Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-05-01
THE WEE SMA' HOURS.
PEOPLE ENCOUNTERED ON A sUR-
 FACE CAR AT 2 IN THE MORNING.

PEOPLE ENCOUNTERED ON A SUR-
 FACE CAR AT 2 IN THE MORNING. A Conductor Chats with an Enterprising
 Cousins and Drunken Outcasts Who
 Utilize Street Cars as Lodging Houses. the throngs daily overcrowding the surface and elevated cars of New York's local tran sit system ever pause to reflect upon the per- sons who occupy their vacant places during the long hours of the night when, with the majority, they invoke the refreshing influence of Morpheus
 They are of all sorts and conditions, rang ing from men of culture, intellect and refine ment-such as those who dribble one by one out of the huge newspaper offices from mid night until the first glimmerings of dawn to the homeless little newsboys, who haunt the vicinity of Park row and play pitch and toss in front of the city hall, while the greater world aronnd is buried in sleep.
 A reporter recently rode on Third avenue car from the city hall to Twenty third street. One of the occupants of the car, other than the reporter, was frowsy looking object, huddled close to the stove, wearing slouched hat, riddled with holes, pulled closely over its face; threadbare coat, tightly buttoned over it's shirtless chest, and pair of trousers well calculated to excite the derision of any respectable scarecrow. Strangely enough, its boots were comparatively decent-perhaps an indication of the extreme laziness of the wearer. This creature was hopelessly drunk It had haoeed ar StO1au r,,opou n, indulgence in Bowery whiskey, and few nickels had been reserved to spend in riding up and down between the termini of the street car line until morning breaks, and it could crawl unmolested into some secluded corner and continue to sleep off the previous nights debauch.
 The car stopped opposite the entrance to the Brooklyn bridge to take on little party of belated musicians, the members of some orchestra fulfilling an engagement in the City of Churches They were sober, but wide awake and merry withal, and their gut tural German accents drowned the noise of the car wheels for awhile. Then as they got drowsy they relapsed into silence and quiet reigned until Grand street was reached
 PASSENGER NOT WANTED.
 Here the brake was applied in answer to a hail from woman leaning against one of
 
 on the pillar and approached the car the miserable creature betrayed her condition. She staggered blindly against the platform guard and ejaculated a tipsy oath, but the conductor snatched at the bell strap and signaled the driver to proceed, while with the other hand he gently pushed the would be passenger against her friendly pillar, at which she clutched just in time to save fall.
 "No," he said, in answer to questioning looks. ''We don't let lem get on when they're like that. Guess it's lucky I saw her in time; once that sort are aboard it's hard to get rid of 'em."
 "You must see some strange sights and some queer people during your night trips," the reporter suggested, and the conductor smiled slightly as he replied in the affirma- tive. "You would be surprised if you knew what a number of dodgers we get,' he said. 'There are this sort-bums and such like Gn- dicating the inebriated slumberers) who get hold of a little money, get drunk and ride up and down until they have nothing to pay their fare with. But they are not the only ones, by a long way. Women? Why, yesl aud respectable ones, too. That is, don't say they're all respectable, cause they ain't. But sometimes we have real nice country girl who has arrived in the city late, has no friends here and don't like to take her chances at a strange hotel. They get aboard car, and when they find it keeps running up and down the road and nobody dares interfere with lem. why, they feel safe and conclude to stay with it until daylight. They can doze pretty easy in one of the corners. Oh, yes the d1unks make a disturbance now and then, but, as I told you, we won't allow lem aboard if they seem quarrelsome, and if by chance we get one of that sort he has to shut up or get bounced-that's all."
 At this point in the conversation tho con- ductor jerked the bell strap and stopped the car to take on three loudly dressed, coarse looking women, who ostentatiously displayed their sealskin sacques and the huge diamonds on their fat red hands. They only rode a few blocks, and after they had alighted the conductor volunteered the information that they were connected with ''museumn and the adjoining saloon.
 GOING HOME FROM THE BALL.
 By this time we had reached some popular assembly rooms, where it was evident that ball been in progress. Several devotees of Terpsichore climbed on to the platform
 The first party consisted of respectable German, apparently mechanic; his wife, a heavy looking blonde, and a pert child, 10 years of age. They were followed by two cOupleS or uaSnlly aItIied youInS ana young girls, and stout elderly man, accompanied by foxy looking young fellow and two women, attired in grotesquely juvenile cos tumes, who might be any age between 30 and 30 The whole party were in a hilarious condition, and the assumption of cheap blonde wigs by the males, coupled with the short skirts of tho women, seemed to indi- cate their recent participation in bal masque
 ''Talking of all night passengers, we often