The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-01-25
RUNNERS FOR STEAMSHIPS.
colisrins People for u Small Commissions.
How Passengers Arc pickcd

HOW Passengers AFRO 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
hungry look In their eyes, eagerly scan
ming the face Of every person who ap.
proaches. IL 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 stranger, or from any other outward
indication, any remote hint that lie might
be Gesirops Of purchasing passage across
the ocean, he is at once approached with
offers 20 assist him In his search. The
name of the port 10 which he wants to 90
being elected, the runners" will ct once
compete with each other for the honor OF
introducing him 70 The agent from whom
he can obtain ''the best and cheapest pas.
sage The man IS az once dragged oil,
perplcxed, but somewhat tempted by the
otter Of q cheaper fare than that which he
had been led 20 expect to the steamship
Office where the runner who has him 10
charge can obtain tho largest commission
upon the purchase OF his ticket.
"Thero isn't half as much money In
this business now that there was n few
years ago, said q veteran runner recently.
ave used 10 get SO commission on each
ticket across. Now the rates are down to
almost nothing, and the companies viii
allow us only from 30 10 So. Then when
several fellows get around a man, OF
course the one who will offer the passen-
ger the most reduction OF his ticket gets
him, but that reduction, of course, has to
come out Of our commission"
"Do you depend entirely upon chance
ia tho passengers yon catchs'
"Not altogether. Some of us who have
made o business Of the thing have agents
CT our own in other cities and out west,
who advise Us when party is coming TO
New York 10 go across. Then we make
1t point to meet tho passengers and ar
range with them TO bug their tickets"
chow do you tell by the look CT q mar
whether he may prove customer!
"It's easy enough" said the veteran,
ito spot stranger, ond easier still to tell
whether he Is German Swedish or Irish.
Then if you can speak TO him in his own
language the probability ia that you are
al right II not, it'seasy 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, tho more commission
there IS OF Bis ticket for you"
4 former runner, who ia now engaged
in other business was asked il the steam
ship companies gave special commissions
TO favored men.
ooh, no, said 10, "any steamship com
pany will give you n commission If you
take them passenger, it makes hardly
any difference who you are. sometimes
earn O few dollars that way yet, and fire.
auently oblige friend by obtaining
ticket for him at the discount OF my COM
mission Last summer when | made q
trip across myself, got another friend TO
buy my ticket aud saved SO Oh st."
Another ey-runner said that there were
very few men who made permanent
business of picking up passengers now.
Like himself, Il good many were on the
lookout for commissions when travel was
brisk, IS in the summer season, or when
they hadn't anything else TO do. But the
commissions were small now, tho 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