Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1891-01-29
sAooAar sNAsHERs.
The Men whose Pathways Through This
Life are Paved with Curses.
interesting. Gossip in Regard to a Much
DespIssd Fraternity.

Despised Fraternity,
The baggageman has been getting th
worst Of il for, lol these many years
The great public must needs alway
have souo helpless scapegoats 10 loa'
their woes upon and Of an these ser
wants Of the people the inoffensive, ga
zelle-eyed baggageman has been gettinG
more than his share.
There j. no better place to inspect th,
Baggagemnn at Work than the Union
depot on Canal street, Chicago. MOri
big roads enter there than anywhere IL
the West. II you go there al o'elOei
IN the morning or II o'clock at night
the baggagemen being engaged Ia earn
ing their salaries at al other times
you will find young man, permanently
bald and with face, even IN the spring
time OF life. wrinkled with care. whG
will convert you to the belief that bag
gagemen should b. retired at ~ years
OF age with a pension and country
villa.
II am beginning TO feel 5ays this
young man. like sagOnaroia among tha
Florentlnes have been so deeply ard
roundly cursed. from early morn 10
dewy eve, That anathenas NOW slide Oh
like water of ducks buck. A littls
while ago man chased IN here one
minute before his train time with four
trunks loaded with pig-iron or bricks, I
guess.
III those trunks don't 90 on that
train I'll report you, you lunkheaded
loafern he said, cheerfully. Now that
didn't bother me IL would have, though
when ] first went IN tho business bW
you see I'm calloused.
The haldheaded young man has the
statistics Of the business at his tongues
end.
Three hundred and twenty eight
trains goout and in from this depot
every week day. And il isn't like the
average run Of terminal stations the
trains arrive and depart from both ends.
north and south. They all carry bag
gage, 70, excepta couple Of fast mail
trains.
Nov just think There are hours
when it Is a perfect bedlam here; trains
scooting in one way and seooting ont
the other. The average man IN his in
uocence Of heart sirolls in with about
two minutes leeway. Women but no,
the subject is too painful
''if everybody was going TO tae same
place il would lots easier. puts in "SGn
Francisco. "a hustler. who has made
the matter a profound study
Mr. Thomas Adams is the general
baggage-baster at the Union. He has
associated himself with trunks ap1 the
more or less beligerent owners thereof
for more than thirty years. II Mr.
Adams were only an ordinary type Of
man he would have been dead years ago.
But he isn't Men have 10 be built for
successful baggagemen just a. well a.
for generals or sprint runners and Mr..
Adams was fOre-ordained 10 be a bag
gageman. He has two assistants both
Of whom have served twelve years
under their present chief. Seventy
five men are In the department Some
time, when travel Is brisk, there are
more. IL Is necessary for the prompt
of the baggage to have four
rooms. Other depots have bat two. Six
experienced checkmen. three al each
end have.thcir hands Additionally
TO keep up with the rush These men
have enough toll and torment 10 drive
many men TO drink. They have 10
have a comprehensive geographical
at their tongues end. The
.icketman has but the towns of one
road in hand: the checllmgn has six
Besides this they must he we'll posted
On the location OF points ALI over the
different routes leading 10 those
points. and the issuing or Withdrawing
IF certain series OF tickets. their limi-
ations and the rights and privileges OF
he holders Of different ISSUES OF tickets.
In fact, said one OF these eheckmen,
I'VE have TO use knowledge in our busi-
less as a good many people that give IL
he laugh
When the baggage is checked it pass
Is TO another body Of men whose duty
L is to sort il and see that il gels on the
proper train.
'And II it don't, we generally hear
rom the Old Man. said one. Mr..
Adams is the Old Man
When the baggage is properly re-
,orded and sorted-there are men foi
zach duty-the 'hustlers' jump on il
With their large, horny hands. There
IRE four sets Of hustlers, with gn As
orter at the head of each set. The
lustlers represent nearly every nation
Ility.
The figures for 1890 show that nearly
100, 600 pieces of baggage were handled
inside the depot Besides this there
we're 10000 tons OF mail and 3O0,0N
packages, boxes, etc. not counting 3
asst amount OF train mail And yet
II handling all of this stuff. the dam
ges accruing from hrcakage, going
stray, theft, amounted to less than
lj0. The excess charges for baggage
uring the year was $4,000 and foi
In the depot more than
hours Is charged - cents
day per piece-iooted up 5000
In view Of all the hurry and conius
on, there is not as much baggage goes
stray as You would think" said a check
lan. Twenty times more passenger
et on wrong trains than baggage, and
ere is where most Of the trouble comes
rom. This. and the fact that people
ont allow us any more time toget their
tuf on the train than they take 90 gel
et on themselves. are the chief CAUSES
{ discomfort For this reason baggage
lust sometimes DE sent on the neN
rain. and then bow the passenger
owls"