Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-09-01
CARELESS PASSENGERS.
What Becomes Of Articles Left In Street
Cars,

CARELESS PASSENGERS,
What Becomes Of Articles Left In Stree.
Cars.
WHY WOMEN FORGET THEIR BUSDLEs-PoCKErs
WHICH CANNOT BE UsED-wHAr MEN FREQUENTLY
LEAVE BEHIND THEN-UNGRArEFUL PASSENGERS
UNIQUE ASSORTMENT OF Losr ARTICLES
'Do people leave things in the cars7" echoed a
manager OF a street railway as he looked with
some surprise AZ a STAR reporter. "well, should
say that they did Look at our collection" and he
pointed TO q large case OF pigeon holes which
stood In one corner Of a room In the compa nys
main ONCE. The reporter glanced at che bundles
Oh one Kind and another. which occupied fair
portion OF the receptacle, and his eye rested upon
stack of umbrellas, which seemed TO be the
chief feature. The Official noticed the attention
paid 10 the latter and remarked casually: at Is
cold day when we don't get an umbrella or para
SOL"
In further conversation about this popularity Of
streetcar life the reporter learned that the COM
pany had regular system In regard TO Loss arti-
clea Conductors and drivers are instructed 10
bring everything left In the cars by the pasSen-
gers TO the ONCE, where an entry Is made In
book kept for that purpose. Tho article is de-
in is recorded II the owner calls for his property
within certain time It Is restored otherwise II
becomes the property OF the one who nnds It. Nc
reward Is asked but II the owner In the excess Of
his gratitude should wish to compensate the hon.
esty Of the finder he Is furnished with the name Of
the employe.
HONESTY OF PASSENGERS AND xNPLoYss-
The perls Of street cars as place of deposit for
goods Of any character are so numerous 1t Is
rather surprising that such q large proportion Of
the travelling public should constantly select such
places. But they do and 1t Is attributed to care
that class OF people There is nothing in the
world TO prevent the other passengers from ap-
propriating what some careless fellow passenger
"a N paR In fhn hU,S~ ne
Btsides, the conductors and drivers can, II they
wish, quietly take charge OF such things and forget
10 say anything about 1t at the main ONCE. But
wei cultivated that large percentage OF the
articles left In the cars Is returned TO the ghtfu
owners. Perhaps 1t Is not the moral sense at all,
but merely cautiousness or something else that
Influences. AT any rate, the main fact remains
mat the lost Is found and the wandering property
fnds its way back. Railroad officials are rather
cynical In this respect They are apt to speak
on tne o. atS
erty.
WOULDN'T SAT- THANK YOU.
Not long ago a woman walked into the ONCE Of
one OF the principal street railway companies in
this city and asked In a rather excited tone OF
voice II some article she had left In car had been
found There was glance at the register, a few
orief INQUIRIES and the missing package was ished
seized It and. without comment Of any kind,
started to walk out. Her retreating figure was
followed by the cold, penetrating glance OF an in
dlgnaut ofncial, which failed, however to pass
through the back OF her head and reach the nerves
OF consciousness In distinct, but icy tones the
Official hurled after her the words THANK you"
S1e turned and looked at the man with an as
constituent, which seemed to say: what In the
world 90 you mean?"
He added as he turned away: ~ thought that II
your property was worth getting back Il certainly
ought to have the value Of thank YOU"
Rece.ving this explanation N silence, the woman
walked out or the door, and the official proceeded
TO make some remarks 10 the attentive clerks
which were not entirely complimentary to human
nature In general and street-car human nature In
now WOMEN LOSE BUNDLES.
Judging from what is deposited In the offices Of
the companies the public are not at all particular
about what they leave in street car. 1t may be
a box of cigars or pair OF gloves, or perhaps one
Of the inumerable bundles which Is the result OF
The ladies are said TO be the most liberal contrib
utors 10 the Lost Department" OF street railway
company; The officials claim to have cOnsidera-
BILE knowledge OF the peculiarites Of the fair SEX
not ouly because they are married men, but be-
cause Of the position they hold, which
a part Of the travelling public. In rail.
road circles II seems to be settled conviction
that woman either ought TO have more pockets
has, and they assert In the present development OF
the art OF dressmakiDg 1t IS practically impos-
sibie for a woman made after the ordinary and
which is concealed somewhere within the folds OF
her dress. AS aresuit, woman with her natural
cautiousneSs Is not going TO run the risk OF losing
She may never be able TO md again and SO she
simply holds It In her hand AS the purchases ac-
cumulate in the course or q shopping expedition
her hands became fun. and she Is apt to place
the entire collection In her lap when she Is seated
In a street car on her way home. Some OF these
slip away, are left behind, and then recovered
again at the company's office. IL such woman
has an umbrella or a parasol, so much the worse
for the umbrella or the paraSoL Next TO female
pockets, or, rather their hde-and-seek nature the
faculty which women are said 10 have for CONVEX
Satlon Is regarded as the most fruitful cause OF
things being left in street cars. The fair sex are
said TO abandon themselves TO the delights OF q
street-car conversation, and become Obvious OF
everything else, even forgetting at times 10 get
Out at the proper place. so completely do they
become absorbed that unless things are chained
on they generally abandon them IN the car and
complete CONSCIOUSNESS Is not restored until they
reach home.
WHAT MEN LEAVE.
The oflcial mind Is not so clear upon the reasons
why men leave things in the cars. They don't
seem to have given that branch OF the business
much thought. But as they claim that men do
not give much trouble in that way perhaps 1t may
be concluded that IL Is not worth while for the
mind TO perplex itself over this phase OF the
matter. still II Is not denied that men drop their
pocketbookS In the cars, ana sometimes leave
valuable packages In fact IL Is much easier TO
say what not left In street car than what is The
list Is a surprising one Large sums Of money have
been lost In this way, and what Is more SURPRISING
have been recovered. Diamond rings and even
watches turn up, and sometimes a bundle is found
baby. II Is hardly necessary TO add that In the
latter event "the ind" Is not deposited In the
pigeon-hole case IN the railway ONCE, but It Is
transferred TO the tenderer care OF some infant
the original owner or guardian OF the bundle are
fully carried out.