The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-12-27
sparks From the smokestack.

spedhn AuAt tno o0oAostdSk.
No. ?. on the G. R. /. & p, was twen>
tyfive minutes late this morning
The tracks were very slippery this
morning and engineers had hard time
in running their engines.
The cannonball train was. as usual,
forty minutes late this morning. We are
thinking seriously of having the above
sentence stereotyped. 1t will save time.
Mrs. Cummings. wife of Conductor
Cummings, of the c. M. & St. P, IS rap
idly recovering from her recent severe
illness. Mr.. Cummings made one trip
on the road this week.
A new time card will be issued on the
c. B. & @. road tomorrow. The night
train which has formerly left here at $50
will now start at $40, but will arrive in
St. Louis only ten minutes later than now
The morning train will arrive at $40 in.
stead of TAO one hour earlier
Agent Holmes. at the c., M. & st. P,
depot, bias supply of those travelling
mems permits which were described in the
ARGUS a week ago. He has also receiv'
ed cards to post in conspicuous places to
let the travelling public know of the new
departure. The c., r. I. & P, road does
not adopt this system of tickets.
A fellow caused roar at the Milwau-
kee depot this merning. He was tripping
along with his hands pushed deep dowr
into his overcoat pockets when suddenly
his heels flew into the air and he came
down like thousand of bricks on a tai,
low candle He was stunned for mo-
ment then he called upon the Deity tC
sink the platform into perdition in Ian
guage that is frequently heard but no
often seen iu print. The affair was 81
ludicrous that every one who witnessed
it laughed, and the fellow finally joined il
the roar himself, which was heightened
by him falling down again, after having
gotten on his feet.
The st. Louis Globe, Democrat says
The train agent" system of keeping ,
check on the cash receipts of the passen-
ger conductors of the Wabash, but re-
Gently adopted, is laid in the shade by {
system this week inaugurated on this Mis-
souri, Pacific and Iron Mountain roads
By the new system the station agent il
supplied with blank form which he i
required to fill out and return daily to tn
Superintendent of Transportation. T
gain the information required by tn
transportation manager the station agen
must ask each passenger leaving the CON
panys trains at his station their nam
and address. how far they travelled wit
the conductor and whether they had tick
cts or paid cash fares. This brilliant {
! scheme may work, but the chance
r are against it" said an old con
: ductor to a reporter last nigh
1T will cost many good man his situa
ton, you can bet on that, he continued
There are hundreds of people who trav,
l, that are always kicking, and this schem
will give them a chance to make a 'kicl
6 that will be effective. For instance, 20
are passenger on my tram and have
spite against me. You are red headed an
you want revenge. Before you can
aboard you told the station agent 20
,r were going fifty miles down the road {
course you didn't buy ticket. You pal
| oh fnro 10 cta fSftnaY1 frn,
the place you got on. The agent repor
you cash passenger-ffty miles,
only turn in your fare for fifteen mile:
Can't you see how easy it would be
a convict an innocent man? The fact of ii
IT matter is the thing is no good"
"But how will the passenger take it
inquired the reporter.
; Take it?" Why, they won't have an,
= thing to do with it. A large majority {
IL the travelling public don't like the railroa
q companies anyhow, and, in my Opinion
j., when a station agent steps up and asl
u all these impertinent questions, the tra'
u eler in ninety>nine cases out of hundrt
i will tell the agent to go to n warm cl
r mate l know l should if l were Il
traveller
Anxious for the opinion of the publ
t On the subject, the hotel corridors we
II visited and dozen or more commerce
# travellers were interviewed. With OF
accord they denounced this conductt
check system, and especially were tho
G opposed to such a scheme as that propo
IS ed on the Pacific. They would not al
swer the questions. 1t was none of Il
railroad company's business where thu
came from or where they were going
d long as they paid their fare.