Semi-weekly interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1881-1905, 1886-05-21
AT THE UNION DEPOT.
THE FUNNY AND THE PATHETIC
THINGS ONE MAY SEE.


Gate-Keepers - The Nervous Ones Of
the surging Crovd--A Serious View of
Travel and Travellers.
Let anyone with an eye and inclination
10 the humorous but spend n day, or half a
day, or an hour even, at the Union depot,
whore 30 many classes and conditions OF PEG
pie are jostling against each other all the
| day long and II he Il not rewarded with an
| olio OF comic events, with fair share OF
serious pathetic and iocomic, IL viii be
because he utterly fails TO catch on and APP
preciate what really transpirea
The door-keepers are as sorely tried hour
by hour perhaps, as any other Of the OPP
crative force OF the station Whenever a
train is called, no matter what, or
where It's destination, the waiting crowd
make a rush for the exits, and then the
struggle between the doorkeepers and the
waiting throng begins Dozens OF tickets
are thrust at the doorkeepers all at once,
| and among them all at least one-thiri are
for trains that won't be ready say for
hours The same impaiie lent =, ople viii TO
peat the effort time and again while they
| are waiting-in fact, sarly every time
train il called Their Astonishment at be-
| ing refused exit Is at times monumental, and
they complain Of outrage and incivility.
Then all sorts Of pastsboaT1s are thrust
at the gatekeepers 10 be punched. For In
stance, only a day or 80 ago woman be
came enraged at one OF the gatekeepers be
cause be would not punch a milk ticket
which she held out TO him, nor would she
understand that she had mixed up her
tickets and might unconsciously be keeping
railroad ticket with which TO purchase
quart Of milk another day.
THE NERVOUS ONES OF THE crown.
The people who are about 10 set out on q
Journey, long or short, become more or less
nervous and irritable IL Is no uncommon
thing for the nervous ones TO step up TO the
ticket Office, call for ticket and express
unuttarable astonishmsnt when the urbane
agent asks Where tof" They take II for
granted the agent should have known they
were going 70 Portland and not TO Pitts
burg, OF coursa TO prevent people from
climbing on wrong trains Is something that
keeps US az our wits ends every day." said
q station officer recently, -and IL We were
not rs wise as serpents and inquistive as
reporters, every day numbers OF people
would head toward Jerusalem who wish 70
20 70 Red Wing Some even get 20 con-
fused that We have 70 put them on their
train bodily or they would go astray.
Heedless ones step up 70 the news stand 10
get their baggage checked, or insist upon
buying a package OF hot peanuts from the
ticket seller. The lunch counter man Is be
sought 70 give schedule time Of trains at the
same time the train-caller is besieged 30 ex-
plain where a sandwich can be found @Oh,
we have hard time Of IL keeping the trav-
cling public straight said he, as he heaved
a deep seated sigh There Is the old man
and his wife who rush In wildly TO catch a
train that win not start for an hour or
more, and their gross Of questions must bt
} answered: the chap who goes 70 sleep misses
} his train by two hours and then goes on or
n tangent and bum; the woman with bird
cages, pups and flower pots; the family
group who prepare 10 have a picnic in The
} hall and throw bits Of rejected fat pork on
the floor; the sick mother, with several puny
children and no helper; the man with sew
erAl struggling dogs; the many who an
frantic bccause they can't keep their eye
constantly on their baggage the unlucky
; ones who have lost their purses or forgotten
: parcels, and 50 on and 90 on
! But more than all the sweeping, surgins
! crowd, that swears nc being restrained ever
! for a moment and that PERSISTS in attempt:
: 20 force its way through the depot, PLUMP
into a cushioned seat on the track by th'
time one can draw three successive breaths
II is a pandemoninm at times A herd o.
Texas cattle are hard TO manage, but IL Il
, harder ~ manage human herd bound OF
travel
TAKING MORE SERIOUS VIEW.
To take a more serious view OF travel an
/, travellers the observer has but 20 60 90 tn,
baggage- room and there wait He need mo-
wait long ere he sees trouble in its mos
! common form. Lost baggage win plung'
the average man into a degree OF despera
, ton next TO appalling as quickly as any
known cause ON earth, other than the elope
ment Of his sweetheart with the other fel
low. The loss OF baggage is something
. astonishing" one general baggagemaster 10
marked when asked concerning the matter
when we find we have baggage on oul
hands that has gone astray we keep II few
days, hoping that the owner will come To-
. it IL the owner does not come we theI
open trunk, valise, or whatever II Is AM
! search for letters or other papers that will
|. disclose the ownership II we get a clu
thus we at once write to the party and Il
every person mentioned In the letters, a,
: well ~ 70 the postmasters Of the towns from
which the letters came and 10 which they
were addressed. Every possible agency
employed TO find the owner, but in spite o
all this venture 20 say that not once II
twenty times do we find those whom W
search for, no matter what the lost propert,
may DO Why this is so can not say.
!, only state the fact
= "ODce year we have a regular sale
> after each piece or parcel OF lost baggage
together with the number OF the check, ha
been widely advertised, as is required b.
!. law. Now and then the rightful owner
: by this means found, but only rarely. w
sell the trunks, valises OF what not just a
, they are, without being opened, and so th
d, lost property is generally disposed Of Ofte
! lost trunks contain good, even valuabl
clothing, and other articles Of dress, orns
ment or utility, and why the owners neve
appear TO claim them, or why they shout
, have lost sight of them altogether is NOR
than know. Baggage checked locally O
u for short distances is seldom lost beyon
!, recovery; It is the baggage that is checke
= through on long travel ana that Is subjecte
: to various changes that is lost "-St Par
Pioneer Press.