San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-08-23
TRAFFIC IN TRUNKS.
An Interesting Chat With a Phila-
delphia Baggage-Smasher.

| An interesting Cnat WIN Inlla
delphia Baggage-Smasher.
From the Philadelphia Record.
People who know him call him the
"Baggage-Smasher." He is modern
autocrat. His power is absolute, and
the confines of his kingdom include
every town, village and hamlet
reached by rail or water. All people
at least that portion of the human
race who travel either for pleas
ure or profit are his slaves.
All pay him tribute. To him all
mortals are alike. The tears or blan-
dishments of fair women, the ce-cold
impudence of the festive drummer or
the proud IMAM with influence" are
as pawns in the hands OF the bag
gage-smasher"
You will only waste your time and
eloquence if you undertake to ques-
ton any of his high-handed methods,
and it is always best to give him your
trunk, pick up the bit of brass he
losses out in return and then start on
your journey firm in the belief that
everything will turn up all right at
the other end.
If you are of a nervous tempera-
ment try to conjure in your mind all
the narrowing details OF big smash
up on your route. This will take your
mind off your trunk and cause you to
cease lingering the metal check in
your pocket. IT you are philosopher
debate on the mutability of things. 1t
is always some consolation to feel
that other peoples things are goip g
TO the dogs as we'll as your own. Ii
you are a pessimist rejoice, for the
trunk could never be handled worse.
In fact, whatever you are content
yourself. Don't let the smasher
have an mixing that there are fragile
articles in your trunk, tor you will
never recognize them again il you do.
He will exhaust his strength on that
trunk to find how strong it is. Tell
him the trunk is filled with rubber;
that he can use it for foot ball; that
he can not break anything in it and
you have the "Baggage-Smasher"
where the hair is short. He will
handle that trunk like father does
the newborn babe. Yes, the "bag-
gage-smasher" is very peculiar
being.
A reporter, by dint of diplomatic
persuasion, managed to gain an au.
dience yesterday with William West,
the Chief Baggage Agent at the
Broad Street Station. AT first Mr..
West declined to talk for publica-
ton. He said his noble profession
had been so vilely slandered by the
newspapers that he didn't feel like
giving out any information. Mr..
West soon relented, and in answer
to a question, said:
Eyes the summer and early autumn
months are the busiest. The increase
in the vacation business is growing
year by year. Thus far July has
been the biggest month of the season.
From the LIST to the 30th we handled
in all "a, 900 pieces. But 1 am salts
fed that August will top the record,
and that when we come to figure up
the score will show close up to l15 900
pieces. The largest day of the season
thus far was August 2, when 400
pieces were handled. During the first
seven months of 1889 we received and
handled 4lS,954 pieces, and for the
seven months ended August !, 1890,
we had 454,593. This shows ali i'll
crease of $3.50 pieces for the present
year thus far. The grand total for
1889 was 500, 900 pieces, and 1 am con-
WINGED that ii Will run over 100000
this year.
The bulk of this summer business,
of course, goes to the mountain and
sea shore resorts, but to do all this
work we have sixty-five men, who
are divided into two details of twelve
hours each, for the baggage room is
open for business night and day.
These men are much more careful in
handling baggage than the critical
public gives them credit for. In proof
of which 1 need but say that there
has not been one trunk broken thus
far this season.