The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1881-01-04
TICKETS. PLEASE"
Billions and Billions of Railroad
Tickets-Where and Sow Teev
Arc Printed-How Stealing 10
Guarded Against and Detected.
rom the Bosom He-alG.

AAOW WdUy Th1OfoaG tiCh-tn Oi al
kinds are there printed and use,l in
this country in the course Of yea,
The answer to this question, if it was
possible to give correct and definite
one, would probably greatly exceed
the most extTavagant estimate that the
average observer or calculator could
make. The quantity. though possibly
less than the sandy grains Of lac
desert or the drops OF water in the
ocean, is nevertheless so vast as TO al
most challenge belief. Nothing shor'
Of reckoning in hundreds Of milli>ns,
and even billions, will answer in
speaking of the annual products o:
railroad tickets m the United States.
There are few Industries Of such mag
nitude of which so little is known a.
the manufacture of these insignificant
looking pasteboards which you pay 50
roundly for before taking a ride ia a
railroad train or on steamboat 10
point of extent tie business is not
much below that of the printing d
The currency Of the realm or the pro.
duction of the various stamps OF the
general government, and equal care
and vigilance are necessary in an es-
Enlistment where S. and so bills are
turned out and where millions Of
dollars worth of railroad tickets are
printed every day Both demand the
employment Of men of wide exper!.
ence in their calling, and Of the very
highest standards Of intellect and
integrity, aud, above all these,
THE UTMOST VIGILANCE
is required to guard against a possible
temptation to appropriate for al in'
proper purpose even single one oi
the many millions of tickets which are
handled by the various employees
Until within the last few wears lie
printing Of these tickets has been done
in various sections Of the country,
each road patronizing establishments
in their respective vicinities or con
renientIy near their different head
quarters. The Western roads, for
instance, would have their work done
in Chicago, the New England road.
in Boston, Springfield and New York,
and the roads on Pacific slope in san
Francisco. As the railroad business
of the country advanced ard became
perfected in organization, the system
of one road issuing tickets Of the cou-
pom form over an indefinite number
of other roads became established, ard
thus not only more tickets were re-
quired. but there was at once &c
mand for their speedy and uniform
printing. About the first 10 observe
this new source of business and wealth
was an EngIishman named George
Bailey, who is now recognized by his
followers as the pioneer railroad ticke.
printer of the country. lie commence
ed the business on an extensive scale
in Buffalo, in about 1860, and
a few years since retired With IN am
pie fortune. BY making The business
a speciality he soon secured the ps-
tronage Of nearly every railroad ia
this section of the United States. lie
nad machinery and presses buiie ex-
clusively for this particular line Of
work. and, of course. revolutioui1ei
The whole business, much TO The dis
gust and financial loss Of hundreds of
other printers in distant sections.
Among the concerns which early At
tempted to compete with the bid
Englishman Of Buffalo was :hat Of
Rand, Mentally d Co, q Chicago,
and when Mr.. Bailey retired the
Chicago firm became heir 10 the i'm
mense patronage of many Of the
western roads. But the business wes
zoo growing and promising TO be long
coufned to single section, and,
through the genius and perseverance
of
An JNDOMiTABLE YANKEE,
nearly one half of the railroad ticket
business of the country has been Sc
cured TO Boston. The gentleman
Instrumental in bringing this about en-
countered obstacles in carrying on! his
scheme which were sufficient to dis
courage any ordinary man. Even his
partners viewed the new departure
with fear, and did not very willingly
give their consent. An immense out
lay was necessary for new machinery.
and. Furthermore, it was doubtful il
the railroads in the east would en-
the proposed enterprise with
their exclusive and continued pa
tronage. When their establishment
had been properly equipped, the next
and most important step was TO ae-
cure business. The first attempts IN
this direction did not meet with that
ready response from the New Eng-
land railroad officials which bad been
anticipated. They argued ',hai, il
the tickets were printed hundreds of
miles distant from the terminals of,
their respective roads, there wss 30:
that temptation TO steal them Tea.
there would be if they were printed !.
10 Boston. A Boston and Lowell. or |
1 Boston and New York ticket wYu!d !
rot be OF much value i'm Buffaio, ,)ut
lere in Boston j; was different. TIL. |
irm held to the belief that they could |
,onduct the business with as little
,eculation as would occur elsewhere,
md were willing to give bonds TO this
fleet. The railroad managers. how
yer, were still reluctant, and II was
lot until the chill of despair had
'egun TO possess the printers that they
'btained an order from the old New
York and New England railroad
Gradually, and quite
ap;dly, too, the other railroads in
he eastern states recognized the
uperior facilities afforded them nearer
ONE, and it was only a brief period
A. a u