The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-04-17
COnveyances. !; consideration IS. 200 90
THE CAB CONDUCTORS.
He Frees His Mind about the Ills He Has
TO Bear.
Rochester Union and Advertised

Bear.
Rochester Union and Advertised
An old-time conductor recently said TO q
reporter that be did not want any more
street car work in his To uss a slang ex
pressien," said he, I've got the g. b. which
means that my services are no longer re-
uuired on the line. Pm not sorry, though,
tor it's got so there's nothing but niggardly
starve- to death wages and awful long honrs'
work now. The company hires a certain
the line and take notes Of
the number of passengers that get
on and OIL the number If fares collected d
the number OF times the punch is used,
which they report 10 the office. Most OF
these spoilers are young misses who are en-
ployed few days on one line and then put
on another, until the conductors bave had
time to forget their faces, for we are always
on the lockout for them. They generally
have book to read, and sit where they eau
see on ell sides, keeping on z card in their
pockets the record of the trip. Some of the
boys are so keen that they can almost smell
q spotter before they see IL. Bat, as ali men
are humsn, and street car conductors more
go, they all sooner or later come to grief
and 90 down into the valley of
suspicion, from which no ordinary conduc.
tor has triumphantly returned. These spot.
tiers include old and young men, girls wild.
ows and cripples. It's the msanest business
any difference whether man is honest or
NOT, be is almost sure to get fired before he
has been long on the line. III some cranky
old ouss happens 10 hail your car from a
block away, and you don't see MIN, ten to
one he Will take the number and report YOU,
which means In plain English, that you can
hunt for q new job. Then again, if some fat
Old fool OF a woman persists In getting OF
I'll e car before it stops, and, as 10 generally
the case, sits down on the besalt blocks with
the force OF piledriver, nearly dislocating
her spinal column and Ioosening the filling
in her back teeth, you must expect trouble;
and if she rises in her dignity and wrath
and waves wild and vehement
adieu to you with her p2rasol as you glide
down the grade, you may as we'll begin to
arrange your earthly affairs for sudden
change of base, for ii is in the air. The per
ssteBt practice IF the dear public in getting
OIL of moving cars and either turning back
ward someTsaults or roller-coasting over the
slippery paving stones on their stomachs, has
lost more situation for street car conductors
and drivers than anything know Of because
they are blamed for it. One OF the msst ex
sspersting experiences that the conductor
has to grapple with almost every day is get
ting fares out OF absen t-miDded people and
those who willfQlly lie in order to get out OF
paying. Why, / have seen well-dressed
women who would take advantage CT the fact
that 3 car was crowded and declare IN the
their nickel, when / knew that they were
lyiI g. But what can man do? They know
they have the drop on him, and SO does he
The result is that they get free ride, for it
would never do to try and put them of
Abseni.miIded people who think they have
paid their fares Just rs Troublesome.
ITS sweet.scented encouraging business
to a new beginner, the way things are man
aged on some lines. a man must go to work
as a greenhorn, OF course, and he IS lucky ii
he AVERAGES dollar day for couple OF
months. For single man this is bad enough,
but know more than one poor fellow who
is starving along, trying TO keep soul and
body together on that pay, until he can get
on as regular for sixteen hours q day.
And the chances are ten TO one that he will
not hold the place three months when he
gets it. Some fine day he receives his walk
/ ing papers, and there is no appeal from the
| judgment. If his family ia on the verge Of
starvation il makes no difference, he must
90. Then, again, when he is so fortunate ss
/ to get on SIS an extra, he must report at the
! csr-shops az the unholy hour OF 1870 in the
/ morning, he Up out cars and 'supe' around
basiDg his hopes on the slim possibility that
| some one of the 'regs will waatto lay off for
! day. IL be wants to be an extra man he
! must report at that hour every morning
! even if he DON'T get days work once In g
l week. Oh, yes, it's nice bGsinnss; but poverty
will bring 8 man to almost anything and If
| he is honest ne will prefer working on street
car to stealing although Pm hanged If
I don't think the latter class get along the
best. Yes, the street Car business catches al
! classes OF men. know two conductors who
/ were once wealthy, but went under when
the tidal wave swept the foundations from
under stocks on this coast; and there's one
poor fellow nova relic OF better days-who
used TO be captain of q transatlantic steam
| ship. He did not last long on the line, fer
the flowing bowl that knocked him out Of
bis high position followed him up and Sc {
bin down one grade lower. It's fact tina
! the business catches them all-doctors, law
yers merchants and unfortunate representa-
tives from every one of the professions
| Good. day; am going to hunt a job In d
lumber yard or paint myself and hire out a.
a sign in front of cigar store. I'm on the
black list and that means that l can't gel
any work on street car line in this city"