The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-05-07
A Plea for the Baggage.Smasher.


Baggage smashing seems TO he one OF
the evils OF our present mode of travelling
that the public IL exceedingly slow in get
ting used to IT, A great many people pro-
fess to like travelling. and will put up with
the persistent hackman. with only the
amount Of gruMbling that would have to
vent itself on something or somebody ANY,
way. But when IL comes 10 see good re-.
spectacle looking baggage change in sin
gle hundred mile journey into baggage
that j. battered. dishgurrd and smashed. il
takes them in a weak spot. AMI generally
they can no more help swearing than al
the tooth-ache or rick In the back OF
course, however, profanity Is never per
missible, and the demand goes mp Ormore
charity; but toward whom shall il be eN-
ercised. the owner or the smaSher Of the
unfortunate baggage Let Us zee.
We doubt II it's just the thing 10 de-
nonnce the smasher as iend without
giving him chance 10 speak for himself
or watching his movements. He evident
~ takes no extra pains to tear the straps
aud ca>tOrs of your trunks, and would not
ii he knew you dotted on them particular
". Go down 10 the depot ana see him
call of the destination and number of the
check, swing il down the plank. letting II
strike on one corner 30 a. 20 come around
easy. AMI You will sgree hat he handles IL
easily Tor himself as he can. lie would
no more smash your trunk than the man
who swings the pick would smash the
rocks that come ia his way. for il would
b. 4 waste OF muscle, for which the COM
panv makes no compensation. Buff your
baggage must smash itselt-can'I stand it,
own weight against a railroad track when
II has velocity acquired by sliding down
- col MI. In 4f
forty five degree.-whv it must smash
Who Is to help it: Not the smasher. OF
course. He l. not hirelto steady your trunk
down plank. Beside he has no time
Take il for instance al the Central Railroad
Depot. on Exchange Street. Thiogs are
not so lively there "a they were before the
East Buffalo project was invented, because
through baggage is transferred out there
now. But before that there used To be-
lively work. over three hsndred trunks
had 10 be tran fer ed some days within
twenty minutes. There was no time 10
care then. and il your trunk was not cast
iron You should not have il put on that
train. Tell you what. said bag
gage man 10 an Express reporter. ii them
what grumblts had To handle baggage
they would smash 1t good deal worse
than we do. We don't smash any thing
unn. cessary. cause il We DO the company
has got 10 pay Tor it, odd your company
ever pay tor smashed trunk - queried
the reporter. "leS. SIR was the reply.
"A trunk got run over here on the track
il didn't hurt ii much. but the company
paid for IL. They get smashed at way-sia-
tons oftenest, cause there they hadn't no
plank TO slide them down and they chuck
them right of. but this company always
pays for them when they get broke"
But" said the reporter, you batter
and brui.e baggage nee diessly that The
company never pays for. Why can't YOU
bee NOR. CAREFUL, - well. we alr as
careful AS we can be. but YOU ean'texp,ct
these paper-trunks 10 look like new after
they have been handled. Then good
IN NY trunks come here thar amt iii 70
travel. Some Of 'tTr are notiasten'dshut.
Why look h,rr,' he continued going
across the bsggag, room TO pile ofsaich-
els. There is baggage just asitctme here
and he pointed 10 a satchcl lying Wide
open. and some Of the contents OF which
had spilled out. I'VE do the bsS. we can
with these things. We pick up the things
that drop ont and put EN- back andfasten
eHl IL We can. Bnt generally We can't.
aud then they grumblc because such bag
gage doesn' reach the end of its journey
better than il started"
30. after all, tnough the owner cannot
DE blamed VI ne gTumble- because ms or
namental truck becomes quite un.ightly
lH its appearance by passing through the
hands OF the smasner. IL is possible the
smasher j. not wholly To blame. But one
thingis to ~ noted in the case. and that
calls for reform. It j. the trunks and
satche,s themselves. Why are those old
fashioned real leather trunks and travel
ing bags. that would stand any kind OF
handling. and which never marred other
baggage utterly banIshed. and the things
we now have substituted In their places!
Why must every trunk now have dozen
projecting stecpleS Of iron at each end ana
a ragged edge AZ every corner To tear the
the baggage with which u comes in coz
iactl Why must trunks, IN which strength
aud lightues- should be the chief consider
ations be made 10 only initiate strength,
while the real material j. papcrs what
have the trInkmakcrs To say .-Bgrato
(N. ~ Express.
In his address AT his Inauguration as
Mayor of Bridgeport. Connecticut, Mr.
Barnum denounced - the loungcrs whose
highest aspirations seem to b. 20 waste
their time IA idcncsS or at base ball, BIT
lizards" etc. Mr. Barnum's idea Of SOLID,
intellectual and profitable Amusement
probably could be practically iilu.tIateu