Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-31
MURRAY'S MUSINGS.
The Shortage of Berths on the Ocean Steam-
ers Is Only Part OF Speculative scheme
The slot Machine TO Play Poker--Pitfs-

popuiatlon are now n0cklng nome Inc
tide of foreign travel has turned. Every ocean
steamer brings more people than it takes away.
With this comes the usual autumn cable news
Of the difficulty of obtaining berths homeward
and the fabulous tips necessary to secure ac-
commodations. This corner in steamship pas
sage tickets for this country at this season of
the year is, as everybody knows who has ever
been subjected to the squeeze. largely a matter
OF speculative manipulation. 1t is made posi-
Bile by the annual anxiety TO get home and the
Ignorance of travellers. A lot of London and
New York sharpers work this scheme
for all it ia worth. They buy up all the state
rooms they can handle financially and engage
all they can without paying for them. Then
they diligently spread the news that no berths
can be had for month. The big steamship
companies are in the deal Just as certain New
York theaters are in league with the ticket
spectators who handle large blocks OF the
choicest seats in the house on popular nights.
As soon as these steamships begin to give out
that everything is engaged it sets Americans
half frantic to go home. They begin to offer
all sorts of premiums for places, from f2 to f10
each. The late american Exchange in
Europe" under Mr.. Henry Gillig, that1ived by
swindling American travellers in various ways
carried on this business extensively. I once
personally saw this being done under the pres
sure of kilograms from steamship companies to
the erect that everything was taken, and saw
extra for single berths. The kilograms were
also shown to me with a view to fleeing me in
the same way. I ran down to Liverpool and got
a hrst-class berth the next morning on one of
these very same ships without any difficulty
whatever. The scheme cuts both ways for the
steamship companies; 1t enables them to throw
over those Americans holding return tickets
who haven't secured Derths, as well as to share
the extras with the Spectators.
Working Theater squeezes.
CPEAK1Na of theater ticket spectators re-
minds me that at least one theater in New
York has made relentless war on them--the
Casino. It has recently adapted additional
safeguards. If you buy seat before 7:3O you
must give your name and you will receive a
little yellow slip or printed order which reads
to the effect that your ticket will be delivered
to you after that hour on presentation Of the
order. The ticket is placed in a little envelope
with your name on 1t and is handed to you when
you come up in the evening. This scheme has
laid out the solitary speculator who has long
traded in Casino tickets in spite of the iDjunc-
tion placarded ON the walls that tickets pur-
chased on the sidewalk would not be received
at the door. He operated on a court decision
that regular tickets could not be refused by the
theater issuing them no matter where or OF
whom purchased. At Niblo's the speculator
works one end Of the line at the box office
window while the regular ticket seller runs the
other. The former is noisy kapper and dis
plays diagram Of the house and holds q roll
Of money between his fingers, sometimes un-
derselling the box office and sometimes charg-
ing premium of from rs 20 80 cents, according
to demand.
A Poker Playing Machine.
THE now famous slot machine is to lose what
little morals it ever possessed by being
made gambling arrangement A patent has
been applied for one that will deal poker
hand and act as kitty" at the same time. 1t
also shuff1es and cuts. You just drop nickel
tmpartlally, the next player does the same and
gets his hand, and SO on. With this machine it
Is claimed that the skin gamen Of poker, deal
ing from the bottom or middle OF the pack
while few choice cards md their way up the
dealers sleeve, will be thing OF the past 1t
will also be used in the Sunday schools for
dealing out scripture cards to the children who
have nickels to invest in missionary work. So
its morals. come to think Of 1t, need not be so
very bad after all.
The Hotel Boom.
TIE new hotel business in New York Is likely
to be overdone A few years ago Just
such squirt occurred and good deal of hard
money was sunk. For the last two years, how
ever, all OF the new 1orK notels nave done
pretty wen, ana JUST now any klno OF motel
properly mere Is worth pig percentage on the
inVest IN, tMens me me Vanoeronrs oon propose 70
sn,end,J sdifice to be erected by the Astor
estate between Broadway and Fifth avenue
has been talked of the Vanderbilts have had
an itch1ng Tor similar enterprises. They pro-
pose to build no less than three hotels uptown,
all to be constructed in the highest style of the
art and to be very exclusive. Nobody will
of individual surplus millions. In the mean
time the Hoffman has incorporated all of its
places under STOCK company with capital OF
Sl.OOO,OO0, and Will extend It's hotel and restau-
rant operations.
ta
p,,.n,.r. f.. uu
TUT '
I SAW batch OF Pittsburg Democrats the
other day who had 1ust returned from a
v,e,t to floverror Jin at AIborv Ero,, .ho,,
'.a,S W tn ... A'p,, p om C sneir
accouhs oi .neiI ieoePtion w INC uoFernor
and that astute politicians daily intercourse
with the many who drop I'M just to see real
live New York Democrat, should say he was
getting in some superfine work for d. B. H.
The PiItsburgers elected him TO the presidency
before IL O'Clock that night with comparatively
little opposition.
ssR
n.u,,s ia. N.us,,,..
De"ans LUZ No"spaperA
IT is customary for business men coming down
town on the elevated to give their papers to
with them nobody knows. That they are valua-
Bile to them is evidenced by the fact that they
consider every newspaper left on the seats or
floor by passengers as their property, and do
not hesitate to demand any such paper of any
body who chances to pick it up. Occasionally
this leads to some friction, as an innocent pas
senger now and then will pick up paper next
to him, get immersed in its contents and inad-
vertantiv ATTEMPT to carry IL awav with him
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