The New York herald., 1879-09-26
FERRY ABUSES.

THE FILrHINEss OF TIE GENTLEMENs CABIN
DECLARED TO BE UNAVOIDABLE BY THE
FERRY NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. NOT 10 BE
EXCLUDED FROM THE LADIES CABIN on ANY
ACCOUNT.
The frequent complaints published recently in the
HERALD in reference to the management OF our
ferries. and more especially regarding the ilhiness
of the "gentlemens cabin" and the encroachments
made habitually upon the ladies' cabin by "gentle-
men," who monopolize the greater number of seats.
have provoked so much popular Endorsement that
representative Of the HERALD sent yesterday to
the officers OF the various leading ferry companies
in order to ascertain whether these lucky. money
making corporations intended to remedy the alleged
abuses complained Of. Managing Director Degrauw.
of the Union Ferry Company. 6rst called upon.
and the following interview ensued-
"Have you seen the complaints in the HERALD
garding tho terryboats?"
81 have"
"Does the company intend to do anything about
it?"
"why. no. These complaints are nothing but
pack OF lies or exaggeratons."
II must say the gentlcmen's cabin in the boat on
which came over rather filthy"
''Well. suppose You mean that there was tobacco
juice the floor How can we prevent that? Ii
peope-wcll dressed people calling themselves gen
tlemen'-will smoke and chew and spit. how
can we prevent it? We have sufficient
force of cleaners the boats, but what
with the immense crowds os people which we
carry and the filthy habits of the great number of
chewers and spitters who habitualy travel on our
boats it is utterly impossible keep the boats any
cleaner than they are If boat were to leave this
side now as clean and bright anew pin the floor
of the gentlemen's cabin would probably be covered
with tobacco juice by the tmo she reached the
other sde.'
''How about the complain. Of the ladies that the
seats in the ladies cabin are occupied by men, while
they are compelled to stand?"
suppose they do. It's their own fault. never
saw lady yet who. il she asked gentleman
politely seat would not get it," Mr. Degrauw's
face here relaxed into smile and he narrated
little story OF the times when the boats were not
he tied by steam but by big stoves standing in the
middle OF the cabin. One day in midwinter lady
came in and the men had formed solid circle
round the stove. She quietly walked up. aud. look
ing ut them with apparent astonishment, exclaimed,
"What number of ladies' there standing round
this stove!" The men saw the joke and made room
for her at once.
EVILS FOR WHICH THERE is NO CURE
"Wonld it not be practical to restrict the use Of
the ladies cabin to ladies and to gentlemen accom-
panying ladies ?" the reporter queried.
.'No, because they would not ill half the ladies'
cabin, while the gentemens cabin would be over
Board of Directors repeatedly and have appointed
committees to travel on the boats and Investigate
the subject by personal observation but have
always come to the conclusion that practical
remedy be found for the evils complained Of.
prohibit smoking and tobacco splitting in the
boats and that we could probably not accom-
plisn without serious fight with considerable
portion o. the travelling public. This tobacco chew
ing and splitting is most filthy habit and utterly
overcomes every effort at perfect cleanliness. vet
men indulge in it who we'll dressed and call
themselves gentlemen. Others, again, will smoke
right III the presence of ladies' Now, consider that
a man who Will walk in the street or enter house
in the of lady with n n his m
is not gentleman, no matter what his position in
life may be. That's all care to say the sub
ject."
THE JERSEY CITY FERRIES.
The reporter next visited Mr. Brown, tho super
found that the boat was much cleaner and
nicer than he had found tho Brooklyn ferryboat.
The boats Of the Erie road being also much larger
afford ampler accommodations for the public, and
are in every respect more comfortable. Mir. Brown
said that no complaints ts had reached him. on the
he heard Com Compliments and '',s encomiams % "1as on
the tn, extreme cleanliness of the ferryboats.
required to bring their iuncheons with them so as
not to leave the boats any account during the
day, and the moment thu boat had discharged her
passengers they went about with their mops, cloths
and busters to clean them thoroughly. and in addi
ton to these the bootback in the genlemens cabin
always busted the seats after the boat had made u
landing. Mr.. Brown invited the reporter to inspect
the ferryboat which laid up for a thorough
overhauling in the dock, aud said that the boats
were laid up III this manner average
once every month. with view OF being painted
up, cleaned, vanished shcacked and generally
renovated. The reporter. on looking the boat,
found that this process of had evidently
been thoroughly gone through with. and that the
boat left nothing to be desired in point Of cleanli
ness. As tn the alleged overcrowdng of the ladies'
cabin Mr.. Brown said that he had heard hardly any
compla nts on this head, and he did not consider it
practicable to exclude men from it., because non-
smokers and non-chewers must be provided
with accommodation outside the smoking and
chewing gentlemen's cabin. Mr.. Brown also
declared that the greatest difficulty arose
from the hlthy habit of chewing. You'd be
astonished' said he. "to see what large extensive
splash expectorston of tobacco juice will pro-
duce on the cabin floor. and how troublesome it is
to remove it," And yet he thought it would be
next to impossible to prevent smoking and tobacco
splitting on the boats, particularly many
of the honest. horny-fsted of toll were
ardenty welded to these habits and would regard
it great outrage were anybody to interfere with
them
At the Pennsylvania Railroad ferry the agent said
that the boats were kept as clean they could be
under the circumstances and he did not consider it
practicable to exclude men IRON the ladies' CABIN
principally because men fond OF the ladies'
that such an attempt might lead to q sangulnary up
rising. He thought however. that the Instances Of
ladies' being compelled to stand were but rare.
Other ferry officials expressed similar views and
none had any practical remedy for the evils COM
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