St. Landry democrat., 1889-07-27
Children Travel Alone.
ENTRUSTED TO THE CARE OF RAILROAD
MEN FOR LONG JOURNEYS.

ENTRUSTED TO THE CARE OF RAILROAD
MEN FOR LONG JOURNEYS.
''No children shipped without parents"
This is the rule that the railroad COM
panies are thinking of adopting to put
stop to the apparently increasing practice
of consigning children to the tender mer
cies of train conductors, to be carried per-
haps half way across the continent and
turned over to friends at the destination.
Once the conditions of railroad travel were
such that to send a child in this fashion
by rail was to lose the child in niue cases
out OF ten. But railroad methods have
developed, and with this development
parents and friends have thought it safe
to put tag upon their little ones and send
them off upon their lonely travels On
railroad and by steamship these travellers
go, and it was only the other day that
three tots arrived at Castle Garden way
billed to Texas, but with not soul that
knew them to offer protecting arm.
''The Pennsylvania Railroad discourages
this practice" said Assistant Passenger
Agent Pile recently. "The care and re-
sponsibilities are too great. But notwith-
standing the obstacles thrown in the way,
consignments of children still come to US,
and Of course we do our best to look out
for them 1t is not uncommon for poor
people to come to US with children that
they want delivered in the far West along
our lines or on line with which we con-
meet. Sometimes they are old enough to
be intrusted with tickets and such money
as they may need on the way, but this is
not always the case.
''When the youngsters are very small
the practice is for friends to pay down to
us the entire expense connected with car
rying their precious freight. We then
start the child on it's way and telegraph to
our agents along the line to pay over such
and such an amount to the child wan
derer, as it may be needed. The conductor
| looks out for the travellers meals, and so
the Journey is made comfortably and
safely. But, as l say, this is tedious
| business and we don't like to undertake it..
1t was once popular practice to turn over
| children bound on long journeys to the
Pullman Palace Car Company, but now it
also fights shy of the business"
Said an old official connected with the
| passenger department of the Philadelphia
and Reading Railroad: "Oar conductors
are quite frequently asked to look after
| children that travel without parents or
friends, but it is generally only short
trip The instances in which we turn
over these minors to connecting lines are
very rare indeed
The most notable cases of long journeys
for friendless little ones are met with in
the immigrant homes. Poverty will drive
parents to run great risks, and they will
send over from the old country their child
rem to travel across water and land to
friends in the new country of the West.
Perhaps for months they will not hear OF
the haps and mishaps of the journey,
trusting to the interest of strangers and
the faithfulness of railraad officials tc
speed the trip. Only a tag fastened about
the neck or to the buttonhole shows the
| destination.
Stranger be kind to this ere pup.
| And always keep him right side up.
These were the epigrammatic directions
that carried poor cur to the end of hi;
journey not long ago. But when similar
tactics are tried with human freight, the
railroads are inclined to resist and rebe
against fulfilling the Office of travelling
nurse.-Philadelphia Record.