Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-12-02
ABSENT MINDED FOLKS.
Curiosities of the Lost Parcel Department
of Railroad Depot.
Chicago Journal


Chicago Journal.
There are no other corporations on
the earth so systematic in all things as
railroads. This is as true in handling a
package as in running a passenger train.
The railroad corporation goes out of
its way to look after things which the
owners themselve lose through thought
lessness and carelessness. Did you ever
lose glove or a cane or an umbrella
by leaving it in trains We're you ever
surprised six months afterward by hav-
ing some railroad man man tell you that
the company had 1t labeled and laid
away waiting for you to call and get it?
We're you ever in the
'Losr PARCEL" DEPARTMENT
of railroad baggage-master? Here is
what it contains: Violins, guns, combs,
scarfs, umbrellas, parasols, rubber coats.
false teeth, crutches, canes, wigs, lunch
baskets, books, shawl-straps, boots, hats,
ladies' bonnets, photographs, love-letters,
vallses, tobacco-boxes, pipes, card-cases,
and strange to say, oftener than anything
else, pocket-books of all varieties. OF
the latter, the writer was shown enough
to fill bushel basket recently by a bag
gage-master of railroad which does a
large suburban business.
'How do you handle these things, and
how do you finally dispose of them?"
"When the train pulls into the depot
and the passengers hurry out we have a
man who Immediately goes through all
the cars. He is an expert, and will find
articles that ten other men not used to
making the search would walk by. He
brings everything right to this room. If
an article has name on 1t we notify the
owner by postal-card. If no name or
mark can be found, we proceed to regis
ter the article. In book for the pur-
pose is written description, the marks
if any, the date, the number of the train
and the car in which it was found. Then
tag, with these memorials, is also at
tached to the article, and is put away
with a thousand other 'lost" treasures.
The law requires US to keep these
things six months, but we usually keep
them year. Then they are advertised
and sold at auction"
''How large a percentage of trinkets
reach the auction bloek?"
"About one out of twenty, and they are
the most worthless articles, People who
lose anything of much value come chas-
ing around out of breath looking for it,
or at once write to some officer of the
company giving full particulars, and we
gladly send their treasures. Sometimes
fellow comes sneaking around trying to
lay claim to lost articles, but our system
of tags brings him up standing. The
losses are principally on suburban trains.
Those who come a long distance begin
getting their bundles together to get off
when they are twenty miles out of the
city. Very many things are left in the
ladies' waiting room, especially by pas
sengers who are transferred from one de-
pot to another"
'But it is with
OUR CHECKED BAGGAGE
that we take most PRIDE" said the bag
gage-master, somewhat changing the
subject. "Let me give you few points
on that. To begin with, we check to all
points in the United States and Canada,
except Pacific coast cities. Persons maxi
ing that trip have to recheck baggage at
Missouri river points. This is forced up
on us by the western lines, which are af-
ter every cent they can get for excess
baggage. Our system of tracing a
lost trunk, or grip, is perfect.
Here is how we do it. All the
stations on all our lines are numbered
and we have those numbers here in
large book. Now, in sending bunch of
checks to Springfield Or Dubuque, or any
point VIII ltever, we do not send promis-
cuously, but the checks are sorted. Gne
town will have checks numbered from SO
to 7s, inclusive. Another will have from
375 to $50, inclusive, and so on. A rec
ord of all these is accurately kept. Now
suppose a travelling man is making
short run on our line and gets off to
Oh 10 IL SC
ried by. He notifies the agent; the agent
teiegraphs US the number of the check
and the town where the baggage is want
ed. We consult our book, see by the
number os the check what town the man
started from and that shows us which way
he was going. We at once wire our agent
at the end of the division to return bag
gage, giving number by first train. By
the drummer has had his first dinner Or
supder, as the case may be, his samples
are delivered to him, and that twenty
four hours earlier than we would know
anything about it If we were obliged to
wait and get our agents daily reports on
baggage. You may know something of
how prompt we are when I tell you that
from January /, 1886, up the present
date, we have not had single claim for
damages for delayed baggage. We use
all told 81, 100 checks on our line besides
those used for express baggage, which of
themselves number over $500. We keep
two men constantly engaged doing moth
ing else but sorting these checks. Yes,
our baggage business is something wond-
errul but is hardly appreciated by the
public, who could not travel without
it."
Halloween.