Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-09-18
HOW TRUNKS ARE SMASHED.
Saratogas which Contain whisky,
Powder, Cartridges aud Eggs.

Rochester Post Express
''Why is it that so many more
trunks are smashed on railroads in
the United States than in any other
country asked arepcrter Of a bag
gage master as the latter was trying to
explain to an irate passenger, who
was gazing ruefully at the ragged
condition Of his trunk.
Its partly ON account Of quick
transfers, he said, but chiefly the
fault lies with the owner Of the trunk.
1t Is true we sometimes handle bag
gage roughly, bat have to do so in
order to make all connections. Some
times we have only a few minutes to
transfer a large amount of baggage
from a through cypress train to half
dozen others
We'll, but that ought not TO wreck
trunk unless you fire it down several
feet or jump Ola it, put in the irate
passenger looking daggers at the bag
gage-maSter.
"Oh, you give us rest, replied
the man Of baggage. Half the
trunks are not fastened properly, and
very often the him ges are loose and
will give way entirely Mt the slightest
jar. Then the locks and catches are
made of cast,iron and break off easily.
But the greatest fault with people IS
that they pack their trunks too full
This is especially the case with ladies'
This morAing one of them opened her
trunk here to put in a package and 1t
took four men, two sitting on the
trunk and two TO hold the Int down,
to lock it. Again, the trunks are
often very poorly made. Zinc covered
trunks are the worst. Sole-leather
trunks are the best as they are phable
and not likely to give way il roughly
/ handled.
did you ever see anything cur
ious among the contents of broken
trunK?'
Eyes. 1t would surprise you to
know Of the things that travellers will
insist on plllng into their their
trunks. The other day an msulfera
BILE odor pervaded the inbound bag
! gage-room. An investigation showec
that it came from a trunk which had
been lying in the room for several
days. 1t was broken open, and thC
odor was found to come from eggs
which had been broken. 1t was 4
womans trunk, and she had been OF
a visit to the country.
Don't they ever make a fus!
when you break open their trunks2'
"Thep usually kick up a row, but
we are used to that; but they hardly
ever sue for damages.
Didn't YOU ever discover anything
more curious than eggs"
Lots of things Last week the
baggage room smelled like a whole
sale liquor store. A trunk from
Wheeling was the cause, and on being
broken open, two kegs of whiskey
were revealed, the bung of one o
which had come out allowing tn,
. whisky 10 run
Anything elsel'
/ "I;n coming TO the best of all.
you will only give me time. Mel
going on a hunting excursion will
carry powder and cartridges in thel
trunks. Last winter we were unload
ing car of baggage from the ives
and a number Of cartridges fell out
A moment aftefward a package fel
on them and they exploded. At TIA,
same time stick fell from the top oil
the baggage car and hit one of tn,
'baggagers' on the head. He yelled
I'm shot, and would not believe
otherwise until we showed him wher
the bullet had lodged in the top Of
the car
american trunks, as rule, are
the poorest and most easily wrecked
SUPPOSE
"That's where you're wrong. Tn
American trunks are strongest anc
sest that we handle. The poorest arr
those Of immigrants, who will insis
on having a huge paddock attached
which catch against everything, ant
causes these foreigners to have more
broken baggage than any other elias
of travellers.
'Did you ever know Of baggage
to smash his own trunk
But here an express-tran arrive
and the conversation came to an end
The Slave Question in Brazil.
London Standard