Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-10-13
Niagara Hack Drivers ;s;ns.,''

the mack nusance?' The first thing
to be noted is that each hotel keeps its
own carriages. or hacks, and employs
Its own drivers. and these are not per-
mitted to solicit custom. Persons in
the house desiring carriage (and any
outside. as we'll have but TO apply at
the office of the hosel The house at
which live while here charges dollar
and half per hour, or. for what is
called 1.-THE round trip or "going
everywhere. five dollars. think there
Is rarely, or never. any complaint re-
garding these drivers, or any reason for
IL. The men who have made the term
Niagara hack driver" name of ter
ror all over the civilized world are men
who are not in the employ of the hotels.
Iney are . outsiders or Independents
who work for themselves or for differ
ent employers. They constantly solicit
custom, as, suppose. is unavoidable if
tney are 10 engage IN the business at
all But 1T is apparent that they do not
understand their business very well,
ana that they injure it by bad methods
OF work. 1t may be that there are some
good and sensible rSn among them.
and 1t is possible that people expect too
much from them. Perhaps no man
would long retain many high qualities
II he followed their o1cupat on. lhave
never had any trouble with any of the
class, and have found it easy to be on
friendly or comfortable terms with
them. so far as is desirable. But 1
often observe in their dealings with
strangers an element of thickness. The
information which they give to visitors
Is not always trustworthy. 1t is COM
monty understood here that hackmen
receive commissions ON admission fees
paid by their passengers at some points,
while Tor taking people to other places
they receive only the carriage fares.
Now, it follows, under these circum-
stances, that, in the Judgment OF
hackman, the view or scenery at par
ticuiar place is especially interesting,
attractive and beautiful if his commits
sion makes the drive thither especially
profitable to him. But places which
do not yield him share of Their reve-
nues are naturally uninteresting. They
re~.'humbugs;'' they don't amount to
anything they are mo good.'' The
truth seems to be, and it is what we
should expect, l think, that these men
know little about the scenery in any
true sense, and care nothing about it.
1t would be foolish to depend upon Their
Judgment or estimate of ANYTHING
which attracts sens.b people to Mag
ara. They do not know what is best
worth seeing, but they find it most prof
liable, OF course, to convey visitors to
the most distant points. Their only in
terest or concern is, usually, to obtain
the greatest possible amount of money
Tor the least possible amount of work or
service. There is, much of the time at
least, no fixed schedule of prices. They
take all they can get, and take advan-
tage OF the ignorance, inexperience and
mistakes OF strangers without scruple
or limit. So far from maintaining a
disposition. of general courtesy and
servlceabieness, which is profitable in
all occupations, these men o ten APP
peardelighted to see anybody who does
not employ them get into trouble or diff
ficulty.
day or two ago l saw quarrel be-
tween driver and four Young men
whom he had agreed to take around
Goat Island for three dollars. They got
in Just outside of Prospect Park, and
rode to the entrance of the bridge lead
ing to the island, distance of but few
for some other reason changed their
minds, and decided not to 90 to Goat
Island. They offered the driver fifty
cents, and wished to dismiss him, but
he insisted on the payment of the full
sum which he was to receive for the trip
FOR which he was at first engaged, and
when the young men refused threat
ened to collect it by law. l have not
learned whether he did so or not. A
young Canadian came over few days
ago with his wife and two or three lit
tie children. At the railway station
driver agreed to take them ..all around
for dollar and half; but the young
fellow foolishly paid in advance. The
backman drove a short distance, to
the first pont at which the visitors
left the carriage to look at some
thing. and then went away and
left them. The drivers are often
wantonly offensive and uncivil to
strangers. One morning recently saw
seven or eight carriages standing in
line on a street leading to the river, wait
ing for custom. A gentleman and lady of |
middle age, well dressed and apparent
ly intelligent, came up the sidewalk,
engaged in quiet conversation. Thei
first hackman began: Gentleman,
hev a kerridge this morning?- take you
to the whirlpool rapids nall the points
of int'rest-see everything flour dol
lars. !" The gentleman answered re-
specially but decidedly, as he walked
on, Thank you, do no. w sh to ride
All the nearer hackmen must have heard |
his answer. but the next one took up
the same sing-song lecture, in a little |
higher key, and at the end added an
insolent injunction to the traveller not to
let ANYBODY make a fool of him. This
was all repeated along the entire line,
each driver making some insulting addi-
ton to the ''crv'' of the first, until two I
or three of them were screaming at the
same time. The last one, lolling on his
seat in vulgar attitude. called out,
with most offensive tone and manner:
'' Come yere! I'll take We and yer lady
all round for nothin'." YES" chorlsed I
the others, "take him for nothin'
that's what he wants. / did not see
the visitors again. and it is not likely
that they remained long at Niagara.