National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-01-21
HORSE-CAR CHATTER.
GOSSIP FROM THE REAR PLATFORM.
The Life Of Conductor-Queer Characters Whom
They Heet-Lons Hours and Little Pay
Something About 'Spotters ''-The
Winters Big Business.

"You people have sort of an idea that you ear
all the money that the company pays you, SUI
pose" qucried one of the suction pumps attached
| TO THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN of an ex-dry good
merchant who is now filling the position of con
ductOr on one of the Avenue cars, as that function
airy ceased punching a hole in his piece blu
paSteboard yesterday. The man smiled a kind o
sickly smile as he gave an Affirmative answer.
FIVE don't earn our 81 day don't know VIII
! does, he said. And then he continued: Do yol
| know that there are very few people who dali,
ride on the street-carS who know what a hard llf
ours is, and how much we have to put up with
| It's good place to study human nature, Is tn
! place occupy"
About how many hours do you have to work il
day."
We'll, on an average we
WORK SIXTEEN HOURS DAY.
Some cars start out earlier and stop running
earlier and others start later and of course have tc
| make the late night trips. On this route we make
seven round trips between Georgetown and the
Navy-Yard day. There are forty cars on this
line; twenty-eight of them make the long trip;
and twelve only run from Georgetown to the Bali
trips per day. By an arrangement we have, each
conductor and driver must lose one day in every
ten, and each man has every fourth Sunday to
himself Ofcourse we do not get paid for the days
upon which we don't work The majority of the
men only too glad when their day for being off
comes around, but there are some ShylockS in this
business, like in every other, who would like to
work every day and Sunday, too. The drivers get
paid the same wages the conductors. On both
the branch lines of this road-the Seventh street
and the Fourteenth street lineS-the men are paid
the same as we are and are worked the same num-
Der of hours.
The communicative conductor, who was an In
tefligent man. past the middle age, went to collect
fares from blonde lady and brunette, thus Civ
ing The REPUBLICANS young man a chance to
evolve another idea and prepare another question
to fire at him on his return. 1t has been reported
that the recent severe weather was exceedingly
hard OH the Street-car men, and that some of them
were forced to throw up their jobs. How is this"
g Yes, sir its fact: it
BROKE UP THE YOUNG MEN
ON the cars TO d fearful extent Some of them stood
it pretty brayely and did not go until they were
Obliged TO. know of some mighty bad cases of
frozen feet and hands that happened during the
awful weather we've had this winter. On this line
we doubled up: that is put four horses to the
usually run forty cars. but when we doubled up
there was of course only half that number
twenty. And even with this small number it was
hard work some days to get men enough TO keep
them going.
" How much rest do you have during the day?"
" On an average we have stop of about twenty
two minutes at each end of the line. In that time
we can get comfortably warmed up
You have many curious people to deal with al
most every day, suppoSe?"
Well, sir, I've seen good deal of this life in
one way and another, but never came-in contact
with so many
QUEER, CRANKY PEOPLE
as have seen since commenced to be a conductor
on Washington street car. There is one old man
who jumps my every day at the Capitol on
my midday trip from the Navy-Yard and rides to
GEORGETOWN. He never leaves the car when we
get to Georgetown, but waits until l come back
leaving ii at the same place where he got on. He
is very pleasant-spoken old person, but never
goes farther in his conversation than passing the
of the day. Why he always gets on
my car don't know.
"A curious incident happened on my car the
other day that startled the passengers for little
while. A gentleman got on at the corner of Sixth
and the Avenue and / went to him to get his fare
He handed me nickel and raised up my punch
to register the fare, when he started in his seat
FOR GODS SAKE, DON'T SHOOT
me- mister I'll give you the other cent
"Itseems that the man had been away out West
for some years and coming back somewhat under
the influence of liquor he imagined that the fare
had been raised to six cents what it is in Baltimore
and other cities, and when pulled up my punch
he took ii for a revolver. Ii is right meaIi-Ook-
ing sort of an instrument, and I've noticed that a
good many persons have been frightened when
displayed it,
Have you got acquainted with any prominent
people who are i'll the habit of riding on the street
cars"
"OhI yes; there are great number of
BIG GUNS WHO ARE REGULARS
A well-known Western Representative and his
wife take ride the street regularly every
They do not patronize any one line of
get on this line they generally go as far as George
own. then down TO the Nayy-Yard and back |
Walt. Whitman. when he was here. used to have
passion for riding on the street ears. He would
always go out with the driver the front plat !
orm-t made no difference how cold it was |
Yearly all the drivers came to know him. and they
Ill liked him, because he was very Sociable and |
.hatty. Before the street cars were started about
ISL, when the
OLD yANpERwERKES oMNIBUSEs !
lsed to run over this same route, he was accUS- |
Omed to take ride every day on them. In those |
lays the fare was passed up to the driver of the |
omnibus through a hole in the root. Men were
rusted then and they didn't have bell punches, !
patent fare-boxes, and spoilers TO dog man, as
hey have now"
'Do they have spoilers on the cars now?"
:" Yes, of course;
THERE ARE LADY SPOILERS
low. who are employed by the beli-punch conf
any. Their method of working is TO get on the
ar provided with great number of pins. They
tick pin in their sleeve for every passenger that
cts on and they ride all over the route. The next
ay the number OF fares that the conductor turns
II for that trip is compared with the number of /
inS given in by the woman. When they used 10
ave men as spoilers one got on my car one day
hat knew. He was pretty full and soon went to
leep. shook him and told him to wake Ilp and
ttend to his business. He looked mighty mean .
an tell you, when he realized his position.
=" Is it the general rule for gentlemen TO give up
heir seats to ladies, as far as you have Observed"
Generally. yes: but it is not universal. The
hen who work at the hayward, and who use the
ars which leave there about the time they get
trough work have
ENTERED INTO A COMPACT
nat they will not give up their seats. They say
nat the ladies who are going up town ct that hour
re not going to or from work. and are more able /
stand up than they are. They go on the no
Fat, no fare principle. !
The reporter thanked the conductor. and, Ieay-
lg the ear, started to tackle somebody connected !
18th another line. Before leaving the Washing
Ill end Georgetown theme. however it might be
ell TO state that that company controls the
eYcnth-Street line, which runs OH Seventh street
luth TO the steamboat wharvcS and north TO the
Oundary. The FouTteenth-street line is also
ranch OF the Washington and Georgetown Com
any and runs from the corner of Fifteenth street
nd New York avenue out Fourteenth street to the
oUndaTy and back. The SeTenth-Street line is
les transfers, costing two cents at the end of their
de on the Anacostia road 10 Uniontown and the
aVv-Iard.
The next car that the investigating committee of
ne from the Office Of THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN
ruck was Oh
THE HsTaEET LINE
hch is owned by the Columbia Company. These
re what are called the "bob-tail " cars, and have
o conductors. The driver acts as conductor and
:es that all the fares are promptly deposited in
he. box by We, ,passengaire.' Although their
utieS are probably more arduous and they have
work the same number Of hours as do the men
Il the Washington and Georgetown line. they are
OF paid as good wages. and say that it ia as much
they can do TO scratch along on their daily al
Wance. /!
;. Do you ever have any trouble through people
wing to beat you out of fares" asked the re-
5rteT.
- Oh yes. frequently"
" What do you do in such cases."
" Well, speaking for myself, just stop the car
Id go for the person, if it is a man. can gen
ally hustle him five cents worth
WHAT BECOMES OF THE MONEY
ST In the straw"
" Oh, that don't amount 10 q fortune We GEN {
ally go through the straw at night, and can
uaily shake up a few nickles. I'll tell YOU some
ing curious about certain kind of people who
de On these cars, if you want to know" Yolun-
cred the victim. Being reminded of certain old
ankee answer, wherein the liking of a duck for !
INNING exercise is suggested. be proceeded 10 ,
blossom himself
8 There are men who don't do much else but :
avei on these cars
THEY MAKE IT PAY,
o. You know that most anybody takes it as an /! =