Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-03-24
RUNNERS FOR STEAMSHIPS.
Collarfng People for Small Commission
How Passengers Are Picked.

Collaring People for q Small Commission
How Passengers Are Picked.
Back and forth before the Offices of the
big transatlantic steamship lines fronting
on Bowling green and in that vicinity
may, on almost any day, be observed GER
tain men pacing the pavements with a
hungry look in their eyes, eagerly scan
ming the face of every person who ap-
proaches. If that person happens to in
spire in the minds Of these watchers, from
the fact Of his looking at the Office signs,
from his appearance pronouncing him to
be a stranger, or from any other outward
indication, any remote hint that he might
be DESTROYS of purchasing passage across
the ocean, he is at once approached with
offers to assist him in his search. The
name of the port to which he wants to go
being elected, the runners" will at once
compete with each other for the honor of
introducing him to the agent from whom
he can obtain "the best and cheapest pas
sage" The man is at once dragged off,
perplexed, but somewhat tempted by the
offer of cheaper fare than that which he
had been led to expect, to the steamship
office where the runner" who has him in
charge can obtain the largest commission
"There isn't half as much money in
this business now that there was a few
years ago." said q veteran runner recently.
''We used to get s. commission on each
ticket across. Now the rates are down to
almost nothing, and the companies will
allow us only from So to SIS. Then when
several fellows get around a man, of
course the one who will offer the passen-
no valuation off hic irEo afc
him, but that reduction, of course, has to
come out of our commission"
''Do you depend entirely upon chance
In the passengers you catch?"
"Not altogether. Some of US who have
made business Of the thing have agents
of our own in other cities and out west,
who advise us when party is coming to
New York to go across. Then we make
it point to meet the passengers and ar
range with them to buy their tickets"
"How do you tell by the look of man
whether he may prove customer
''It's easy enough" said tie veteran,
ITO spot stranger, and easier still to tell
whether he is German, Swedish or Irish.
Then if you can speak to him in his own
language the probability is that you are
all right. If not, it's easy enough to back
out. Sometimes I've spoken to man
entirely on 'spec,' and struck first class
passenger. OF course, the higher grade
passenger you get, the more commission
there is off his ticket for YOU"
A former runner, who is now engaged
in other business, was asked if the steam
ship companies gave special commissions
to favored men.
ooh, no." said he, "any steamship COM
pany will give you a commission if you
take them a passenger, it makes hardly
any difference who you are. sometimes
earn few dollars that way yet, and fire.
quently oblige a friend by obtaining q
ticket for him at the discount Of my COM
mission. Last summer when 1 made
trip across myself, l got another friend to
buy my ticket and saved s. on it."
Another ex-runner said that there were
very few men who made a permanent
business of picking up passengers now.
Like himself, a good many were on the
lookout for commissions when travel was
brisk, as in the summer season, or when
they hadn't anything else to do. But the
were small now, the COM
petition was keen, and those who had
made business of it had mostly sue
ceeded in establishing little Offices of their
own.-New York Commercial Advertiser.