looks. Is railroad guides, 15D 10 and 70 cent G
rnrs 90 weekly publications.. 150 daily paper
1o n,ckaccs OF tobacco, 25 packs Of cares,
boxes 1ise s10 supply OF peanuts appie5' O
anscs. candies. ETC. 4 d,
Reporter-1 suppose tla'a AIeAatu1o 0e0 ~ :
very varied In its nature
Srcnt-That is point ha7o to look aftc
Tho taste of all classes has to be suited anu
erna,t train boy can tell at glance just Tue rl5'
thing to offer each passenger.
Tcnnrter-uov about your bound volumes
scent-rncsc arc all good works, some
them OF very high character Works OF trave
such 81 Ycrno's Eighty DAYS Round tt
World" md tho s'Lard Of the Behemoti,. al
rnrr nonular. Mrs. Holzaes' novels go of re-
we'll EsgleEtons :: Circuit Rider" ia GOT
or,o also. Dr. Halls works on health arc e
pecsly easy Of sae assaGr ~ Vii 11e h
perhaps tho best selling book Of a! is "Gettl1
On IN The World" by Mathews. Whew! That
anasher! Why, thero have been nearly 5.0
l. sold already, and tho book still goes like 1u
"a One essential of railroad book is large TYP
o3 acconnt Of the train 3 motion, which rcndc
y rcadins small tspe very Painful after lit
while. $500 -..-.-. ......-.,, ),
Hcnortcr-Which Of your magazines arc Il
most sought alter:
AgeutrHa,7,er's By long odds. Then com
scTibnc's. What We sell outside Of these is n
Of much account.
Reporter-lou limited that ycur, t'7in-bo
have pretty good knowledge Of tho kind
hook likely to suit cach passenger.
Aeent-I tell you trein-toy OF q year OF t.
aYnerinnce II about as good judge Of hum
nafnre as you can find When they see nj
wbose cycs have an Irresistible inclination Il
wards. sud whose neck is cnc.sed in 4 VIII
choker, they
BEEcuEH on THE ROAD.
Ranortcr-I suppose they give him "SeTao
from Plymouth Fulpit,' or the Life OF Chris
Arent-So. sir. As railroad writer 1t le;
Mr.. BeccAcr il PLAYED out. There was til
when Lis books sold lively, but row they are
absolute drug on the market The boys 40
want to take them out. not from moral scrupi
perhaps, but because they don't sell now. ;
$z1y@t ~ II r