Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-01-16
ABODE OF THE LOST
How 81" Travellers Recover
What They Leave 10 the Cars.
The Property Clerk and His
Duties.
Some Of she Articles that are
Eound on the Trains.
New York Herald.

IAtf1eASAb NEfSeASA Wv
morning papers.
R0UND--Twenty.thsrd street elevated sta-
II ton, a roll Of money. Owner can receive
West l2)th street.
There is an immense number OF
miscellaneous articles Of every descrip
ton left or dropped 10 the cars Of the
company" said General Manager
Hahn, Of the IL" roads, when his at
tention was called to this advertise !
ment. when found By the conduc.
tors or handed to them, the rules oil
the company direct that they shall be
handed to the '-dispatchers," as the
men who send out the trains are
called. If the loss occurs on an up
town train, the dispatcher at l55th
street is given the article, and if it 10
on a down trip the dispatcher at the
Battery receives it. They in turn dc
liver the article to the property clerk,
who gives them a descriptive receipt
for it, which ends the dispaicher's
obligation in the matter. Ali persons
are obliged to go there and give a full
description of their lost property be
fore the money, article or whatever it
is, is returned to them2"
THE PROPERTY ROOM.
The room for lost property located
at No A Front street. A Dizzy sign,
on which is inscribed" ostProperty,"
is tackled to the wall on the lower
floor, and a hand points the way to the
narrow staircase, which winds up to
the third floor. where the property
clerk holds high court In a room
adjoining his Office the lost prcpertyis
stored, aud this apartment looks like
a cross between a pawnbroker's vault
and a Wall street junk shop In it
every manner of article is heaped.
The property clerk was found at his
desk, polite. to the last degree 10
answer to one of the first inquiries a.
TO the amount Of property lost. he
said that since January 4, 1882, TO
Janu Try 8, 1888, 1850 articles had been
turned over to his care, a surprisingly
small number considering that nearly
ninety millions of people travel over
the road during the same period OF
time, ever after admitting that a large
number of articles are picked up by
dishonest persons in the cars and
never turned oVer to the company.
us there much money found on the
road2" was asked
Yes, considerable" answered the
P. O.; but the amounts are usually
small and seldom exceed 500 Once
200 silver dollars were found in a
package. which were at once returned
!, to the owner. The money is brought
in sometimes in a loose roll of bills OF
in bags or pocketbooks. Then, BE.
sides, we find bank books, checks and
> drafts"
Are you not troubled by many
bogus claimants2'
= mo; that class of persons seldom
, call, and if they do we can easily de
tect them after a few minutes CONVEX
satiOn."
"What percentage OF all the articles
found are redeemed
|. II should say abnut eighty per cent.
I, AL the valuable articles are generally
, reclaimed at once. We have now on
hand over one thousand articles, but
not n OF them is worth Over So.
What disposition is made of the
! articles that are left unclaimed" the
reported then asked
After keeping them for a about
!. twelve months they are sold at private
, sale. Many articles are so worthless
: that even the owners do not trouble
themselves to call for them and few
: persons care to buy them
= Articles OF every imaginable kline
:, are found, Of eourse2'
Yes, | should say 50. Ladies leave
their iurs. mufs, circulars, dolmans
cloaks aud shawls. Gentlemen foreeI
y their coats. We find pantaloons nov
and then. hpt they are always th,
contents 0 bundles. Boys aad girli
leave their luueh baskets and schoo
books. W. lound a statuette Of Chris
topher Columbus the other day. Som,
time ago some one left a small sol,
leather trunk Imagine a man forget
a ting his luggage. Bundles have beer
o brought in as large as myself. (Tht
property clerk stands about FIVE fee
nine inches aud weighs over one hun
/ dred and forty pounds.) Clothing o
every description is let in the cars
"a Umbrellas, however have the call
e there are mere umbrellas picked III
than any other one article. We hav,
epidemics # certain thiugs-umbrellaI
and O%vercoats in wet weather, vail
aud green spectacles in dry; fans anC
parasols in the summer season, skate
and gloves in the wioter; fruit ant
1t vegetable in the autumn, flowers anC
garden seeds in the spring"
,el Yes, and"
Letters are found many of then
y toucbingly sweet. | never knew hov
IS much 'taffy' could be laid out in blacl
aud white until | occupied this posi-
Is tion We find poetry, too, from younl
d ladies to their beaux, but as a genera
b. thing the spelling is fcariully Wild
said the ? Q and the verses don't 2,
70 TO any tune | ever heard"
Every class and trade, then, CON
tributes its mite?"
Of Certainly. A plumber left a cas-
1. iron sink frame; it was certainly to-
large to lose, but he forgot il. Sports
men leave their guns, doctors thei
r. instruments, invalids their bottles q
medicine, and, would You behave II
In one lame man skipped off without hi
crutch, Old gentleman sometimes &c
of and leave their wives behind. bu
none are ever turned in."
TWO PAIR AND SIX OF A KIND.
While this conversation was pro
re crossing several persons called to in
st quire about their lost property. AS
rule they were an anxious lot. an.
many seemed to have just awakene,
W after a long nap. At last a Yer
III pretty young lady tripped into N
ne office, with a face radiant with smile
50 and bushes. She said:
y. Il have lost a package
ID Indeed" said the P. O. 70
WHAT"
e. Must I tell?"
O. we must get some idea of what /
le lost, you know"
s, well, it IVES underwear-ladie,
is underwear T" said the pretty one, look
= ing ~blusbilgly down.
y Describe. miss, if you please