Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-10-11

| of popular" music sold is enormons Mrs
McGnnis's Pig" and my Mary AIMS q OAR
| ling" are fair specimens Of the "popular ~
music.
RAILROAD TICKETS.
Their Forms. Variety and How They
are Made.
THE -coLoREp LOCALS" AND THE INTRr-
CATE CONVERSATIONS"
To the eye OF a close observer travelling by
rail it would seem that scarcely two of the rail-
ROAD tickets which are almost necessarily being
bought by his fellow travellers are alike.
Many OF them are mere pieces of cardboard,
but are of such INFINITE variety of design and
coloring that one becomes fairly bewildered in
taking cognizance Of them. They are striped
and banded in green, blue, yellow, red, choco-
late color, pink, buff-in fine, every color of the
rainbow, and almost every shade of every
color. Their stripes run crosswise, length
wise and alternating, arebroad or narrow.
or even both of these together on one card.
In only one respect are these stripes of card
board alike-they are exactly the same as to
size and thickness.
Then there are great white tickets. thickly
studded with lettering numbers, lines and
quaint designs, to many of which are attached
coupons. There are also green tickets present
ing the same general features and characters
tics. Besides these there are the much-coveted
free passes. which usually blaze with bright
colors and are filled in with script and auto
graphs. Some passengers display stripes as
long as the columns of a. newspaper, and fire.
quently as rich in words, with fold after fold
indicating that they represent a journey of MANY
parts. To those who hold them and to the
conductors alike, these latter are somewhat
puzzling. But the plainest yet most choicely
gotten up of all are the "annuas" of the direc-
as bank-note, and almost as intricate in de-
sign.
Previously to 1855 plain cardboard ticket
was all that was in use on American railroads
These were used over and over again. the con-
ductOr passing them back to the ticket office
after trip and they only lost their usefulness
with their shape and consistency. In the year
in question numbered local tickets were intro
duced, to be followed decade afterwards by
the system of coupon numbered tickets. The
innovation was made by the Baltimore and
Ohio road, and was hailed by MANY sneers and
much opposition by rival roads. But the system
has now become so general that should consecu-
lively numbered coupon railway tickets be sud-
denly withdrawn from business, or In some way
or another their manufacture become impos-
almost paralize travel upon our railroads.
,s TICKET FACTORIES
Although there are more than six railroad
ticket manufactures in the country few people
have any idea of the dimensions to which the
business has grown, the capital and labor re-
CURED to answer its demands, the exqusitey
nne machinery necessary in the manufacture or
the skill and ability indispensable to it's manage
ment. Oflocal tickets alone the consumption
is enormous, and the variety almost infinite
The machinery printing these cards, numbers
and letters Them and is of so delicate quality
That the slightest variation in size of thickness
Immediately binders the progress and process
of their manufacture. Consequently they are as
perfect In these respects as 1t is possible for hu-
man hands to make them. 1t would take be-
yond the length OF newspaper article to detail
the methods of machinery by which these tickets
are cut, printed, numbered, counted and placed
In numerical order, and how there is placed me-
chanlcally check upon duplication. counter
fetlng, abstraction. or any dishonest act of de-
signing persons But these latter manage to
exist none the least, as those who read the daily
papers are well aware. No two of these local
ticket forms are alike in color and arrangement
BY It's form and the arrangements of its cOlOrs
conductor can tell at a glance to what point a
passenger Is going. Whenever the general pas
senger agent orders new issue of tickets be-
tween given points he gives their form number.
which the records of the ticket establishment
will at once identify, with full description of
colors and letter-press The numbers ofthe ad-
dtiOnal tickets succeed in order the number
next that recorded as closing the last ISSUE and
run forward as far as desired. OF course the
numbers ordered vary greatly some stations re-
quring very few, while others sell hundreds
daily. But the orders for locals" none the less
are matters which keep a very large force of en-
ployes and great number Of machines con-
stantly driving; and this Is true of combination
tickets also.
COMBINATION TICKETS.
In the combination ticket the variety indi-
Gated by the various cOlOrs of the local ticket is
manifested by numberless forms and coupon
attachments. These united form one through
ticket to distant points. involving several routes
and companies in their contracts. The prep
aratlOn of these tickets is quite a scientific
work, and Is the joint production of the general
passenger agent and the manager of the ticket
establishment In order to prevent counter
feiting the best efforts of the bank-note en-
graver, with his engine-turning and lathe work
are called into requsition in the production of
the coupon ticket. The consecutive numbering
and lettering OF these latter is the same in prE-
clple as that on the locals, it being understood
that the same number appears upon each di-
vision OF every combination ticket.
ARRANGING COMBINATIONS.
The combinations are determined by semi
annual convention OF general passenger agents.
the short line making the rate. At these con-
ventions is decided what part every line and
CoihPs"uy iutcitSttu Ill through CCkeGS snail
have. 1t is thus that the ticketmaker's bust
ness ne is frequently tremendously augmented.
Ihe production of complete set of combna-
tlon tickets for one line alone involves the out
lay OF thousands OF dollars. the printing of
thousands OF varying coupons and the making
OF rare sheet apportioning to each integral
part in every route the share decreed it in the
division OF the money received for the route
ticket These combinations are frequently max.
ing and changing. thus giving the ticket prin-
ter infinite work. Each month is made up
null account of the passenger transportation of
every road, the foreign tickets and coupons col
lected are forwarded to the selling road, and a
complete interchange of accounts and tickets
takes place similar to that characterizing the
operations of banking clearinghouse. Hence
the reason why the establishment of clearing
mousse for this kind of railroad transactions has
been strongly urged. Under some foreign ad-
ILLUSTRATIONS such institutions already exits and
work well.
photography from Trains.
From the London Times
instantaneous photography, in it's more