Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-03-26
BAGGAGE CARRYING.
sfIse4rfisks - rraaks Declares 9" Be .
s.4ss u : fJrtuae. saa the >seast5nz "A
49, 44a Isoaass Esxss A4s~--
ls4s Deiasisl-.


az. ,sgeral 3aalsn "a ths car serea iaad
ss.l as ~ cited ~ slaneef yelled as lEe tqV
* III, saiae. AM al tbls dreadful ecni-
r,efIsa All excl. .aieut because nSsro
ftrte~. pas. iIls d lan.l b4rros plle ed ~i.a
tartaze. had spilled an alligator s2in ~
liss ana q f4pet tox teneafh roe horses
feet Oae ~ ths animals crushed tne oeA
~,tn BIS fo8t, thereby SMASH ~ fo snila-
Greens q fashioaails devised female oeH-
nst. ao ieabt GA IS say 70 tie sea-sAere
O. laln rs 20 sess5n An of1eiai o. The
Pennsylvania Railroad Company came
out IT The oaggaEe-rcouas ordered tue pof-
ter ~ p.ek up tae sal.se and ths crushed
box. ana ths habbuh vas oFel ln Is mo-
meuL
A reporter followed the oficiaf back into
q great room. literally hinge, hLhgbtei
dsa. choked x.th baggage from hoof o
ceiling. Overhead eas the din ~ rushing
trains. All around were porters running
asro aud there, pushing big trucks loaded
xitn every sort OF personal l.ggage.
Tiers we're . dozen or more on.cials IA
blue coats and white hats, ali a. like each
osaer a. two fsas, giving directions, aim
bly, lingering brass checks attached %
leather straps. aud writing ia little books
0lled with receipts
~Is much baggage lost or damaged IN
the handling" =" asked the reporter or one
Of these individuals
.sNot 80 much." he replied, 'as you
mizht imagine. 10 read the stories about
the wonderful baggage-snashers. Now
adays. they make the trunk too strong TO
he easily broken. And, a. for the baggage
carried by commercial travellers, You
might as well Try o break safe. lt IS
made II calf-skin, securely strapped. The
sailors bag j. another teaser. It's made
II canvas, holds as much as three Sara
togas, and viii stand any amount of toss
ing. Tae fashion seems u be returaiug TO
small trunks, and plenty Of lhem. A
family will have ten or a dozen small, sub
stautial calf-skin trunks, instead OF three
or four big "Togas.'"
'.Some trunks. no doubt, have strange
dursevs 20 queried the reporter, spying a
hat-box marked ''Graude Hotel, Nienne."
..Oh, YES" replied be with the white
cap, stopping his how Of speech long
eaough % dis riblte handful Of baggage
checks among the porters, ''truuks occa-
siouaIly make very long journeys, but
there IS comparatively little danger II they
are properly directed. When so much
baggage Is handled, however, a stray
piece only once IN a thousand amounts IN
a year u good bit There are many
ways in which baggage is lost, but
in the majority of cases the contents
, are Of comparatively little value. Some
b times trunks get misdirected and wander
along from one road 70 another, the own
ers not knowing where 10 catch up with
them Commercial travellers are the mos'
. considerable sufferers. Every year the
! railroad companies sell this accumulated
Z unclaimed baggage, which embraces many
curious articles of luggage. Th- system
OF transporting baggage has been reduced
almost TO a science. The transfer com
panies collect it at the houses of the own
/, ers, In wagons, check it to almost any des
tiuation, assume responsibility for IL IN
transit, and unload and deliver it at the
end OF the Journey. \ man who goes away
o. from home does not, nowadays, need Z
r burden himself with even so much as al
h umbrella. All Of his luggage is thus tax
/. sn charge Of by the transfer companies
2 and awaits him when he arrives at th
other end Of his trip. Most personal bag
gage Is sent through the transfer compan
r. les. Special cars are used for It's trans
=
cut one change Of ears i necessary"
y ''Do people carry more baggage noE
T than they used TO carry:" asked the re
porte-.
Yes. Baggage now means vastl.
more than it did some lars ago. Then
was confined 70 the most necessary al
y ticles. Nov, with the improved facilities
-' the cheap rates and the handy designs il
trunks, bags and vaiises, people come uu
consciously 20 pack up and take ava
~ with them many thugs, often cumbeI
some. which they would unhesitatingl
have left behind in former years So,
r. bazzage-car IS often nearer menageri
a. or a museum than a mere assortment
~ trunks"
ig Aside from the heavy luggage which
at carried 20 and from the cars is the vas
+ multitude Of hand parcels of innumerabl
''- patterns. Apartments for the accomm'
datiou and detention OF this luggage hav
lt been set aside at the railroad depots, an
o. a regular business is made OF STORM
is them until called for. Sometimes the
= are not called for, but are forgotten an
'l in time find their way into the basemen
e where they keep company with the 10
- trunks and valises.
Within recent years the business
a' transferring baggage from one point
'h the city 90 another has grown 70 large pr
e portions. Local express companies ha'
'A been formed who ID this carrying for
~ comparative trife. Indeed. baggage
baggage has come 70 10 Tegsr led as
msa's most intimate companion VIII,
iaurneving.and. IN accord with the diguil
Sc has thus obtained. great and elab
'h rate systems have been designed 4
- its accommodaffon and transportatio
and IL travels as belts its station.
Bsrgage officials report tha. the bu
~ ness 81 Tar this season had been light
comparison with last year. In the excu
- sion ssasoa the duh days come fist in e
week and Friday and Saturday repre- se
~ fhe great r'ishes- The bazgag s-csrryu
business becomes every succ cling y
more sctu urate1v an inlsxof Iccsl travel.i
- cause of the greatiy Increasing amount
- srnai lugEsgs. and special facilities q
-. Being adapted - This trade.
he an ,NSiOlOUS EVL.