Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-09-22
RUNNERS ron srEAMsHIe.'


People for = small Co...
NOW Passengers Are pIcrsa
BACK and forth before ,,,s
a., Ras, laa'ah'ic steamship lines fronfina
NAV ~ green aud In that ylejnit J
! fair - a'''ios. any day, be observed 81 !.
hunarv III, parihY the payements with !
MING H. ~ iielr eyes, eagerly scan.
nroaetas u every person who An
SURF =. i, = mat person happens n Is.
tha 10. ~. ~ hilnds OF these watchers. from
srn,., ~ -, u ms looking at the Office sions
he : nls appearance pronouncino him ~
in IN a,iaIser, or from any other outward
-. ass'.t any remote hint that he rcis,hs
~ .es,lous OF purchasing passage across
60" .ah, ne - az once Approached WIFI
nasa ~ assist him in his search The
ha;.. u tne port to which he wants n %
s elclted, the "runners', will az onca
,n.n apeae with each other for the honor -
h,n ~ him to the agent from who -
ne can Obtain 'the best and cbearest , :. ..
$50 me man Is at once DRAGGED IN
pelpexed, put somewhat tempted hv A.
I u cheaper fare than that wbich ~
ns a oeeh ied TO expect, to the steamship
ohace where the runner, who has him II
enarge can obtain the largest commiss l =,
up s'r .he purchase OF his ticket.
inere isn't half as much monav l.,
snio business now that there was ! farn
YEARS , ago, said a veteran runner recantI,
I'VE used to get 50 commission m a aaah
ticket across. Now the rates are do,v,, =.
amos" a,, hothing, and the comnanies Mill
a s US only from SO to IS. Then When
ecseral fellows get around a mar -
course the one who will offer the nassan-
yer tne most reduction off his ticket cots
MN, put that reduction, OF conrse has ~
come out OF our commission y
:, 70 you depend entirely npon chance
III tne passengers you catchs,
Vol altogether. Some of us who have
lsaae business of the thing have agents
" our own in other cities and ont west
s " ~ ADVISE US when party is coming to
ie" iork TO go across. Then we make
y point TO meet the passengers and ar
range with them to buy their tickets ),
TOW 90 you tell by the look of a man
"ne.ner ne may prove a customer,
~, US easy enough said the veteran
~ spot stranger, and easier still to tell
", ne Is German, Swedish or Irish
men IL you can speak to him In his own
language the probability is that YOU are
aii risht. II not, it's easy enough to hack
out: sometimes I've spoken to man
entirely On spec, and struck a first class
passenger. OF course, the higher grade
passenger you get, the more Commission
there Is off his ticket for you.''
A former runner, who Is now engaged
N other business, was asked if the steam
snip companies gave special commissions
TO favored men.
On, nc" said he, s'any steamship COM
pahy VIII give You a commission il Won
lake them passenger, it makes hardly
any difference who you are. sometimes
earn a few dollars that way yet, and fire.
lnentiy oblige friend by obtaining a
icket for him at the discount Of my com
MISSION. Last summer when l made a
rip across myself, got another friend In |
'hy my ticket and saved So on it.n
Another ex-runner said that there were |
'ery few men who made a permanent |
BUSINESS OF picking up passengers now. |
Ike himself, good many were on the |
ookout for commissions when travel was |
,risk, as in the summer season, or when |
hey hadn't anything else to do. But the
were small now, the COM |
petition was keen, and those who had !
made business of it had mostly sue |
eeded in establishing little offices of their
'wn.-New York Commercial Advertiser.