Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-07-03
NOT BAIT FOR ROBBERS,
An Old Railroad Man Tells Why PAY
Trains Are Never Held Up.

'Why is it that train-robbers never
plumber pay-train?''
Because they know their reward
would be too Insignificant"
That is the way an ex-railroad man
put it last night to a Savannah Ne,cs
reporter.
Less money" he added, sis carried
on pay-train than any other kind of
a train. Some folk imagine that the
pay of the employees of the two great
systems terminating here aggregating
hundreds of thousands monthly, is
piled away in the cars and is hauled
over the road
Isn't that the case?"
Great Scott! no. Trains would be
robbed before they got we'll out of
Savannah. Besides, who would be
able to keep up with a carload of
money? 1t is largely silver and the
ten-cent pieces and the nickels and the
coppers would run away with things
How is the business conducted,
then?n
Easily enough. In fact, there is but
one way to properly carry it on. That
way is to draw on the banks at each
city for enough to pay off until the
next city is reached. For instance in
leaving Savannah over either the
Savannah, Florida & Western railroad
or the Central railroad just enough
money is taken to pay off employees, in
Guiding agents, track-hands, operators,
and others, at each of the stations.
This amount is not very large. The
iarppSt ,,oi1 ho
cities. For instance, in Macon the
engineers, tiremen, conductors, and
yard-hands and others of the Savannah
Il Western railroad are paid off; in
Augusta the employees of the South
Carolina division of the Central are
paid off; the same is true with the
Savannah, Florida & Western railway.
BY this means the largest sums paid out
amount to little more than a transfer
of money procured from the banks
through the paymaster of the railroads
to the employees. The sums paid out
on the line between the headquarters
OF each division are small compared to
the amounts paid out in the cities.
None of the engineers or tiremen or
conductors or brakemen are paid off at
Poihlo dlohS euC lIuc. Iucl are Tue
employees that get the largest pay.n
The railroad man related an incident
which took place several years ago,
which he said put matters in bad
light and made the pay-train tempting
to train-robbers. A newspaper reporter
on one of the dailies of western town
wrote long article stating how much
money it required to pay off the en-
ployes of the road, and concluded by
saying it was singular that the robbers
seldom held up pay-trains. The figures
the newspaper man gave were correct,
and the article attracted widespread
attention. Several officials of the road
went to the general manager about the
matter and began to suggest remedy
for what they considered very bad
practice.
The general manager explained to
them that the amount of money carried
on pay-trains was small compared to
what is carried on regular mail and
express train, but the matter was not
settled until the newspaper man pub
lished an interview with the general
manager, giving the facts and stating
the manner in which business was con-
Quoted on pay-trains. The railroader
said, however, that the danger of pay
train robbery is very slight. The rob-
bers have posted themselves about these
matters.